Mission, History, Future | The Bridge at 211

OUR MISSION

The Bridge at 211 aims to bring new life and purpose to an historic landmark and serve greater Salem as a hub for artistic, cultural, educational, and social events. We hope to continue to serve our community as a home to the arts, a place to gather, and a partner to other groups. As an integral member of Salem's rich heritage, we are positioned to be an active participant in its future as a place to connect, celebrate, and learn.

We also seek to preserve the legacy of our building, which is steeped in Salem’s history and lore and inspired by its founders who advocated for social justice for all and actively supported abolition, women's suffrage, LGBTQ+ rights, and other social reform movements.

Ten years ago, former church and community members encouraged us to form The Bridge at 211 to keep this landmark from being converted into offices or residential condominiums. We are now embarking on a five-year plan that will allow us to reopen the doors to the mid-level of the building. These are the first steps in a capital improvement plan that will secure the future of this irreplaceable piece of Salem’s heritage.

We are not booking events at this time as we focus on upgrading our building to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests.

OUR HISTORY

The city of Salem has grown and changed around our historic building, which was originally a Universalist church built on the city's waterfront. The original church building was constructed in 1808 under the guidance of Perley Putnam, with Reverend Hosea Ballou, a founder of the Universalist Church, laying the cornerstone of the Federal-style building. In 1888 and 1889, the Bolles wing was added, and a Hutchings organ - with 1,200 pipes - was installed in the meetinghouse portion of the building (now known as Murray Hall). In 1983, our building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Due to dwindling member numbers, the First Universalist Society of Salem closed in 2015, and the remaining congregation voted to merge with First Parish Church in Beverly, Massachusetts and to repurpose the building, transforming 211 Bridge Street into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Bridge at 211.

Over the years, the building, both as a church and as a nonprofit, has served as an incubator for nonprofit organizations, a home to a number of arts organizations, and host to a wide range of theatrical, musical, charitable, and civic events. In 2020 and 2021, however, pandemic-related event cancellations and the need to address code deficiencies prompted us to close our doors to the public temporarily to regroup, think creatively, envision our future, and pursue funding for our longer-term goals.

We engaged experts to complete an adaptive reuse study, completed in 2023, that concluded market opportunities exist for a community performing arts, arts education, and active arts center in Salem. We asked our consultants to draw up detailed physical, operational, and financial plans, and we shared those preliminary plans in a series of public meetings with friends, neighbors, and community leaders and asked for input. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, so we continue to work toward our goal of creating, programming, and operating a self-sustaining and vibrant destination that will entertain, engage, enrich, teach, and inspire the greater Salem community.

OUR FUTURE

We're on the verge of something very exciting. Our enthusiasm and commitment to the arts and performing arts, preserving a historic landmark, and building community around one of the city’s underused assets has driven us through the lengthy process of becoming a nonprofit, the pandemic, and an unexpected shutdown. With the help of our friends and the support of grantmakers, we will fulfill our mission.

Our dream is to become a destination that the greater Salem community can use and be proud of for generations to come. Our recent adaptive reuse study confirms that the active arts and arts education facility we aim to create will:

enhance downtown development
align with “Imagine Salem” as a bricks and mortar project buoyed by market demand
support the city’s sense of community and authenticity
provide a significant positive impact with new programming opportunities
embrace the community’s diversity
help sustain local businesses
provide employment opportunities
and play a role in entertaining the influx of fall visitors.

Our five-year plan will take us to 2030 when we launch another five-year capital improvement campaign that will bring us closer to ensuring that the second chapter in the life of this beautiful, expansive space is secured.