Context/Significance
It took more than a decade to implement DHK’s Master Plan for the comprehensive revitalization of the Kilby/Gardner/Hammond neighborhood in Worcester, MA, but today the neighborhood has clearly turned a corner, thanks to the tireless efforts of Main South CDC. Property values are up, crime is down and beautiful homes have filled in the empty lots. There were major challenges along the way, to be sure, notably the demolition of former industrial properties and brown field remediation required to create clean sites for a new Boys and Girls Club and a track facility for Clark University.
Description
The housing component included new infill construction on scattered sites as well as the rehabilitation of existing neighborhood housing. DHK developed a variety of building types to suit the specific conditions on different sites, some of which have steep slopes. Thus, the project included single family attached row houses, detached and semi-detached two-family buildings, and three-family structures. A majority of the dwellings were designed for rental occupancy, but twenty units were designed for home-ownership. In total, the project provided 58 units in new construction and 34 in rehabilitated buildings.
Special Features
Three turn of the century triple-decker apartment buildings were lifted off their foundations and relocated to empty sites where they were completely rehabilitated.