Page 8 - BusinessWest April 4, 2022

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The old Drake hotel and its famous bar were a destination and creator of memories. The same is expected from what could be called the ‘new’ Drake.
Roberts and Gould about how this intriguing project came to fruition and what it means for a downtown that has been in search of a spark and now has one.
Landmark Decision
As she talked about the Drake project, Gould noted that it has been a product of good fortune, or good timing, in many respects.
Elaborating, she said ideal space (the former High Horse location) became available at essentially the same time resources, many of them in the form of pandemic-relief monies, were being made available to communities such as Amherst as they sought to recover from COVID and its many side effects.
“Right now, there’s a firehose of funds available — COVID fund- ing, the Build Back Better plan ... everything,” she said, adding that she doubts whether this project would have become reality so quickly in more normal times. “We’re not looking for silver linings, but we’ll take what we can get.”
But mostly, this project came about because of recognized need for such a facility in Amherst, she said, and a rare opportunity to make it happen. This need is spelled out in large letters — quite literally — on the website devoted to the Drake.
“For decades, the Amherst commu- nity as asked for, begged for, and sought out a space for a live performance
and music venue,” the passage reads. “The Amherst BID and the Downtown Amherst Foundation have listened and are ready to build for the future. Arts and culture will be the economic and destination driver Amherst needs to head into 2022.”
“Another thing that will bring us together again after this pandemic is community and nostalgia, and going back a little
bit. So while we’re going forward, let’s pay some homage to the past.”
8 APRIL 4, 2022
FEATURE BusinessWest
It goes on to say the Drake is the first
project toward building Amherst as a destination for locals and visi- tors alike, hinting strongly that there will be others, including a perfor- mance shell for the south common downtown, an initiative that has been a priority for the BID and the DAF for some time now and is still very much on the drawing board, said Gould.
But for now, the Drake is taking center stage, literally and figuratively.
“When COVID hit, it really came to a place where we realized that we had a moment, and we needed to strike when the iron was hot,” she said, noting, again, that this project is the byproduct of good tim-
Staff Photo