[MassHistPres] Re-use of Victorian Italianate School

[Dennis De Witt]

I have looked list of such conversions or re-uses having been sent by Chris and don’t immediately find it.  If it doesn’t exist, I trust he will take the hint and put one together.

However, you are presuming that the building will go back on the tax roles.  Many conversions of old schools are for housing, much of that is elderly or otherwise subsidized housing.  Often the only way that the numbers work is get the school on the NR so that tax credits can be part of the financing package.   So it would be interesting to see how many examples are tax paying vs. not.

Having said that, Brookline’s Sewall School on Cypress St. is now housing, with 15% affordable under the town’s mandatory inclusionary zoning, as part of a complex that includes conversion of the former town barn into professional offices.

Plymouth has what I  believe is a former school that is presently the Town Hall and may now, I suspect, become housing of some sort when the Town Hall moves into the 1820 Courthouse.

Dennis De Witt
Brookline

On Oct 9, 2015, at 11:06 AM, Elizabeth Ware <eware at dracutma.gov> wrote:

> All,
>  
> I am wondering if there are examples out there of any community re-using historic school buildings.
> The Town of Dracut has a wonderful 1860s school building that needs a new use.  It’s about 7000 square feet, a modest size and is centrally located.
> The goal is to preserve it and get it back on the tax rolls in another use.
>  
> Thank you for any thoughts and ideas that you may have.
>  
> Betsy Ware
> Director of Community Development
> Town of Dracut, MA.
>  
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