A Tale of Three Church Conversion Projects
Boston has a housing shortage, and the answer does not always have to begin with a vacant lot or a full demolition.
Preserving the Past While Making the Present Legible
Much of our future housing already exists in the form of Colonials, Capes and historic homes. If we want these homes to remain relevant, we need to allow them to evolve.
New Owner Charts Marian Manor Reuse Plan
South Boston developer Joey Arcari’s next venture could transform a local landmark, the former Marian Manor nursing home, into apartments.
Hot Property: The Residences on Appleton
After sitting vacant for decades, a 111-year-old mill complex in downtown Holyoke has been converted into 88 loft-style senior living apartments.
School Conversion Proves Concept in the North End
We took a nondescript midcentury office building and designed a new home for the Boston public school that had educated Samuel Adams and Paul Revere.
Historic Church Transformed into Mixed-Income Housing
The Blessed Sacrament Church’s transformation from historic asset into vibrant housing community shows the promise and complexity of adaptive reuse.
Dorchester Development Incorporates 250-Year-Old House
A house from Boston’s colonial past could get new life as part of a larger redevelopment proposed for the heart of Fields Corner.
Towns, Cities Need Partners When Repurposing School Buildings into Senior Housing
Consistent public school enrollment declines mean that surplus school buildings could be a real source of new homes, but towns and cities often lack the expertise to do it themselves.
Hot Property: Station Lofts
A refinancing package will enable Capstone Communities to begin an extensive renovation project at its Station Lofts property in Brockton.
Developer Submits Hotel Plan at former CBT Offices
Redevelopment plans by Rhino Capital Advisors would restore the historic facade of a Bulfinch Triangle office building while creating an 82-room hotel with an “urban contemporary aesthetic.”
Fall River Church Conversion Gets Financing from Rockland Trust
A former church in Fall River will be converted into 46 new market-rate homes thanks to a loan from Rockland Trust.
Hot Property: Baldwinville School Apartments
Recent funding awards from state and local sources will contribute to development of Templeton’s first multi-family housing development in a quarter-century.
Hot Property: Western Avenue Studios
Lowell’s Western Avenue Studios is one of the initial recipients of Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Common Good Awards, which recognize the inclusion of arts and culture in civic life.
Preserving the Past, Powering the Future
Mill buildings present a unique opportunity: most are located on the banks of rivers, in places we would be unable to build on today due to the increase in extreme weather events.
In Lynn, a Hospital Building Repurposed for the 21st Century
Potential regulations requiring a reduction of embedded carbon in building projects are prompting the real estate industry to reconsider the benefits of adaptive reuse projects.
To Save the Past, Ditch Demo Delay Bylaws
Trying to hold onto Colonial-era charm, many communities have put historic preservation on a collision course with their enormous housing needs. What if there was another way?
Hot Property: St. James African Orthodox Church
Nonprofit preservation group Historic Boston Inc. has sold a Roxbury church to the Roxbury Action Program for a new headquarters, office space for nonprofits and an incubator.
Hot Property: Mission on Summer
Developers received $3.1 million in financing from MassDevelopment and Bay State Savings Bank for the conversion of a vacant downtown Worcester chapel into affordable housing.
From Disaster Comes Opportunity in the Merrimack Valley
Adapting an idle building into housing, commercial space or a community center maximizes the value of an existing asset, reduces carbon emissions and can effectively help address the shortage of affordable housing.
First School-to-Housing Conversion Completed in Auburn
The first of two school-to-housing adaptive reuse projects in Auburn brings 55 income-restricted and market-rate apartments to senior citizens.
