Five Universal Window and Door projects earn 2020 Preservation Awards by Preservation Massachusetts

Marlborough, MA Universal Window and Door was honored with 2020 Preservation Awards by Preservation Massachusetts, the non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage. The 2020 Preservation Awards will honor the projects that “represent the strong foundations and supportive collaborations that bring new life to our historic buildings and landscapes, push boundaries, and create new aspirations for historic preservation in the Commonwealth,” according to a release by Preservation Mass.

This year, the awards celebration, Building Blocks of Preservation, will be conducted as a two-week virtual multimedia event. From October 12-22, Preservation Massachusetts will honor awardee projects, teams, and sponsors via their website, email campaigns, social media, and videos from their sponsors. On October 22^nd, the celebration will culminate in a live virtual event that will include the announcement of the 2020 People’s Choice Preservation Award, selected by the public.

Tsongas Award winners included Abbott Mill (Phase II) in Westford, which converted an obsolete mill building into 102 apartments; Boston Volvo Village in Allston, which transformed the former New England regional headquarters of International Harvester into Boston Volvo’s new urban dealership and commercial office space; and Thorndike Exchange, a former mill building re-imagined as 65 market-rate apartments and 28,000 s/f of commercial space in Lowell. The Menino awardees were Mystic Water Works in Somerville, which converted the historic waterworks building into 25 affordable apartments; and the retail portion of Parkside on Adams, Roslindale, which restored the historic Roslindale power substation while creating 43 apartments and 7,000 s/f of restaurant/retail. 

Universal supplied windows to a quarter of the 20 buildings that were honored, with winners in two separate categories: The Paul & Niki Tsongas Award, which celebrates “people and projects that have displayed the highest level of commitment to historic preservation in the Commonwealth,” and the Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award, which honors “projects that are transformative, catalytic, embrace the community, create partnerships, and revitalize the best of the past to make something good for the future.” 

“Being a part of so many projects that were recognized by Preservation Massachusetts is a tremendous source of pride for our employees as well as a testament to our growing reputation among developers and construction firms as the go-to window manufacturer for historic renovation projects,” said Jim Finn, President & CEO of Universal Window and Door.