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BOSTON
- Friday, June 28, 2024 - Mayor Michelle Wu today joined Senator
Elizabeth Warren, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Pennrose, LGBTQ Senior
Housing Inc., local elected officials and residents for the grand opening
of The Pryde, Massachusetts’ first LGBTQ-affirming, income restricted
housing community for seniors. The Pryde, located in Hyde Park, converted
the historic former William Barton Rogers Middle School into a vibrant new
community for Bostonians aged 62 and older, with 74 income-restricted rental
homes and a 10,000 square foot Community Center which will host
programming and services for the residents as well as local events,
meetings, activities and workshops for the wider Hyde Park community.
“Making
Boston a home for everyone means ensuring that residents can live in the
City they love with safe, affordable housing that is welcoming to all,”
said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This new development is an incredible
asset to the neighborhood, offering not just beautiful new housing, but
also access to gardens, an art studio with gallery space, and an active
community space. As we celebrate Pride Month, this is a shining example of
how Boston can breathe new life into existing spaces for the benefit of our
residents.”
“Republicans
tried their very best to slash funding for this project, but we fought back
and secured this powerfully important investment,” said Senator
Elizabeth Warren. "The Pryde will be a transformative addition to
the community that gives LGBTQ+ seniors access to the safe, welcoming, and
affordable housing that they deserve.”
"Last
summer, I was able to tour this space while it was still in the works, and
I am thrilled to be here today to celebrate its official ribbon cutting!
The Pryde will serve as an incredible reminder of the importance of
inclusive, equitable and affordable housing," said Lieutenant
Governor Kim Driscoll. "This new building offers an affordable
space for LGBTQ+ seniors and provides them with a built-in community where
they will always feel seen and included. We're grateful to all of the
partners who helped bring this building to life."
The
redevelopment of the former Barton Rogers School was led by the City
of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing, the development team at Pennrose and
LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc., all of whom worked extensively with the local
community in Hyde Park to address the needs of the neighborhood. The Pryde
is New England's first LBGTQ friendly housing for older residents and is
located near shops and restaurants and a variety of cultural and outdoor
amenities, including the Menino Arts Center, the public library, and two
MBTA commuter rail stops serving the Fairmont and Providence lines.
“Today
marks a monumental step forward for inclusion and diversity in Boston. The
grand opening of the city's first LGBTQ-affirming affordable senior housing
community fulfills a critical need for our most vulnerable older adults,”
said Gretchen Van Ness, Executive Director, LGBTQ Senior Housing,
Inc. “The Pryde is more than just apartments - it is a community where
everyone, no matter who they love or how they identify, can live with
dignity.”
“We
are honored to be part of this historic moment,” said Charlie
Adams, Regional Vice President, Pennrose. “This renovated
community asset is a monument to the hard work of so many and would not be
possible without the financial support of numerous funders including the
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Massachusetts Historic
Commission, MassHousing, and the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing
among others. This former public school had outlived its previous life, but
can continue to serve Hyde Park as a community resource and brand-new
housing for another 100 years.”
To
create the Pryde, development teams renovated the former William
Barton Rogers Middle School, which was built in 1899 on 74,000 square feet
of land. The original building was expanded twice, once in 1920, and then
again in 1934. In more than 100 years of its operation as a Boston Public
School, it served as a high school, and later a middle school. Before its
closure in June 2015, the Rogers School, as the neighborhood refers to it,
focused on the performing arts and building an inclusive environment.
"The
Mayor's Office of Housing is profoundly grateful to the Hyde Park
community, Pennrose, and LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc. for their unwavering
dedication in partnering with us to reimagine and transform the historic
William Barton Rogers Middle School into The Pryde," said Chief
of Housing Sheila Dillon. "This beautifully restored development
not only preserves an important city asset but also creates a vibrant,
affordable, and inclusive home for our older residents and LGBTQ community.
The Pryde stands as an example of Boston's commitment to diversity, equity,
and community, and we look forward to it serving as a place of hope and
belonging for generations to come."
"We
are incredibly proud to have supported the development of The Pryde through
the Community Preservation Act funds,” said Felicia Jacques, Chair
of the Community Preservation Committee. "This groundbreaking
project not only preserves a piece of Boston's history by revitalizing the
former William Barton Rogers Middle School, but it also embodies our
commitment to creating inclusive, affordable housing for our senior
residents. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this vibrant new
community will have on Hyde Park."
