March 12, 2024 Franklin Cummings Tech new campus breaks ground in historic Nubian Square
Historic Boston Inc. (HBI) was in Nubian Square on March 12th to celebrate Franklin Cummings Tech’s groundbreaking for its new campus building next door to the historic Eustis Street Fire House – HBI’s home from 2011 to 2021. When HBI moved to the firehouse in 2011, the real estate market in Roxbury was sluggish and yet the community could clearly see a vibrant economic future that would include new development and preservation of the commercial district’s many historic buildings.
In the not-too-distant future, Nubian Square will be home to many new buildings that have been meticulously planned with the neighborhood and whose construction will deliver jobs, homeownership opportunities, affordable housing, and places for cultural expression. The new Franklin Cummings Tech campus will only enrich this historic neighborhood through its mission of expanding access to technical trades of the future, equipping students with the training needed to set them on course for success and economic advancement in these rapidly evolving renewable energy industries. For HBI, this transformation is a compelling narrative of urban evolution and the blend of historic preservation with contemporary development. The Eustis Street Fire House, built in 1859, stands as Boston’s oldest firehouse and, along with the adjacent 1630 Eliot Burying Ground and the 1870 Owen Nawn Factory, forms the protected Eustis Architectural Conservation District that preserves a slice of the city’s historical fabric and serves as a spatial anchor amidst the burgeoning new developments that are reshaping Nubian Square.
Historic Boston Inc., an organization dedicated to preserving Boston’s historic building, has played a significant role in this transformation. After investing $2.5 million in the renovation of the Eustis Street Fire House and relocating there from downtown Boston in 2011, HBI witnessed firsthand the rapid changes in Nubian Square. The community’s planning initiatives have earmarked major parcels for development, promising an influx of housing, offices, lab spaces, and cultural venues that aim to meet the community’s needs while fostering small business and cultural development.
Exciting new buildings like the Franklin Cummings Tech campus will add new layers of history, energy, and opportunity to Nubian Square. But even as substantial change arrives in this heart of Roxbury, the Eustis Street Architectural Conservation District, places like the Ferdinand Building (the Boston Public Schools headquarters), and Nubian Square Station ensure that the narrative of a growing and changing neighborhood is rooted in a rich and storied past that honors 400 years of its history. 