A cornerstone laying ceremony scheduled for September 11 will mark the beginning of the renovation and expansion of the 101-year-old Mount Pleasant Home, a Level IV Residential Care Facility that provides permanent housing and support services to elderly residents.
To ensure that Mount Pleasant Home continues to be a resource for Boston's low income elder community, the project - to be built by Dellbrook Construction of Braintree and designed by Next Phase Studios of Boston - will allow Mount Pleasant to increase the number of residents it can serve from 44 to 60.
"By renovating the building and expanding our community, the Trustees are committed to making the last years of our residents lives their best years," said Merlin Southwick, executive director.
The current facility is a 23,000-s/f brick Colonial Revival building, built in 1926, and is situated on a 2.3-acre partially wooded site abutting the "Emerald Necklace" parkway, one of Boston's historic open spaces designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
A four-story, 21,640 s/f addition on the wooded side of the site will be joined to the existing building by a three story south-facing atrium, creating a shared four-season living and dining space that is filled with natural light and fresh air. The completed project will provide all residents with private rooms with private bathrooms. In addition, all electrical, mechanical and life safety systems of the current building will be replaced, all-the-while allowing continuous operation of the facility.
"Working in an operating licensed facility always presents challenges," said Ed Sople, vice president of project management, Dellbrook. "At Mount Pleasant Home, we will build the project in three phases."
The first phase (12 months) will be the construction of the new addition with 29 new bedrooms and private baths and the replacement of heavy mechanical systems on the ground floor - including the kitchen - of the existing building. In Phase II, 29 residents will be moved to the new addition, vacating half of the existing building, allowing for four months of renovations that include fire protection and sprinklers. Phase III will complete the renovations of the existing building.
"Throughout construction we have to keep the facility fully functional," said Sople, who was project manager for Dellbrook on a similar expansion and renovation of the Sophia Snow House in West Roxbury. "At the Sophia Snow House, we had what amounted to two separate jobsites. At Mount Pleasant Home, we'll be working in close quarters with the residents every day."
"We chose Dellbrook because we needed a contractor who could maintain the health and safety standards of a licensed facility," said Southwick. "And the phasing plan requires our residents to move just once during the construction process."
Rogerson Communities of Boston, a non-profit network of innovative, accessible, affordable housing and services for elders, persons with disabilities, and the working poor in the Greater Boston area, is assisting Mount Pleasant Home as project development consultant, arranging financing and providing oversight to all aspects of the project including final design, construction and licensing by the Dept. of Public Health.
The project is intended to earn Silver LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Sustainable design features of the project including efficient heating, cooling and electrical systems, storm water capturing system as well as improvements in circulation and accessibility will provide Mount Pleasant Home residents a more efficient, comfortable and enjoyable environment.
The renowned Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of Partners HealthCare, will operate an 8,750 s/f primary care medical facility on the ground floor of the new addition following the completion of Phase I.
Construction is expected to be completed in December 2011.