Beverly, MA – A complete renovation and vertical expansion of the historic YMCA on Cabot Street in Beverly, MA has transformed 45 single-room occupancies into 67 studio apartments with individual kitchenettes and bathrooms for its residents. The affordable housing project, now named Cabot Housing, was completed late last year, and as of July 2022, all units have been filled.
The 44,000 square-foot renovation to the brick building included the addition of a fourth floor made of steel and concrete, and removal of the original pool and fitness center to accommodate new office space, a community room, laundry facility, and bike storage.
As affordable housing continues to be one of the biggest challenges facing low-income residents on the North Shore, the YMCA envisioned a revitalized utilization of the space which was brought to life by architecture firm SV Design, and Windover Construction.
Chris Lovasco, President and CEO of the YMCA of the North Shore said, “I can’t think of anything more important than having a comfortable, welcoming, affordable place to live. It’s something too often taken for granted. I’m so proud of our Y’s commitment to meeting this need. Everyone involved worked diligently to see that we returned our residents, many of whom have lived in this Cabot St. location for 15 to 20 years, to this amazing new housing space while also providing 22 additional units to serve even more residents who need affordable housing in Beverly.”
In addition to living within walking distance of the many amenities in downtown Beverly, tenants of Cabot Housing also receive a complimentary YMCA membership, all utilities included in their monthly rent, and access to a coin-operated laundry room.
“The need for housing in our community is overwhelming,” stated David Goodwin, Regional Housing Director, YMCA of the North Shore. “With the completion of this property the Y is able to offer housing to 67 individuals. The residents that have moved in could not be more excited and grateful to have a clean, safe and affordable place to call home.”
Due to the historical nature of the 120-year-old building and complexity of the renovation, SV Design and Windover Construction worked seamlessly together throughout architectural planning and construction to assess the existing structure and mitigate any risk entailing the fourth floor addition and future maintenance of the entire building.
“The YMCA housing project on Cabot Street was truly a labor of love,” said Jen Hocherman, AIA, Associate Principal at SV Design. “The iconic building had many intricacies in its original construction that proved both
challenging and fascinating. Construction of the new floor on top of the building and a full renovation of the residential floors required both enormous technical expertise and an astute attention to detail that buildings of this age need. We are proud to partner with the YMCA to support their mission, and with Windover Construction to bring the project’s vision to life.”
“Collaboration was the key to success for the Cabot YMCA project,” said Bill Olsen, Vice President of Construction Operations at Windover Construction. “Working in a 120-year-old building presented a fair number of challenges and surprises. Our teams worked together, building off our strong established partnership, to quickly react to these challenges and find the best solutions. The use of technology was invaluable in allowing our teams to capture data about the building and proactively plan so the new elements of the building fit within the existing structure. This was critical to ensuring residents could get back to their homes as scheduled.”
YMCA of the North Shore has more than 300 rental units in Beverly, Gloucester, Haverhill and Ipswich
