Brockton, MA NeighborWorks Housing Solutions (NHS) celebrated the ribbon-cutting of The Lincoln, a new community offering 37 units of affordable housing for seniors at the site of the former Lincoln School, 70 Highland St., on February 26^th. Leasing is now underway, and the first residents are expected to move into their new homes this month.

The Lincoln is a historic rehabilitation project that transformed a historic former elementary school originally constructed in the 1890s into 37 modern studio and one-bedroom apartment homes for seniors. Wherever possible, original elements from the schoolhouse were incorporated into the new design, including the tin ceiling tiles, which were removed with the utmost care and cleaned to be reutilized throughout the building. Historically appropriate finishes have also been incorporated throughout the apartments and common areas. As part of the substantial redevelopment, The Lincoln will be a Certified Historic Structure as defined by the National Park Service.

A large group of city and state officials, housing professionals, and city residents were on hand to celebrate The Lincoln’s milestone, including mayor Robert Sullivan; state representatives Rita Mendes, Michelle DuBois, and Jim Hawkins; Massachusetts Housing Partnership executive director Clark Ziegler; and Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. (CEDAC) Affordable Housing project manager Will Morgan.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in demand for affordable, accessible, and supportive housing, which puts more of our seniors at risk,” said Robert Corley, CEO of NeighborWorks Housing Solutions. “These types of historical developments are some of the most challenging to take on, but we are proud to welcome you to this revitalized former school, which will now serve as a home to 37 seniors.”

Cindy Pendergrast, Brockton program director of NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, and Noelle Humphries, associate real estate development director for NHS, who oversaw The Lincoln project, also spoke at the event.

“The Lincoln is a win for Brockton,” said Pendergrast, while Corley later noted that Humphries led the project on-time and on-budget.

“We could not have done this without the support and cooperation of the city of Brockton and mayor Sullivan, and we are so grateful for their partnership,” Corley said.

In addition to NeighborWorks Housing Solutions as the developer, the project team consists of Davis Square Architects, Curtis Construction Company, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (historic consultant), and HallKeen Management (property manager).

Additional partners on The Lincoln include the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, MassHousing, Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. (CEDAC), the city of Brockton, Brockton Redevelopment Authority, Brockton Department of Planning and Economic Development, Hudson Housing Capital, Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), Santander Bank, Rockland Trust Company, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Boston.

Following the formal ceremony, attendees were given a tour of the building and were able to see the unique and historic aspects of the former school.