Read's Artspace (aka: Sterling Market Lofts)
1042 Broad Street
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Completed 2004
For live/work space availability and rates
please call Millennium Realty Estate Services at (860) 529-1111.
For commercial space please email or call (612) 465-0234.
To contact an additional Artspace staff member about this property please emailA new life for an urban landmark
When it opened in 1925,
Read's was hailed as the largest and most modern department store in
New England. Five stories tall, with large green awnings that gave it
an instantly identifiable look, Read's was a luxurious symbol of
Bridgeport's sophistication and prosperity. But times change: by the
1970s, downtown Bridgeport had fallen on hard times, and Read's, which
closed its doors in 1981, became emblematic of urban decay.Fortunately, Read's was not torn down. In the late 1990s, Bridgeport engaged Artspace to transform this urban landmark into Read's Artspace (also known as Sterling Market Lofts), a live/work development. Working with Mission First, a consulting firm from Washington, D.C., Artspace created 61 spacious live/work units on the upper floors and arts-friendly commercial space on the ground floor.
Read's Artspace's $14.1 million conversion restored the 150,000-square-foot building to its original appearance. Broad interior spaces serve as informal galleries on each of the upper five floors; a 4,000-square-foot public gallery on the ground floor houses more formal exhibitions.