PCA is well known for their superlative housing design and execution. They are also a community partner who makes sure the voice of the community is carried forward in their design to fit into the urban fabric—walkability, scale, transportation impacts and much more.
Teronda Ellis, Chief Executive Officer, Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Agency
The community of Roslindale had long sought a financially viable way to preserve and retain Roslindale’s historic substation, situated at the heart of the community’s business district across from busy Adams Park. After several attempts at development, PCA was selected by Peregrine Urban Initiative to find a solution, working with Roslindale Main Street and Historic Boston to knit together the old and the new.
PCA’s solution completes this last edge of Roslindale Square by reinventing the substation as a restaurant and retail/office space and introducing a new 43-unit residential building that wraps around the station. The new residences both create 24/7 activity and help to subsidize the costs of renovations to the older building.
The design retains and showcases the industrial character of the substation, particularly the massive windows, glazed brick, large copper doors and imposing gantry crane. New historically appropriate windows cast large swathes of light into the 34’ high space, animating the streetscape at night with glimpses of activity within.
