Universal Window and Door projects earn four 2024 Preservation Massachusetts Awards

Marlborough, MA Universal Window and Door provided historic replica windows for four projects honored by Preservation Massachusetts at their annual Preservation Awards event. Held at the Great Hall of the Mass. State House on June 28^th, this year’s theme was “A Lifetime of Preservation,” which in addition to celebrating 20 preservation projects, honored four individuals who have substantially contributed to historic preservation efforts. 

Universal Window supplied windows to four buildings that were recognized, 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.”

The Tsongas Award winners for Universal were: Fabrica Mills in Lawrence and the Lower Basin Barracks in Boston. Fabrica Mills owner Trinity Financial, transformed roughly a quarter of the 450,000 s/f Marriner Mill in Lawrence into 87 units of mixed-income rental housing. The project was designed by ICON Architecture and constructed by Aberthaw Construction. The Lower Basin Barracks was designed by Finegold Alexander for the Massachusetts State Police. The Menino Legacy Award winners were The Abbot Building, a landmark in Harvard Sq., Cambridge, and Southbridge Mills in Southbridge. The restoration of the trio of century-old buildings known as the Abbot Building complex was designed by Prellwitz Chilinski Associates (PCA) for owner Regency Centers. Winn Development transformed Southbridge Mills, a late-19^th century mill building – and the former headquarters of American Optical – into 48 affordable apartments, from a design by The Architectural Team.

The four individuals honored by Preservation Massachusetts were preservationist Fred Ecker of Yarmouth Port for his conservation work with Marsh Farm; William Smith of Brookline’s Engineering and Transportation Department for his restoration work the Carlton Street Footbridge; Charles M. Sullivan of the Cambridge Historical Commission; and the late Robert J. “Bob” Verrier of The Architectural Team for his 50 years of adapting historic mills, hospitals, wharves, and schools.

“It is once again an honor to be a part of so many projects that were recognized by Preservation Massachusetts. Our employees take tremendous pride in their work, and our contributions to these award-winning projects cement our 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.