“This looks like a house! Who lives here?” is one of the most common phrases we hear when our youngest visitors first come to FYACS.
“It is a house!” we’ll explain, and give a little bit of the history of the Victorian building that has become the home to Follow Your Art Community Studios in Melrose.
Built in 1889 and designed by Melrose architect Joel Brown, the building that we lovingly call “The Big Yellow House” started out as a parsonage to what is now the First United Methodist Church. A few years back, Alanna Nelson, then a member of the Writers Studio, captured the building’s history in this post on Palette.
In 2019, Follow Your Art Community Studios launched as a nonprofit arts center and moved into the Big Yellow House. 647 Main Street has transformed from bedrooms and living spaces into studios and spaces for gallery shows, performances, and classes. Original details, however, like the Chelsea tile fireplace, stained glass, and original woodwork, remain.
In 2019, Follow Your Art Community Studios launched as a nonprofit arts center and moved into the Big Yellow House. 647 Main Street has transformed from bedrooms and living spaces into studios and spaces for gallery shows, performances, and classes. Original details, however, like the Chelsea tile fireplace, stained glass, and original woodwork, remain.
Many people have called this house their home, and Follow Your Art Community Studios is proud to be the current steward of this unique place. Original details, amazing light, and versatile spaces make this a cozy, welcoming place unlike any other where people of all ages and abilities can come together to create and appreciate the arts in our community. The Big Yellow House is a character all unto itself in the story of FYACS.
We don’t own the Big Yellow House, though. In 2019, a group of founding investors bought the building at 647 Main Street to “hold” the property until such a time that FYACS was ready to take it on. That time is now, and we are conducting a capital campaign toward the purchase and maintenance of the historic Big Yellow House. We want to do right by this beautiful space and continue making it YOUR creative home.
To learn more about the capital campaign, visit bit.ly/Home4FYA
Please feel free to stop by FYACS to check out the building or our offerings – we love sharing our space with you!