Constructed in 1869, the Italianate-style, red-brick building at 249 Aisquith Street originally housed the Eastern Female High School (a counterpart to Western High School on the other side of town). After a long history as a public school, it was converted to apartments in the 1970s but eventually became vacant in 2001. Mission First Housing Development Corporation and The Henson Development Company have teamed up to breathe new life into this historic structure.
Situated in the Perkins-Somerset-Oldtown Transformation footprint, the sponsor team plans to build on the momentum of the ongoing Perkins Homes and Somerset Homes redevelopments by activating this vacant building with affordable rental units. In addition to the historic restoration of the old high school, architectural plans call for a four-story addition to be constructed alongside a landscaped, outdoor gathering space.
NIIF provided a predevelopment loan to support early-stage design and engineering costs for this project.