Submitted by Chuck Royce and John Fareri
We are proposing the adaptive reuse of the historic Havemeyer Building into a dynamic, community-focused performing arts center—paired with a thoughtfully planned residential component that preserves green space, enhances walkability, and supports downtown vitality.
At the heart of the project is a flexible black box theater that can serve as a cultural anchor for the town.
This venue will host everything from music and theater to lectures, dance, spoken word, and community festivals.
It will be a welcoming, multi-use space designed to reflect and celebrate the diverse voices of Greenwich.
Key Project Highlights
• Preserves a Beloved Landmark
Restores and revitalizes the historic Havemeyer Building, safeguarding its legacy while giving it renewed purpose. The town maintains ownership of the performing arts spaces and artists’ studios.
• Performs as a Cultural & Civic Hub
Offers a versatile venue for local performers, visiting artists, schools, nonprofits, and community events.
• Privately Funded, Publicly Beneficial
Backed by private support for construction, programming and endowment. No cost to taxpayers.
• Generates Economic Activity
Generates tax revenue from the residential component and offices. Also drives increased patronage of nearby shops, restaurants, and services through regular arts programming and increased foot traffic.
• Walkable & Environmentally Conscious
Works within existing footprint and existing hardscapes. Residential portion built on a current parking lot; includes underground parking and respects existing trees and green spaces.
• Partners, Not Competitors
Complements venues like the Greenwich Library theaters, Eastern Civic Center, and Old Town Hall. We believe Greenwich can support multiple arts spaces serving different needs and audiences.
• Fulfills a Community Need
Sized for groups that find the high school Performing Arts Center too large or the library theaters too limiting. It fills the “sweet spot” in Greenwich’s creative infrastructure.
• Aligned with the Town’s Long-Term Plan (POCD) Preserves a historic building, enhances cultural life, improves walkability, and is entirely privately funded—all goals in the Town of Greenwich’s Plan of Conservation and Development.
• Anchored by Proven Leadership
Led by Chuck Royce, founder of successful theaters like the Avon and the United Theatre. The project includes a nonprofit governance structure with community-based oversight.
• Backed by a Proven Developer Committed to Community Values
John Fareri leads the residential portion, bringing deep experience, a philanthropic spirit, and a shared vision for a vibrant, arts-focused redevelopment that honors Greenwich’s heritage.
• Support Beyond Construction
In addition to preserving green space and integrating underground parking, Mr. Fareri is contributing financial and construction resources to ensure the success of the nonprofit arts center. After renovation, the Havemeyer Arts Center will be gifted to the Town of Greenwich, who will retain ownership.
• Partnering for Long-Term Solutions
This public-private partnership helps address re housing for the Board of Education and enables a sustainable model for operating a cultural asset that nonprofits alone could not support.
Why This Project Matters
This is more than a theater. It’s a place for connection, learning, and shared experience—a space where our community can come together across ages, neighborhoods, and backgrounds. It creates jobs in arts and education, boosts downtown foot traffic, and strengthens Greenwich’s identity as a place where history, culture, and creativity thrive.
We believe the Havemeyer project is a unique opportunity to do something lasting, inclusive, and inspiring for the Town of Greenwich.
Havemeyer Project Q&A
Q: What are your plans for the space in the Havemeyer Building?
Our vision for the Havemeyer is to create an exceptionally flexible, community-driven performance space—a venue that meets the needs of both world-class artists and local performers.
At its core, the space will be a black box-style theater, offering multiple configurations depending on the type of event. In a traditional layout, the theater can function as a polished, professional venue for music, lectures, theater, and film, with a blend of floor and balcony seating. But we also see the theater as a modular and fluid space—one that can be transformed for book talks, gallery-style installations, festivals, fashion shows, and more. We can create a relaxed cabaret atmosphere with high-top tables and a bar, or reconfigure for standing-room concerts and kinetic performances that bring audiences directly into the energy of the event. A runway show featuring local design students? A dance performance “in the round”? A town-wide storytelling night? All possible. All welcome.
Q: How will the new arts center and theater serve the residents of Greenwich?
The plans we’ve developed for a downtown performing arts space fulfill a need that is currently unmet in town. The size of the proposed spaced is unique. It hits a sweet spot that will appeal to a lot of performing groups in town who regularly seek out rehearsal and performance spaces.
Our goal is to create a dynamic, inclusive performing arts center and cultural hub that serves the full breadth of the Greenwich community. We’re committed to offering diverse programming engaging not only the arts, but also our schools, local nonprofits, and businesses.
More than $1 million has already been raised specifically to support low-cost and free programs that will be accessible to all.
Q: Why is there a for-profit partner involved in this project?
