The old Worcester Boys Club building on Ionic Avenue is going to be rehabilitated.

Creative Hub Worcester will turn the facility into an arts and community center for the Main South community. In addition to the arts center, event space will be available to the neighborhood.

At Monday’s presentation, UMass Memorial Health Care announced they are providing a seven-year, $500,000 investment loan to Creative Hub Worcester. All involved see this project as an important piece in an underdeveloped community.

"Spaces like these and other areas of the country have really changed the landscape of the city and the neighborhood around them," says Laura Marotta, executive director at Creative Hub Worcester.

"Arts programming, physical activity, revitalization of the neighborhood, and the creation of a gathering place are all things we know improve physical and mental health and improve lives," says Douglas Brown, chief administrative officer for UMass Memorial Health Care.

Marotta says the goal is to have the hub open in 2022.