AMHERST — To help give a new downtown live music venue a good base to start with, Amherst College is providing some hardware, so to speak: a Steinway piano.
The piano, donated by the college’s Department of Music, will be given to The Drake, a former bar and restaurant now being converted to an arts and entertainment center, the first such dedicated space in downtown Amherst. The project is being overseen by the Downtown Amherst Foundation.
“We thought it only fitting that, after the college made an investment in the venue itself, the department makes its own investment in the music that will be made in The Drake,” Daryl Harper, chair of the college’s music department, said in a statement.
“We can’t wait to see what performers take the stage at The Drake,” added Harper, who’s also the director of the college’s Center for Humanistic Inquiry.
Last month, Amherst College donated $200,000 to two projects in town, providing $100,000 to the expansion and renovation of the Jones Library and $100,000 to the The Drake.
“This is a game-changer for the caliber of performers The Drake will be able to entice to play in Amherst,” said Gabrielle Gould, the Downtown Amherst Foundation’s executive director, adding that the piano donation represented an “incredible show of commitment from Amherst College” to the town and the Valley’s arts and culture scene.
The Drake, located at 44 North Pleasant Street near Amity Street, takes its name from a hotel and bar that were located in a nearby building on Amity Street in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, The Drake was the home of High Horse Brewery and Bistro, which closed in early 2020.
The downtown foundation has received a $175,000 state grant to develop The Drake and is doing final fundraising for the project, which is seen as a key component in reviving downtown Amherst’s business prospects in the wake of the pandemic.
Over 4,000 square feet of space is available for performances, and plans call for seating for between 105 and 119 people, as well as a lobby and ticket window, a stage, a bar and lounge, and a green room.
Gould and Harper say they’re also looking forward to opportunities to collaborate on performances, including by hosting Amherst College student presentations.