Provincetown Welding Studio, formerly Provincetown Welding Works | 3 Bradford Street Condominium, Building 2 (Unit 5)
Provincetown Welding Studio, formerly Provincetown Welding Works, 3 Bradford Street. [2011, Dunlap]
[2011, Dunlap]
Michael A. Kacergis. [2011, Dunlap]
Left: Michael A. Kacergis. [2011, Dunlap] Right: Clarence C. Kacergis [2021, Dunlap]
Adam R. Howard. [2021, Dunlap]
Adam R. Howard. [2021, Dunlap]
Anvil horn. [2021, Dunlap]
Snake. [2021, Dunlap]
Snake. [2021, Dunlap]
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Tillie was the nickname of Matilda Alice (Jackett) Kacergis, and the name of a cottage colony that the family operated. [2021, Dunlap]
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Detail of a DoAll metal saw. [2021, Dunlap]
Right: Detail of a Vulcan anvil. [2021, Dunlap]
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[2011, Dunlap]
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A yardstick from the Benson & Young Insurance Agency. [2021, Dunlap]
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One of the Kacergis trademarks is a sunflower with a diamond-plate disc. [2011, Dunlap]
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Kacergis lighthouses even have tiny doors. [2016, Dunlap]
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The amazingly animate yard of the Provincetown Welding Studio looks like a Tim Burton movie come to three-dimensional life.
Its predecessor, the Provincetown Welding Works, was established in 1946 by the gifted and inventive metalworker Clarence Casimir Kacergis (1916-2012). He and his wife, Matilda Alice “Tillie” (Jackett) Kacergis (1917-2005), bought this 64-by-103-foot lot at Bradford and Nickerson Streets that year. “At first, he imagined a simple welding shop until several Provincetown artists and sculptors looked to stretch themselves and embrace metal as a heightened form of expression,” Gerry Desautels wrote in the Banner.1
Importantly, one of those artists was Chaim Gross. Kacergis was soon on the art colony map. “The works are wonders of modern recycling and years of collecting parts and pieces from unspecified junkyards on and off-Cape,” Desautels said. “They keep their sources guarded like classified military information. Ball bearings, dulled blades, washers, chains, quahog rakes, frying pans, and retired oxygen tanks and lawn rakes are just some of the remnants incorporated into airy mobiles and butterflies, charming folk figurines, bright bird and flower sculptures, and precious metal mammals.”
Clarence’s son, Michael Kacergis, next ran the business, acquired the property at 3 Bradford Street in 1999. Michael’s son Aaron “tinkers with welding on weekends,” the Banner said. The Lonely Planet guide noted that “each generation has its own style, themes and motifs.” Even after Clarence stepped down, he could keep an eye on the shop from his home at 4 Bradford Street.
Michael and Kathleen Kacergis Barney created the 3 Bradford Street Condominium in 2005. There are five units; four are residential, in Building 1, and the fifth is the 1,637-square-foot workshop.
Currently known as the Provincetown Welding Studio, the workshop is overseen for the Kacergis family by Adam R. Howard, who describes himself as the “artist/blacksmith in residence.” Howard also heads Project Valor Sailing, whose aim is to provide a vessel for use — free of charge — by United States military veterans and active-duty personnel; disabled persons, whether veterans or not; and students of sailing.
¶ Last updated on 16 November 2022.
1 “Forging a Dynasty in Steel,” by Gerry Desautels, Provincetown Banner, 16 October 2003.
In memoriam
• Clarence Casimir Kacergis (1916-2012)
Find a Grave Memorial No. 149641188.
• Matilda Alice “Tillie” (Jackett) Kacergis (1917-2005)
Find a Grave Memorial No. 149641283.
3 Bradford Street on the Town Map, showing property lines.