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Rat Market? Abandoned Star Market in Somerville gets a makeover.
The rat, with a cap and overalls, gives part of Star Market a fresh coat of paint.
The abandoned Star Market in Somerville just got its own Banksy-esque transformation, one that pays homage to the city’s scurrying neighbors.
The Star Market at 299 Broadway in Somerville’s Winter Hill neighborhood has been vacant since the business closed its doors in 2008. In 2023, a developer secured the area to build two six-story buildings of apartments and ground-level retail space.
But, with no word on construction updates, a local artist appeared to make their own changes to the vacant property.
The artist filled in the building’s already faded lettering to spell “RAT.” But, their true vision came to life next to the final “T,” where a detailed image of a rat appears to be filling in the final letter.
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The rat is complete with a cap, work overalls, and a paint roller. The art was posted to Reddit over the weekend, days before rat-capital Allston-Brighton’s Rat City Arts Festival.
A chain-link fence completely surrounded the grocery story, and windows were completely boarded up as of Sunday. Near the bus stop, a sign advertising the new development leads to a website that does not include a timeline for construction.
Somerville police did not return a request for comment about the neighborhood’s newest rat Sunday evening.
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