One of the earliest and among the most challenging of our commercial projects, our work on this 15,000sf mixed-use building spanned several years and what one builder called a "heart-, lung-, and bone-transplant" on the 1852 former Union Congregational church building commissioned by Amory Maynard.

 

While much of our design work here remains unbuilt or built somewhat less than completely, we're very proud to have helped our clients manifest their dream of creating a thriving event and music venue in the heart of Maynard's Cultural District. This one remains close to the heart of our Public Interest Design / Design for Community practice area.

 

Through the building's first 17 decades, worshippers in fixed-seating required one set of accommodations. The same hundreds of people - now sometime dancing in rhythm together - exert a very different kind of load on things like the floor structure and the heating and cooling systems. 

 

We re-configured tenant spaces, common spaces, and egress paths downstairs, designed the new Blue Bar and bathroom areas upstairs, added the Cedar Ramp at the North Entrance, and much more.

 

Studio InSitu Architects, Inc: Tim Hess, Natalie Leighton, Joshua LaLiberte, Dan Fitzpatrick, Nick Kane, Alex McManus

Engineer, Structural: Fire Tower Engineered Timber: Ben Brungraber, Mack Magee, Principals

Steeple Consultant: Colonial Barn Restoration: Tim Murphy Principal

General Contractor: William Goddard