Nuestra News: January 2009

Construction Update: 35 West Newton St.

Thirty five West Newton St. embodies all that a community development organization can achieve with community involvement, public agency partnerships and hard work. Three years ago this building was both financially and physically failing. This single room shared housing development, serving some of Boston’s neediest residents, was in dire need of upgrading. Low rents and unusable space on the first floor made building finances a challenge. The more pressing need, however, was the deterioration of this historic building’s façade. Literally beginning to crumble, the brownstone on this South End cornerstone building was suffering from severe weather deterioration. The challenge was how to restore this building to its former glory, reprogram the building to make it financially self-sustaining and provide better and brighter living conditions for the occupants.

Scheduled to re-open this spring, 35 West Newton St. will now show a new face to the community while providing new jobs as well as continue its mission to provide affordable shared housing for Boston’s neediest residents. This transformation is made possible with the assistance of the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Massachusetts’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits, the National Park Service, Charlesbank Homes, the Henderson Foundation and the support of the South End Landmark’s Commission and Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association.

At 35 West Newton St., the first floor is being transformed into restaurant space that will create job opportunities, assist in making the building financially viable and visually welcoming. The upper floors are being renovated with new shared kitchens and baths, new windows, flooring and lighting. The historic, though deteriorating, brownstone façade has been removed and replaced with precast concrete and fiberglass that replicates the original brownstone blocks, pediments and cornice. The end result is a building that maintains its historic character, is safe and structurally sound, and will live on for another 100 years. The new storefront will be in keeping with the historic character of the building, adding to its grace and charm.

Additionally important to Nuestra are the jobs that a redevelopment project like this creates. Minority- or women-owned businesses are 65% of the subcontractors used on this project as well as over 65% of the labor used. This job has created 21,000 hours of work, 50% of which has or will go to Boston residents. With the skilled coordination of the General Contractor, Kaplan Corporation of Brookline, this project is now 2 months ahead of schedule and being built within its budget.

Nuestra is proud of the efforts of its members involved in this development project, lead by Marcia Thornhill, Director of Real Estate Development, and Janet Haines, Project Manager. It is only with the combined efforts of a community that Boston can continue to grow and flourish.