Hamel Mill Lofts celebrates grand opening; Callahan acted as CM

Hamel Mill Lofts celebrated its grand opening. In attendance were: Forest City Residential Group, owner; Callahan, Inc. executives and staff, construction manager; and city and state elected and appointed officials, including governor Deval Patrick. Numerous family members of the Hamel family were also at the event and spoke, they owned the building for 50+ years prior to its closing in the 70's. A ceremonial ribbon cutting was done. Located near the commuter rail, Hamel Mill Lofts is the adaptive re-use of four historical buildings that originally made up the L.H. Hamel Leather Co. At one time one of the largest tanneries in the country, Hamel provided leather to the automotive, garment and most notably the shoe industries. From these 367,000 s/f, century-old mill buildings, owner/developer Forest City Residential has created 305 apartment units, common areas, and retail space on the first floor along Essex St. The apartment units are available in either one or two bedrooms and range in size from approximately 900 to 1,100 s/f. In addition, 20% of all units at Haverhill Mill Lofts will be rented to meet the Massachusetts guidelines for affordability. Common areas include a cyber café, pool table room, bicycle storage area, fitness center, a lounge, a media center for viewing movies and television events, and a business center for tenant use. The site was reworked to accommodate 322 surface parking spaces and includes beautifully landscaped courtyards and exterior common spaces. The architect on this project is Dimella Shaffer and the engineers are SEA Consultants, civil and The Collaborative Engineers, structural and MEPs. The 23-month construction schedule included the reconditioning of the historic building exteriors with custom fabricated windows to match the original mill windows and a complete masonry restoration. The existing smoke stack was restored and became a focal point of the complex. Interior construction made use of the existing high ceilings and left many of the original construction details exposed. Interior finishes included stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, ceramic tile, and exposed concrete floors. Hamel Mill Lofts' many custom features reflect the growing trend for upscale yet affordable living in the suburbs of Boston where technology plays a large part in selecting housing. Hamel Mills is one of many adaptive re-use projects that Callahan has completed and/or has underway. Callahan, Inc. is a full service construction firm, specializing in construction management, general contracting and preconstruction services. Callahan's corporate office is located at 80 First Street, Bridgewater, MA 02324.