We’ve partnered with a private developer, Fareri & Associates, whose vision for the residential component of this project closely aligns with our own values. His plans for new housing on the parcel surrounding the historic Havemeyer building are thoughtful, sustainable, and community-focused. The residential construction will take place primarily on an existing parking lot, preserving the integrity of Havemeyer Park and respecting the mature trees and green space that define the area.
The design emphasizes walkability, includes underground parking, and works within the existing footprint of hardscaped surfaces, minimizing environmental impact. Just as importantly, this partner is deeply committed to supporting the nonprofit arts center—not only by helping to restore and preserve the Havemeyer building itself, but also by financially backing the long-term vision of a vibrant, inclusive cultural hub for Greenwich.
Q: What kind of impact do you hope this project will have on Greenwich Avenue and the broader Town of Greenwich?
We see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create something meaningful for Greenwich—something that energizes Greenwich Avenue, supports the local economy, and unites residents across sectors and generations. This isn’t just a theater. It’s a community asset that’s already drawing enthusiastic support from donors, arts leaders, and residents.
Q: How will your project contribute to economic vitality and generate community support?
In addition to contributing to the vibrancy of Greenwich Avenue, our project is backed by a growing coalition of supporters – from our non-profit arts partners like the Greenwich Arts Council and Greenwich Art Society to donors who want to invest in its success.
Over $1 million has already been committed to theater operations, and another $1 million has been raised to ensure that programming remains accessible to the broader community through lower ticket prices. We are confident that this level of investment and engagement will generate both economic and cultural value.
Q: What partnerships are you envisioning with local arts organizations, schools, or nonprofits?
Our intent is to reach into all corners of the community: the arts, the schools, outstanding nonprofits, and others. To date, we’ve gotten support from the Greenwich Art Society and Greenwich Arts Council. And we plan on working with our friends at the library and the museum as well to provide complementary programming to the good work they are already doing. We envision a theater space that collaborates widely—not only as a performance venue, but as a space for learning, dialogue, and creativity.
Q: Who is leading the project, and what experience do they bring?
Chuck Royce is spearheading the nonprofit theater development effort. He and his wife are the founders of theaters like the Avon in Stamford and the United Theater in Westerly, RI, which has the same kind of flexible performance space as has been proposed for the Havemeyer building. Chuck is also a longtime volunteer leader at the Bruce Museum. Chuck is currently leading the theater design and actively engaging with the arts community and donors. His deep experience in
arts philanthropy and building cultural institutions makes him an ideal leader for this endeavor.
The governance model for a nonprofit arts center will include a nonprofit board with a clear mission to ensure these partnerships are meaningful and ongoing.
Nonprofit arts partners will be actively involved.
Q: Why do you think the “black box theater” is the best use of space?
The kind of adaptability that a black box theater space enables is key to financial sustainability, audience diversity, and creative relevance. It gives us the power to program beyond the limitations of fixed seat venues, to remain responsive to community needs, and to make the arts feel accessible.
Importantly, the space will be designed with both inclusivity and practicality in mind. A small section of fixed seating will ensure accessibility and comfort, while portable chairs, risers, and technical infrastructure will allow us to switch formats quickly. The payoff is a venue that can serve many purposes, many people, and many moments throughout the year.
Ultimately, our goal is not just to create a theater—but to spark a creative engine for the Town of Greenwich: one that brings people together, celebrates artistic excellence, invites experimentation, and redefines what a civic cultural space can be – all while breathing new life into the downtown area.
Q: The Greenwich Library has Berkley Theater (capacity 283) and the Marx Family Black Box Theater (capacity 80). One of the components of this proposal is to renovate and rehabilitate the dormant theater inside the Havemeyer building and bring it back to life again. With these other two recently “reimagined” community theater spaces already available and supported financially, why does the Greenwich Community need another theater?
We view the Berkley and Marx theaters as partners, not competitors. When this project gets a greenlight – and we believe there is enough community support that it will – we will work with leaders in arts and education —including the library—to explore how we can collaborate and share programming that elevates all our venues. Just as a town can support multiple parks or schools, a thriving community can support multiple arts venues—each serving different scales, audiences, and artistic needs. More importantly – we can all support one another.
While the Berkley Theater and Marx Black Box at the Library are valuable spaces, they are part of a library institution first—which means their use is often constrained by scheduling limitations, institutional priorities, and competing program needs. And neither is built to support multiple rehearsals for music groups, or live theater productions. Similarly, the Performing Arts Center at the high school is an incredibly large and beautiful theater, but it is often in use by the school – as it should be – and is too large a space for community theater groups and local dance companies. Our proposed venue in the Havemeyer building is focused first on the performing arts, allowing for sustained artistic residencies, and longer production runs.
Also – renovating the dormant Havemeyer theater isn’t just about adding another stage—it’s about reclaiming a beloved public asset and transforming it into a vibrant, community-powered institution. We would rather act now, with private funds and broad-based community backing, than risk this space slipping permanently into disuse.
Q: What about the newly renovated Cohen Eastern Civic Center?
