News
Good News About Being Old
October 21, 2010
| For anyone who isn't turned on by vampires or Gagas, know that old is still good, especially aging buildings that can be revived and upgraded for new uses. The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association came here this week to honor such buildings. The ?Timmy? Awards were held Tuesday at the Boston College Club. |
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| We snapped Peabody Properties' Melissa Fish Crane and Elizabeth Collins who accepted the ?Timmy? for Edward A. Fish Development's $44M Bourne Mill Apartments in Tiverton, R.I. done with The Architectural Team and historic consultant MacRostie Historic Advisors. They won for best rehab using low-income housing tax credits. BTW, The ?Timmy? is named for Boston's late J. Timothy Anderson, a founder of Anderson Notter Finegold Architects. A pioneer in adaptive re-use, some of his handiwork includes a downtown gem: the Old City Hall. |
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| So, who could love a jail? You could, if it's the 1813 slammer in Salem that has been converted into market-rate residential. NH&RA says it was the best mixed-income/market-rate historic rehab in the country last year. We snapped New Boston Ventures?David Goldman and Dennis Kanin, the developers, accepting with their architect, Finegold Alexander?s Jim Alexander. Some other ?Timmy? winners included: the American Brewery ?Brewhouse? Building in Baltimore developed by Humanim and Synthesis with architect Cho Benn Holback for most innovative adaptive re-use; Dubuque Initiative?s the Roshek Redevelopment with Jeffrey Morton Design for best use of historic tax credits; Beacon Communities? Wilber School Apartments in Sharon designed by Prellwitz/Chilinski for rehab involving new construction, and Arbor Development and Glasow-Simmons? Apartments at Belmont in Belmont, NY for most-advanced financial structure. |
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| NH&RA's Peter Bell told us that the association has met here every year since 1983 because Boston has been a leader in the business and art of historic restoration. He says that early on, the City started a program to spur rehabs of old buildings—the Boston Urban Rehabilitation Program—fondly known as BURP. Still today, Peter says much of the financing for projects around the country is arranged by local companies like Boston Capital and Boston Financial. Of course, among the major challenges for historic re-use projects, like all projects, is financing. Another unique hurdle is finding tenants that like historic spaces, even if they aren't as flexible or open as some new construction. |
