HBI to present proposal for redevelopment at the Strand Theatre

16 Jan HBI to present proposal for redevelopment at the Strand Theatre

Posted at 12:00h in Blog by

Rendering by Utile, Inc. Architecture + Planning
Four proposals were received by the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) for the redevelopment of the 611 Columbia Road Comfort Station in Upham?s Corner. Three of the proposals, including the one submitted by the team of HBI, The American City Coalition (TACC), and Noah Hicks, founder of Bowdoin Bike School, have been selected for presentation to the community at 6:00 PM on Monday, January 26, 2015 at the StrandTheatre in Upham?s Corner.

The Comfort Station (a polite term for restrooms) is a one-story stucco and tile Mission Style building that has been unused since 1977. Built in 1912, it was designed by architect William Besarick, who designed the Roger Clap School on Harvest Street and the municipal building at the corner of Columbia Road and Bird Street as well as many triple-deckers throughout the area. Besarick also designed the George Milliken House, at 44 Virginia Street, which is a Boston Landmark.

TheHBI, TACC, and Noah Hicks team proposal is a community-oriented redevelopment and reuse plan for the historic Comfort Stationwhich is adjacent to the Dorchester North Burying Ground, a Designated Boston Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The development strategy is to repurpose the Comfort Station into a full-service bicycle shop and caf? that highlights the building?s transportation-related history as a rest stop along what was once a bustling trolley line. The proposal achieves three important objectives: it enhances the Upham?s Corner Main Streetdistrict by reactivating a long-abandoned building; it supports a new commercial venture for a local entrepreneur; and it expands employment opportunities with an emphasis on skills training for neighborhood residents.

Please join us for the developer presentation where interested residents will be able to comment and ask questions or submit your written comments directly to the DND.

Read the recent Bay State Banner article HERE
Read the recent Dorchester Reporter article HERE
Get more information and follow the project on the DND website HERE
Find more information about the Comfort Station and other neighborhood buildings in the HBI Casebook HERE
Find more information about the neighborhood HERE