We won an AIA Connecticut Elizabeth Mills Brown Award of Excellence for our rehabilitation of Saint Mary Place into affordable housing!
The renovation of the Saint Mary Star of the Sea Church school into Saint Mary Place affordable housing combines strict standards for historical rehabilitation with careful additions of modern amenities necessary for a new use. Built in 1898 in New London, CT, the building was a parochial school for grades K-8. After the school’s closure in 2012, the Owner and Design Team began work in 2014 to give the building new life as affordable supportive housing.
This rehabilitation project gives new life to an historic architectural treasure in New London, while providing much-needed supportive, affordable housing for the community. By carefully preserving and restoring historic features, while integrating modern requirements for the changing uses, Saint Mary Place serves as a model for how historic buildings can be creatively and thoughtfully reimagined for the 21st century.
Jury comments: Affordable housing has become a real crisis in Connecticut, but this project shows that affordable projects can use historic buildings and achieve a level of finish and quality not often possible in new construction.
Submission and 2021 winners here.