The Cohen Eastern Civic Center is a valuable community asset—but it serves a fundamentally different purpose from what we envision for the Havemeyer Performing Arts Center.
The Civic Center was designed first and foremost as a gymnasium and recreation space. While it can accommodate certain public events, it lacks the technical infrastructure, acoustics, and dedicated performance design required for professional or community-based performing arts. It has no proper stage, no fly space or backstage area, and no built-in lighting or sound systems tailored for concerts, theater, or dance.
Acoustically, the space is not ideal for music ensembles, choirs, or theatrical productions—many of which rely on sound clarity, sight lines, and atmosphere to succeed.
By contrast, the proposed Havemeyer space is being specifically designed for the performing arts, with a flexible black box theater that can adapt to a wide range of cultural events: music, drama, dance, spoken word, film, lectures, and community gatherings. It will offer an intimate, acoustically sound environment with professional-grade equipment, supporting both local arts groups and visiting performers.
Rather than competing with the Civic Center, our project will complement it—adding a new cultural venue to Greenwich that elevates our town’s creative infrastructure and provides a home for events that simply can’t thrive in a gymnasium-style space.
Q: How will you ensure that the project doesn’t place additional costs on taxpayers?
There is precedent in the Town for both lease agreements and management agreements between the Town and nonprofits who utilize Town spaces. Regardless of the model that this project takes, the nonprofit arts center has been conceived as a privately funded initiative. Millions have already been raised to support both the development and long-term operation of the arts center.
This financial foundation, and a structured endowment, ensures that the project does not place a burden on Greenwich taxpayers.
Q: Other proposals have been submitted in response to the RFP and previous quotes by the First Selectman and others on the selection committee have indicated an interest in retail space or flexible spaces like We Work. How will your project address the economic drivers that the Town has requested?
A community performing arts center not only preserves the historic integrity of the Havemeyer Building but also serves as a sustainable economic engine that benefits the entire town, drawing visitors to Greenwich Avenue, increasing foot traffic, and supporting local businesses. Further, the proposed arts organization creates jobs – employment opportunities in arts administration, education, and event management, all while offering programming that fosters a vibrant cultural scene.
The Havemeyers were patrons of the arts. There are historic documents pointing to Louisine Havemeyer’s founding of the Greenwich Art Society, as well as her support of the Cos Cob Art Colony. Educational offerings will stay true to the intended use of the space when it was first deeded to the Town by the Havemeyers – community, arts, and education.
Q: The Old Town Hall at 299 Greenwich Avenue has already been developed as a community arts center and houses the Greenwich Arts Council, who oversees the offices, rehearsal spaces, and studios of other beloved nonprofits (e.g., The Greenwich Symphony Orchestra, the Greenwich Art Society, and numerous dance schools, acting classes). How will the Havemeyer project differ from what was envisioned when the Town granted arts space directly across the street?
We see the Havemeyer project not as a duplication, but as an expansion of what is already thriving at 299 Greenwich Avenue.
The Havemeyer building will act as an annex or extension of what’s happening across the street: providing a state-of-the-art, larger-capacity theater and expanded public programming that complements the intimate rehearsal spaces, visual arts studios, and community events hosted at 299. Together, these buildings will form an informal arts campus, where shared audiences, resources, and collaborations can flourish.
Importantly, this project also brings new funding, new capacity, and new opportunity to the mix. As we’ve stated, over $2 million has already been raised for construction costs and program sustainability. The renovated Havemeyer theater will allow local nonprofits—many of which are currently headquartered in Old Town Hall—to grow their reach and better serve Greenwich families, students, and artists.
This is about creating something bigger than either building alone: a Greenwich Arts District that’s walkable, welcoming, and woven into the very fabric of our community.
Q: How does this project align with the Town’s long term planning goals?
The Town of Greenwich has a long-range planning document called the Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD)—it’s essentially the Town’s roadmap for responsible growth, as well as community and land use priorities.
Our project aligns with the POCD in several significant ways. First – and perhaps most importantly – it preserves a historic building, maintaining Greenwich’s architectural character and sense of place. The project also adds cultural and educational amenities that improve quality of life for residents, a need that was noted in the POCD. Our project supports walkability and downtown vitality, drawing people to local businesses and reducing car dependency – all needs outlined in the POCD. And importantly, it’s privately funded, ensuring no additional cost to taxpayers—another major priority in the Town of Greenwich.
This is the kind of smart, community-first redevelopment the POCD envisions: preserving what’s great about Greenwich while creating space for future generations to thrive.
Note: There will be a Havemeyer Building RFP Evaluation Committee Public Hearing on Wednesday June 11, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, in the Greenwich Town Hall Meeting Room, 101 Field Point Rd. There is also a Zoom link for the hearing.
Click here to sign up to provide comments at the June 11, 2025 Public Hearing