City of Cambridge ends Fashion History Museum lease

The Fashion History Museum in Cambridge is looking for a new home. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte explains why the city terminated the museum’s lease.

The City of Cambridge has ended the Fashion History Museum’s lease.

It’s not because the outfits inside may be out of style, but the city says it is out of patience because they claim the operators are significantly behind on rent.

“The City of Cambridge has made the difficult decision to end the Fashion History Museum’s (FHM) lease at 74 Queen Street East due to significant unpaid rent totalling approximately $140,000, since June 2023, costs which would transfer to the taxpayer,” a statement from the city reads in part. “The museum curators live on-site in a second-floor apartment suite and have not provided payment for the space, as agreed to in their lease.”

City staff said negotiations have been ongoing since 2023, including offers of reduced rent payments, partial payment forgiveness and a repayment plan. But an agreement was never reached.

Word of the museum’s closure is sad to hear for some residents.

“If it’s about keeping this open so the arts thrive, then for $140,000, with I don’t know how many people live in Cambridge now, I think we figure that out,” said longtime Cambridge resident Bryce Macey.

Nearby business owners said they are disappointed too.

“To see someone who was here even before me shut down is definitely devastating for the community,” said Vanessa Bishop, owner of The Bishops Brew Café. “It is sad to see them go for sure.”

While the physical space of the museum will change, the collection of items aren’t in jeopardy. Staff are focused on finding a new home, which could end up being outside of Cambridge.

Museum staff were given 14 days to move everything out and dispute much of what the city has said in their statement.

They were not able to do an interview with CTV News on Monday because they said they must first speak with their lawyer.

They have made a series of Facebook posts though explaining their point of view.

One post explains they made a plea to city council in March 2023, which is three months before they said they were no longer able to pay rent.

“We requested that the City of Cambridge either cover the rent via a grant, as they had since we opened the museum in 2015, or reduce the rent to an industry standard of $1.00 per year,” one post reads in part.

They cite other nearby museums like the Canadian Clay & Glass Museum or the Homer Watson House & Gallery, which both only pay $1.00 per year for rent. Cambridge Community Players is in the same boat, only paying $1.00 per year in rent.

The city eventually decided the Fashion History Museum did not meet the requirements for funding.

As for unpaid rent from staff who live on-site, museum staff said in a Facebook post: “The director is unpaid, and lives in the apartment in lieu of a salary for their services.”

It goes on to say: “The curator, donates up to half their salary to the museum annually to cover overhead costs. This arrangement was understood when the building was bought by the City in the summer of 2020.”

While they may be fashionably late on rent, they feel the museum should be funded by the municipality since it educates the community.

No matter what side people are on, it seems most can agree that seeing the closure of a local arts and culture institution is never in style.