Adaptive reuse of the Blessed Sacrament church will preserve the building’s historic facade, while adapting the church’s nave into a 200-capacity community space. Image courtesy of Dimella Shaffer
A vacant church building in Jamaica Plain’s Hyde Square neighborhood is undergoing a transformation from historic asset into a vibrant affordable housing community, demonstrating both the promise and complexity of adaptive reuse projects in high-cost urban markets.
The Blessed Sacrament redevelopment at 361 Centre St. is a collaborative effort between Pennrose and Hyde Square Task Force (HSTF), a local nonprofit community organization, to convert the 71,000 square-foot site into 55 units of high-quality, mixed-income housing.
Originally constructed in 1913 and having sat empty since 2004, the building’s redevelopment aims to address two important community needs: preserving a significant historic landmark and creating much-needed affordable housing in an area with limited rental options for low- and moderate-income households.
Project Combines Housing, Venue
Located in a transit-oriented, resource-rich neighborhood, the project is the result of years-long cross sector collaboration and community engagement.
Since 2004, several developers considered repurposing the building; however, no redevelopment ever came to fruition. In 2019, the Task Force and the city of Boston completed a Latin Quarter District Plan that identified the local need for mixed-income housing and community space, and HSTF embarked on a community process to determine the redevelopment options for the church to best meet local priorities. In mid-2021, Pennrose was selected as the designated developer after a comprehensive community process.
Beyond the inherent complexity of building mixed-income housing in one of the country’s highest-cost cities, Blessed Sacrament is an especially complicated project due to the challenges of rehabilitating and adapting a more than 100-year-old structure that has been vacant for over two decades.
Pennrose and HSTF are working with architect DiMella Shaffer to preserve the building’s historic facade, adapt the church’s main nave into an over-200-person multipurpose community space and repurpose the building’s cupola as a community room for residents. Transforming the building will also require a high level of structural and environmental work to address multiple issues, including damage to the masonry, roof and structure.
Another challenge the development team had to overcome was converting the building’s existing layout into its new residential use, especially considering its historic design and landmark status.
These complexities required the project team to not only think creatively about building design but also identify innovative solutions for funding and gap financing.
The development, expected to be completed in late 2027, is being financed through a complex capital stack to leverage resources targeted for the project’s multifaceted goals, including preserving an underutilized property, investing in economic and cultural facilities and creating affordable housing.
Completing a Complicated Capital Stack
Funding sources, such as 4 percent low-income housing tax credits and subordinate financing from Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassHousing, MassDevelopment, Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Housing and Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program, are helping to get the project across the finish line.
Once complete, the welcoming community will include a mix of studio, one-, and two-bedroom units with apartments available to households at a range of incomes, from 30 to 80 percent of the area median income. Six units will also be set aside for formerly homeless residents. The revitalized building will anchor Jamaica Plain’s Latin Quarter and spur continued investment on Centre Street.
Karmen Cheung
Construction began earlier this summer, with crews first focused on the removal of hazardous material, interior demolition and site preparation, including grading and surveying.
The team will soon shift to the next phase of construction, which involves bracing the church’s exterior in preparation for floor removal, followed by selective demolition on the south and north sides of the building. This means removing windows, doors, granite steps and part of the north-side structure to make way for the new foundation.
As cities across New England – and nationwide – grapple with housing shortages and aging building stock, projects like Blessed Sacrament offer a roadmap for turning underutilized landmarks into thriving community assets.
Success requires creative financing, technical expertise, and most critically, partnership and authentic collaboration between developers, community partners, local officials, and the communities they serve.
Karmen Cheung is regional vice president of New England for Pennrose, a mission-driven developer of affordable housing.
