
27 Jan Thank you, Kathy!
Historic Boston’s Executive Director Kathy Kottaridis left the organization at the end of 2024 to become Mayor Wu’s Director of the Office of Historic Preservation in the City of Boston. After stewarding HBI staff and mission for over 17 years, we honored her leadership with a farewell reception on January 16th.
HBI wouldn’t be the organization it is today without her guidance. She was at the helm as HBI embarked on some of its most impactful projects:
– Eustis Street Fire House (1859): HBI was designated by the City of Boston to redevelop the oldest fire house in the city, which sat vacant and at risk for many years. Completed in 2011, the fire house sits adjacent to the Eliot Burying Ground in Nubian Square and now houses offices for two nonprofit organizations.
–Vertullo Building (1868): One of the oldest surviving wooden commercial structures in Hyde Park, HBI rehabilitated the exterior and reactivated the first floor retail space from 2012-2015. In 2022 it was sold to the owners of Intriguing Hair, a black-owned business that was a tenant in the building for over six years.
–Hayden Building (1875): Saved by HBI following a fire in the 1990s, the last extant commercial building designed by H.H Richardson in Boston was rehabilitated into four apartments and one ground-floor retail space in 2013.
–Alvah Kittredge House (1834): Originally built for Roxbury alderman and Eliot Church deacon Alvah Kittredge, and later functioning as headquarters for the Roxbury Action Program in the 1970s and 80s, the house sat vacant from 1991-2011. HBI acquired the property in 2011 and completed its rehabilitation in 2014. The renewed Roxbury mansion now holds five two-bedroom residential units including two permanently designated affordable units.
–Fowler Clark Epstein Farm (1786-1806): The 1786 farm in Mattapan was purchased by HBI in 2015 and by 2018 was transformed into headquarters for the Urban Farming Institute of Boston (UFI). Last January, HBI sold the farm to UFI, whose mission to provide fresh produce and educate the public about urban farming, will enrich the Mattapan area for years to come.
–Upham’s Corner Comfort Station (1912): This 1912 comfort station in Dorchester was rehabilitated into a restaurant for the visionaries behind Comfort Kitchen in 2022. After opening in early 2023, this little comfort station is now home to one of the most acclaimed new restaurants in Boston.
Behind all of these transformations was Kathy Kottaridis. The indelible mark she’s already left on Boston is beyond words. At the City of Boston, we only expect her dedication and vision for this city to reach even farther. Here’s to an inspiring legacy left at HBI, Kathy– and to many more years of helping our fellow Bostonians see what historic preservation can do for their communities.