Four Universal Window historic housing projects earn awards from Preservation MA, Preservation CT, ULI and CBC

Marlborough, MA Universal Window and Door, a leading manufacturer of custom window solutions for historic restoration and commercial construction projects, provided windows for three separate historic restoration projects recently honored with awards, as well as an award from the prestigious Urban Land Institute late last year. All four projects involved historic structures that had been converted into affordable and market-rate housing.

The renovation of the Cobbet Hill Apartments in Lynn, a 1930’s era school converted into an affordable 117-unit complex, earned the Paul & Niki Tsongas Award from Preservation Massachusetts.

The Tyler, a vacant former school built in 1936 and transformed into 70 mixed-income apartments for seniors by the Winn Companies, was presented with a Merit Award recognizing “the rescue, re-use, or recycling of historic Connecticut places,” by Preservation Connecticut.

The Lofts at Cargill Falls Mill, the 1807 site of one of Connecticut’s first successful cotton mills converted into 82 residential rental units above commercial storefronts, was awarded first place in the Large Multi-Family/Mixed Use category by the Connecticut Building Congress (CBC).

In late October of 2020, the Montgomery Mill Apartments in Windsor Locks, CT, a historic, long-vacant mill building transformed into 160 units of mixed-income housing, was awarded the annual Urban Land Institute’s Jack Kemp Excellence in Affordable and Workforce Housing award. The project had also earned a Merit Award from Preservation Connecticut in 2020.

“Being part of so many projects that were recognized by state and national organizations is a testament to our growing reputation among architects, developers and construction firms as the go-to window manufacturer for historic renovation projects, and bodes well for our future as we continue to expand into other markets” said Jim Finn, president & CEO of Universal Window and Door.

In recent years, projects for which Universal has supplied historic replica windows have earned multiple honors from historic preservation entities, including the Boston Preservation Alliance, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association, Preservation Connecticut and Preservation Massachusetts (16 Tsongas Awards from Preservation Massachusetts since 2017). Universal Windows have also been installed in hundreds of projects that are listed with the National Register of Historic Places.

Founded in 1968, Universal provides architects, general contractors and developers of historic buildings with high-quality, technologically-advanced aluminum custom window solutions. Their historic lines of windows are designed to meet the stringent requirements of the National Historic Register and the National Park Service.