ABOUT US

We are a non-commercial collectively operated events space in Charles Village that offers accessible, affordable rental space for social justice and grassroots events.

Vision Statement: 

Strong communities need physical space to organize, gather, cooperate, share ideas, and fellowship in order to create grassroots change.Through our partnership with St. John’s United Methodist Church, we provide opportunities for meeting and events that help to build active communities centered around vibrant shared space.

Brief History of the Space:

The St. Johns congregation built the church at the corner of 27th Street and St. Paul Avenue, in 1900.  In 1981, the church building endured damage from a serious fire, destroying the roof and the congregation’s worship space. 

Serving the needs of the communities in Charles Village, Remington and Harwood, St. John’s advocated for racial justice, the LGBT community, and served as a homeless shelter for over 20 years. In the late 1980s, St. Johns served as a “sanctuary church” to house undocumented persons from El Salvador.  In the early 2000’s, the church was led by Reverend Phoenix, the first openly transgender minister in the United Methodist Church.

In 2007, Members of the Red Emma’s collective and St. John’s congregation felt their organizations to be well-aligned in missions and values. Together they launched 2640 Space to provide their respective communities with readily accessible space for events in St. John’s great hall, and to financially sustain the church building. The mission of the 2640 Space collective was to both fulfill a need for a larger space to hold social justice events, as well as for the need to bring in new audiences into the space.  

In 2015, 2640 Space collective separated from Red Emma’s in order to become a member program of the nonprofit umbrella organization Fusion Partnerships.

Access Information:

Space: the great hall is not ground level and requires a few steps, but there is a wheelchair ramp for the 27th St entrance

Bathrooms: there are 4 single user bathrooms, one of which is ADA accessible

Parking: street parking on St. Paul St; pay attention to signage

Buses: the Silver and Purple Circulator are good options