Classrooms and locker rooms turned into apartments and artists’ studios. Teachers’ offices are leasing and management space, and a gym has been transformed into a fitness center, a community room, and a library.
These are just a few of the major changes the old Briscoe School—a 1923 middle and high school located in Beverly, Massachusetts—has undergone in its recent revitalization by Beacon Communities and Harborlight Homes.
PROJECT DETAILS
DEVELOPERS: Beacon Communities and Harborlight Homes
ARCHITECT: SV Design
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Keith Construction
MAJOR FUNDERS: MassHousing; Santander Bank; North Shore HOME Consortium; Hudson Housing Capital; Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities; city of Beverly; Massachusetts Historic Commission; National Park Service
Now dubbed the Beverly Village for Living & the Arts, the once-vacant school building has been transformed into a 91-unit senior living community, 85 of which are income-restricted and reserved for seniors. The other six? Those are live/work spaces for local artists.
“We’ve created a unique, intergenerational community that combines senior housing, artist live/work units, and even an active community theater,” says Jaissa Feliz, development director at Beacon Communities.
The century-old building may have a new purpose, but much of its original look has been preserved. Chalkboards remain exposed in many units, the auditorium-turned-community theater still boasts the same revival-style coffered ceilings, and even the casework from old science labs was turned into storage for amenity spaces and lobbies.
Beacon Communities
What’s more? Some of Briscoe’s former students have returned—this time not for gym class or final exams, but to put down roots.
“Generations of Beverly citizens went to high school and middle school in the building,” says Krista Broyles, AIA, associate, at architecture firm SV Design. “It is very deep rooted and revered in the community.”
For those who’ve opted to make the $57.5 million development home, there’s a whole slew of amenities to enjoy, including a library, a fitness room, a yoga room, a dog park, community gardens, and an electric vehicle charging station. It’s also conveniently close to a train station, a park, and the city’s Council on Aging.
As Feliz puts it, “Beverly Village is a unique combination of sustainability, historical preservation, and resident engagement.”