Zach Bryan keeps making big moves. After recently re-upping his deal with Warner Records, the Grammy winner has now purchased the historic former Saint Jean Baptiste Church building in Lowell, Mass., and is set to transform it into the previously-announced Jack Kerouac Center. That project was initially revealed in 2022, but was paused due to funding obstacles.
Bryan bought the building from McGowan and TMI Property Management and Development, which previously acquired the building and property from the Archdiocese of Boston in 2006.
The partnership between the Billboard Hot 100-topping singer-songwriter and the Jack Kerouac Estate will work toward furthering the legacy of novelist and Massachusetts native Kerouac, while also helping aid creativity within Kerouac’s hometown. Kerouac served as an altar boy at the church when he was a child, and the building is where Kerouac’s funeral mass was held in 1969.
The new center will include exhibits, and will feature live music, public readings, and community events.
“We’ve been working on this deal with Zach and his team for several months,” Sylvia Cunha, who leads marketing and business development for the Jack Kerouac estate, said in a statement. “He stepped up and delivered in a big way, showing incredible generosity. Our immediate focus is to bring the building up to code so we can start using the space for music and other events while forming new partnerships to help us bring this vision to life and ensure its lasting success.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with Zach Bryan and his team to honor Jack Kerouac in such a meaningful way,” added Jim Sampas, the literary executor of the Jack Kerouac estate. “The Jack Kerouac Center will stand as a lasting symbol of inspiration, forever linking Jack and Zach. [Bryan’s Investment] is a significant addition to the cultural fabric of Lowell and beyond, drawing visitors from all over the world.”
Bryan has long been a fan of Kerouac, who is known as a pioneer of the Beat Generation and lauded for his books including On The Road, Big Sur, and The Dharma Bums. In 2022, Bryan noted in an Instagram post that his song “Burn, Burn, Burn” was inspired from a line in Kerouac’s On The Road.