HBI
Last night, Historic Boston Inc. and a wide variety of supporters including Mayor Marty Walsh celebrated the completion of the renovations of the historic Alvah Kittredge House into 5 apartments. The $1.2 million renovation has brought the house's glorious exterior back and saved elements of the interior while tastefully updating and repurposing it. Congrats to HBI on a job well done, and welcome to the new residents who will soon be moving in!
Many of my readers know that Historic Boston, Inc (HBI), which recently moved into the Torrent 6 firehouse in Dudley Square, is planning a careful renovation of the Kittredge house into mixed-income condos. The restoration is on track, but it will take major funding and they are also trying to fund two other projects in Boston.
To help get these 3 projects off the ground, HBI is working with Mayor Menino and Richard Druker on a special fundraising initiative called the Trilogy Fund. Their goal is to raise $1 million, most of which will go towards the Kittredge House. Every dollar counts, so as you think about your year-end giving, why not put some money towards this renovation right here in our neighborhood?
I’m a bit late with this one, but here is some good news from Historic Boston (HBI). They will be working with an architect to assess the condition of the First Church, one of our neighborhood’s most important landmarks. The relevant text is below the picture if you don’t want to click through.
I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that after 4 years on the hill I still haven’t been inside the church, although I did get into one of the rear buildings for Roxbury Open Studios (coming up in 2 weeks!) a couple of years ago. Hopefully I’ll be able to change that soon.
First Church in Roxbury dates to 1804 and is the fifth meetinghouse built on this site. It is now under the auspices of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Boston which centers its Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry here, a very active use of the complex’s supporting buildings for educational and social services to area children and families. The UUUM would like to improve the historic meetinghouse to support weddings, and community lectures, concerts, and celebrations.
HBI hired architect Don Mills of the firm Mills Whittaker Architects to comprehensively assess current conditions, establish cost estimates, and prioritize repairs…. While money is hard to come by for projects like these, assessments bring expert guidance to congregations so that treasures like First Church Roxbury …. appear less financially burdensome and more the inspirational landmarks they were meant to be.