Tapestry Hall

The Gaslight District revitalization in downtown Cambridge is attracting attention from across the country for its creative reinvention of an underutilized and contaminated urban site. With a bold new master plan created by HIP Developments and Martin Simmons Sweers Architects, this live-work-play public square is anchored by three historic stone buildings. One of these is the new home of Tapestry Hall, a much sought-after event space rarely seen in a mid-size city.

Visitors describe entering the hall as a majestic experience, created from oversized, 3-tonne glass entry doors to the central hall with its cathedral-ambiance. The eyes rise to the two-storey high stained wood ceiling, massive steel framework and beams, and the gleaming, polished concrete floors. A second level balcony with glass balustrade provides the perfect perch for looking over the space - whether it’s set up as a dance floor with coloured spotlights, rows of seats facing a stage, or tables for a wedding.

The undisputed pièce de résistance is an extraordinary ‘living sculpture’ by Philip Beesley, a world-renowned artist and lecturer at the local Cambridge School of Architecture. Aptly titled Meander, the sculpture mimics the meandering of the Grand River, shifting depending on your location in the space through a series of sensors that sense the presence of people in the room.