Somerville moves to seize Armory building through eminent domain
City officials say that losing the historic building as a community space would be "a devastating blow."
Somerville Armory
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The City of Somerville had tried to reach a deal to buy its historic armory building. Now, they taking it.
After getting unanimous approval Thursday night from the Somerville City Council, Mayor Joe Curtatone announced Friday that the city is moving to acquire the Somerville Armory through eminent domain to preserve the distinct Highland Avenue building as a community art space.
The move means Somerville will pay just over $5 million to buy the property from its current owners, the Sater family, who also own the well-known Middle East nightclub in Cambridge and bought the Somerville Armory from the Massachusetts state government in 2004 for $2.6 million.