The
new residences include one and two-bedroom apartments on the 1st, 2nd and
3rd floors. Each apartment is a renovated former classroom, and is
designed to be accessible and barrier free: bathrooms are large enough to
accommodate mobility devices, kitchens are equipped with wall ovens for
ease of access, and levered door handles and cabinet pulls throughout the
homes facilitate use by people with arthritis. The renovated building also
has elevators for accessibility, central air, on-site laundry facilities,
resident lounges, a sun room, large event and gallery spaces, classrooms
for continued learning and a fitness center.
“Older
people in Boston deserve to live in a welcoming, accessible home where they
can live and age with dignity,” said Emily K. Shea, Boston's Age
Strong Commissioner. “The Pryde will not only provide the accessible
features and living spaces needed for older people to live well, but it
will also build community with its welcoming spaces for activity and social
connection."
Residents and
community members will benefit from public community space and activities
programming overseen by LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. that supports vibrant
aging in place for all elders. The residents in the building and community
members over 62 are able to benefit from community meals, adult learning
programs, art classes, access to the community room and green spaces.
Residents of the building will have exclusive access to 24 hour staffing, a
general store, a fitness center, and organized transportation options for
appointments.
“I
am very pleased that HUD is part of the team that helped bring this
critically important and much needed project to fruition,” said HUD
New England Regional Administrator Juana B. Matias. “The Biden-Harris
Administration and HUD are committed to ensuring affordable, equitable and
inclusive housing for all Americans, and the rehabilitation and
re-purposing of the former William Barton Rogers School into Massachusetts’
first LGBTQ-affirming income restricted housing community for seniors helps
achieve this goal and serves as a model for other developers and
municipalities to follow.”
The
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment of reenactors of Hyde Park,
will have an office along with a display of infantry equipment in the
building. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was the first
military unit consisting of Black soldiers to be raised in the North during
the Civil War. The 54th Regiment of reenactors consists of volunteers,
including amateur historians, who are dedicated to preserving the history
of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and Black soldiers in
the Civil War. The 54th Company aims to honor the experiences of Black
Civil War soldiers through living history activities, such as reenactments
and educational programs that foster a deeper understanding and
appreciation of that history.
In
accordance with the City of Boston’s Building Emissions Reduction and
Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO), The Pryde includes energy-efficient heating
and cooling systems, as well as Energy Star rated appliances, and has
environmentally friendly design features throughout.
Of
the 74 total income-restricted rental units in the Pryde, eight are
dedicated to households who are exiting homelessness or who require rental
assistance. Another three are deeply affordable units for seniors with
incomes up to 30% Area Median
Income (AMI), seven units will be available to households earning 50% AMI,
and thirty-two units are available to a two-person household earning less
than 60% AMI, eight households earning up to 80% AMI, and sixteen units
will be set aside for 100% AMI.
Funding
for the Pryde development was provided by the City of Boston through the
Mayor’s Office of Housing, the Community Preservation Act Fund, the Boston
Planning & Development Agency, The Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Advancement
and the Age Strong Commission. The state provided financing from the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC),
the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, the MA Office of Grants and
Research and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Federal funds were
provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Additional funding was provided by Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Red
Stone Equity Partners, TD Bank, the Massachusetts Housing Investment
Corporation, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation
(CEDAC), Eastern Bank Foundation, Needham Bank, the Harry & Jeanette
Weinberg Foundation, The Boston Foundation, The Charles H. Farnsworth
Trust, Gilead Sciences, Stonewall Sports, Gay for Good, Sisters of
Perpetual Indulgence, the Offices of Senator Liz Miranda and
Representative Rob Consalvo, The Kuehn Charitable Fund, Club Cafe,
Hyde Park Main Streets, the National Park Service and the LGBTQ Senior
Housing Inc. Board of Directors
About
the Mayor’s Office of Housing:
The
Mayor’s Office of Housing is responsible for housing people experiencing
homelessness, creating and preserving affordable housing, and ensuring that
renters and homeowners can obtain, maintain, and remain in safe, stable
housing. The department develops and implements the City of Boston’s
housing creation and homelessness prevention plans and collaborates with
local and national partners to find new solutions and build more housing
affordable to all, particularly those with lower incomes. For more information,
please visit the MOH website.
About
the Community Preservation Act (CPA)
After
Boston voters adopted the CPA in November 2016, the City created a
Community Preservation Fund, primarily funded by a 1% property tax
surcharge on residential and business properties starting in July 2017.
This revenue supports affordable housing, historic preservation, and open
space and public recreation projects, aligned with statewide CPA
guidelines. Projects require a recommendation from the Community
Preservation Committee and City appropriation. For more information, visit
the Community
Preservation webpage.
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