After years of waiting and a whole lot of neighborhood speculation, a long-planned jazz club in Nubian Square finally has real money behind it. Organizers say they have locked in roughly $2.5 million to push the Jazz Urbane Cafe from idea to construction. The club is slated to take about 8,000 square feet on the first floor of the Bruce C. Bolling Municipal Building and is pitched as a 200-seat performance venue, restaurant and community gathering spot. Led by Berklee professor and longtime local organizer Bill Banfield, the project has been in the works for years and aims to tie live music directly to economic activity in the heart of Roxbury, as reported by MassDevelopment.
Funding and partners
The financing package, pulled together by the state development agency and local partners, totals about $2.46 million. According to MassDevelopment, the deal includes a $380,000 equipment loan, a $1.63 million loan from M&T Bank, $450,000 in credit enhancement from the City of Boston and a guarantee from The Boston Foundation.
What the room will include
The Jazz Urbane Cafe is set to lease about 8,000 square feet on the Bolling Building ground floor, with a layout designed for roughly 200 seats wrapped around a semi-circle stage. As reported by Boston.com, plans call for two informal lounge areas, two bars and a private dining room, and organizers have previously applied for one of the Bolling Building non-transferable liquor licenses.
Banfield’s long run and local backing
Jazz Urbane started nearly a decade ago as a performance series and label founded by Banfield, who has taught at Berklee and become a familiar presence on the local music scene, according to Boston University. The project also attracted community investors. Members of Ujima voted in 2022 to invest in Jazz Urbane, a signal that neighborhood residents were willing to back an arts-driven dining and performance venue with their own dollars.
Why this matters for Nubian Square
Supporters hope the club will play the role of catalyst rather than one more false start. MassDevelopment says the financing is expected to support about 26 new full-time jobs. The Jazz Urbane project will sit inside a municipal building that cost the city about $115 million to open in 2015, and previous struggles to fill and keep retail at the Bolling Building have made the cafe one of Nubian Square’s most closely watched potential anchors, as Boston Magazine noted.
Next steps
Organizers have not announced a firm opening date. Boston.com reported that Jazz Urbane did not immediately respond to a request about timing. With financing now lined up, the project is expected to move into final design, permitting and build-out before anyone starts talking about show calendars or a grand opening night.
