504 Medford Street, Somerville, MA 02145

Telephone: 617-625-2311

History of the Clubhouse

NESFA bought the clubhouse in 1985. A former drycleaner's establishment, the building required extensive remodeling and the removal of tons of dry-cleaning equipment. The removal of one piece of equipment has become a piece of fannish lore called The Story of the NESFA Shaft, which we’ll add to this page at a later date.

After months of volunteer labor, dozens of pieces of sheetrock installed, gallons of paint applied, etc., the NESFA clubhouse held its gala grand opening in June 1986. (And some day we may actually finish.)

The Saga of the NESFA Clubhouse

The main room of the clubhouse is a meeting hall. Up to a hundred people can attend a meeting, worksession or party there. Just off the meeting hall is the blue room, where printing and computer equipment are housed. On the other side of the meeting hall is the George Flynn Special Collections Room, which was previously a barber shop, and is frequently used for small meetings and playing games. The back of the building is for storage of Boskone equipment and supplies, and NESFA Press stock.

The clubhouse has an extensive science fiction collection—one of the largest in the country. All fen in the Boston area are welcome to browse when the clubhouse is open, and NESFA members can borrow any of the more than 15,000 books and magazines.