Dorchester, Leominster, and Springfield Buildings Receive Historic Preservation Awards
November 28th, 2023
Three Epsilon client projects have been recognized with 2023 historic preservation awards. The Pierce Building in Dorchester received a Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award from Preservation Massachusetts and a Preservation Achievement Award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. The Emerson and Sophia Prescott House in Leominster has also received a Menino Legacy Award. The Elias Brookings School in Springfield has received a 2023 Paul & Niki Tsongas Preservation Award, also from Preservation Massachusetts.
The Tsongas Award is Preservation Massachusetts' highest honor, honoring people and projects that have displayed the highest level of commitment to historic preservation in the Commonwealth. The Menino Legacy Award celebrates projects that are transformative, catalytic, embrace the community, create partnerships, and revitalize the best of the past to make something good for the future.
Award winning projects like these serve as models and inspiration for future historic preservation work especially in melding historic character with modern construction. Epsilon assisted these clients in obtaining state and federal historic preservation tax credits, and other services. Additional details on each award winner follow. Congratulations to all!
The Pierce Building, Dorchester, Mass.
The Pierce Building has received a 2023 Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award from Preservation Massachusetts and a Preservation Achievement Award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. The four-story brick and marble Classical Revival style structure built in 1904 had become vacant by the 1970s. Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation rehabilitated the building in 1985 for retail, artists’ lofts and office space., and has been working toward this renovation project for over 10 years. The building is now occupied by JP Morgan Chase’s Community Center branch on the first floor, an incubator space for creative businesses and local entrepreneurs on the second floor while the upper floors continue to house Dorchester Bay City’s office spaces. Epsilon’s team of historic preservation consultants prepared State and Federal rehabilitation tax credit applications. The project will be placed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Uphams Corner Historic District.
Read more about this historic property and view pictures here.
The Emerson and Sophia Prescott House at 41 Summer Street, Leominster, Mass.
Summer Street Apartments has received a 2023 Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award. The Greek Revival style Emerson and Sophia Prescott House was constructed ca. 1840 and historically served as worker housing for mills in Leominster’s downtown. The project provides 21 units of high-quality housing in Leominster’s downtown, maintaining an important historic building in Leominster and contributes to ongoing revitalization efforts in the downtown area. Epsilon prepared State and Federal historic tax credit applications for the project. As a result of the use of federal historic tax credits, and with Epsilon’s assistance, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
Read more about this historic property and view pictures here.
The Elias Brookings School, Springfield, Mass.
The rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the former Elias Brookings School into the Elias Brookings Apartments has been recognized by a 2023 Paul & Niki Tsongas Preservation Award from Preservation Massachusetts. The building received the Preservation Award from the Springfield Preservation in 2022.
The school was built in 1925 and served as an elementary until 2011 when it was badly damaged by a rare New England tornado. Replaced by a new school, the original, historic building has been redeveloped into 42 units of affordable housing using state and federal historic tax credits. The Brookings School remains as an excellent example of Collegiate Gothic-style architecture. This project received its historical tax credit certifications and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2023. Epsilon Associates served as Historic Consultant.
Read more about this historic property and view pictures here.
Epsilon’s team of Historic Preservation Specialists provides clients with the insight and guidance needed to secure project approvals and clearances from local, state, and federal agencies, State Historic Preservation offices, the National Park Service, and local historic district commissions. Its services often include design consultation, preparing state and federal historic tax credit applications, preparing National Register Nominations, and permitting assistance with local, state, and federal regulations pertaining to historic properties.
More information on this project and on Preservation Massachusetts can be found here.
About The Experts:
Douglas Kelleher, Principal and Manager, Historic Preservation Group is a leader in the field of historic preservation planning with over 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors. He served as Principal for this project. Mr. Kelleher’s prior experience includes numerous years as a Preservation Planner with the Massachusetts Historical Commission. He specializes in providing public and private sector clients with strategic consulting for complex real estate projects involving historic resources for compliance with local, state, and federal historic preservation regulations. Widely recognized as a leader in the preservation community, his well-established expertise is a cornerstone of Epsilon’s historic resources and historic tax credit practice.
Brian Lever is an Associate at Epsilon and has over 20 years of experience in architectural history and preservation planning. He has experience in implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and related local, state, and federal environmental laws, regulations, and guidelines affecting historic resources. Additionally, Mr. Lever has expertise in state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits and formerly was the Senior Preservation Planner for the City of Newton.
Erin Doherty is a Senior Preservation Planner at Epsilon with over 10 years of professional experience in cultural resource management and historic preservation planning. Having spent much of her career in the public sector including years of experience at the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Boston Landmarks Commission, she has an intimate familiarity with environmental laws, regulations, and guidelines affecting historic resources at the local, state, and federal levels. Ms. Doherty has extensive experience in state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credit applications.
Brielly McGlauflinis a Project Preservation Planner at Epsilon. Ms. McGlauflin has assisted in numerous historic tax credit rehabilitation projects throughout Massachusetts and New England and has more than 10 years of professional experience in cultural resource management and historic preservation planning. She works with environmental laws, regulations, and guidelines affecting historic resources at the local, state, and federal levels.