G. Greene Construction recently completed the highly anticipated Yawkey Family Inn on Kent St. The project entailed an 11,000 s/f gut renovation to an existing 19th century Victorian residential house, and transformed it into a home for families whose children are undergoing treatment at Children's Hospital Boston, located nearby in the Longwood Medical area. The house, which was purchased by Children's Hospital Boston from the Phi Gamma Pi fraternity, was restored with 21st century amenities, 22 bedrooms, a large kitchen, and common rooms. Construction also included historic preservation to the exterior facade and interior woodwork, a 5,000 s/f addition and the installation of a four-stop elevator.
This project exemplified how teamwork, planning and coordination can come together in the most successful way possible. What started as a vision for Children's Hospital Boston over three years ago finally came to fruition in June. Working closely with Children's Hospital Boston, Martin Batt Architects, The Next Generation Developers Task Force, Brookline Historical Commission and the surrounding community, G. Greene Construction was able to overcome many of the challenges that encompassed the project. The project was located within a neighborhood of Brookline that required G. Greene Construction to work within sensitive guidelines. They had to maintain special working hours to keep noise to a minimum. This meant starting construction only after 7:30 a.m. and shutting down if the noise became too disruptive. One of the challenges G. Greene Construction faced was the sensitivity to the Ronald McDonald House which resides directly next door to the Yawkey Inn. The occupants in the House were very susceptible to bacteria in airborne dust. Because of this, the project team had to coordinate all outdoor construction activities when the Ronald McDonald House was not occupied by patients. Working closely with the staff of the Ronald McDonald House to develop a schedule, the G. Greene Construction team completed all exterior, demolition, site work and landscaping within a three week window.
G. Greene Construction was honored to be a part of The Yawkey Family Inn on Kent St., and proud of the fact that they were selected as the contractor for the task of restoring the once beautiful landmark home back to its original condition. In October, G. Greene was awarded the 2009 AGC Build New England Merit Award for their work on the project.