The Swampscott Center for the Performing Arts will open by Labor Day weekend. 

Last December, Town Meeting approved an RFP allowing for a lease of up to 30 months from the date of the vote, extending through June 2028. The Athanas family announced the restaurant’s closure in November. The short-term lease is intended to prevent the building from sitting vacant as long-range plans take shape. The Swampscott Center for Performing Arts’ entertainment, common victualler and liquor licenses were recently approved by the Select Board.

The center has events organized for the fall, including a Woodstock-inspired “Swampstock.”  Proceeds from the event will benefit the Marblehead Counseling Center.

Additional details about performances, community events and other programming will be announced as plans are finalized.

The restaurant will offer casual dining and handcrafted cocktails. Renzo’s Pizza will be among the food options available at the center. Maria’s Gourmet, founded by Maria Torres, will also have a location at the Swampscott Center for Performing Arts.

Entertainment will be a major part of the center’s programming, with plans to bring in performers representing a variety of musical styles, including jazz and classical music. The center is also working on future programming with the North Shore Children’s Theatre and plans to offer comedy nights.

The performing arts proposal envisions multiple uses for the space, including live music in the dining room as well as food an exhibit on Swampscott’s history.

Johnny Ray, on behalf of the Center for Performing Arts, had previously said the space would have a grand opening during the July 3 events, but it did not appear to be open when the Swampscott Tides visited.

The Swampscott Tides did see moving trucks at the space a few days prior to July 3.

What’s Going On With The Property?

At a Special Town Meeting in June 2022, voters overwhelmingly approved acquiring several properties, including the Hawthorne parcel and the Archer Street project. The article authorized the Select Board to acquire 149–169 Humphrey Street by gift, purchase, or eminent domain for municipal use, passing 214–3.

A community brainstorming session in January 2023 identified public community space as the top priority, with strong support for open space and green areas. Multi-use space ranked second, while “iconic” concepts were dominated by open-space ideas.

A town survey presented at the April 3, 2024 Select Board meeting found that residents viewed a public park and open space as the most important use of the property. 

Waterfront access was considered important, while revenue generation was less important and off-street public parking “not important.”

A preliminary design for a glass-encased Swampscott Public Library was unveiled in April 2024. The initial estimated cost of the preliminary design was around $30 million, according to what former Select Board Member Peter Spellios said at the time.

The plan was met with strong opposition from residents, many of whom said at the time that they felt blindsided by the proposal, and the plan was considered a dead end after a public forum in May 2024.

The Select Board created the Hawthorne Re-Use Advisory Committee in February 2025 to develop guidelines and gather community feedback before making recommendations.

At two community meetings, residents emphasized creating “a place to go,” prioritizing pedestrians, and addressing the short lifespans of businesses on Humphrey Street. Other ideas included community spaces for food courts, cafés, artisans, and events.

The committee agreed to present Plan G1 to the Select Board. The plan features two rows of buildings, totaling around 25,000 square feet if two stories, set perpendicular to the road with a 40-foot opening to maintain views into the courtyard and open-space area. The model includes roughly 28 parking spaces.

A few weeks prior to the Hawthorne Re-Use Advisory Committee’s presentation, Town Administrator Nick Connors informed the Select Board on November 6 that he had learned of the Athanas family’s decision to vacate on October 23, discovering that some of their personal items were being auctioned that same weekend. The Athanases said the property was sold three years ago and that they are “ready to move on” as the town advances its plans.

This in turn led to the Town Meeting discussion. Article No. 10 authorized the Select Board to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) during the interim planning period.

“Article No. 10 gives us the time and flexibility to keep this landmark protected, active and productive while we finish that work together,” Connors said, adding that by keeping the Hawthorne restaurant open it allows for a “dual-track” approach through  short-term activation and long-term redevelopment.

Select Board Chair Katie Phelan emphasized that the short-term solution is not a replacement for long-term planning but is meant to “run tandem.”

The Swampscott Center for Performing Arts was awarded the RFP, and the Select Board has now agreed to liquor, entertainment and victualler licenses for the center. 

Meanwhile, the town is also exploring the potential purchase of the adjacent St. John’s Church parking lot, which officials say could “unlock the full potential of the site” by enabling a balanced plan that includes green space, parking, and revenue-generating redevelopment.

For the past month, the Select Board has been refining the long-term RFP, weighing issues including parking, open space and residential use. The Select Board most recently voted 3-2 to oppose residential development at the Hawthorne property, a move that could exclude housing from the site’s long-term request for proposals (RFP).

Residential development at the former Hawthorne-by-the-Sea site has long been a point of contention, with many residents arguing that a prime oceanfront property should remain accessible to the broader community rather than be occupied by a limited number of private residences. Select Board Members Mary Ellen Fletcher and Wayne Spritz as well as Vice Chair Danielle Leonard voted in favor of removing residential development possibilities from the long-term RFP. Select Board Member Ted Dooley and Chair Katie Phelan voted against the motion.

Updated August 19 3:30 p.m. with new information from Swampscott Center for Performing Arts.