Skip to Main Content
Boston University
  • Bostonia
  • BU Today
  • The Brink
  • University Publications

    • Bostonia
    • BU Today
    • The Brink
  • School & College Publications

    • The Record
Other Publications
BU Today
  • Sections
News, Opinion, Community

Preservation Studies Program helps a building with a cause

Historic designation earns tax credits for Back Bay YWCA

March 22, 2006
  • Brian Fitzgerald
Twitter Facebook
The Boston's YWCA headquarters on Clarendon Street, built in 1929, is on the National Register for Historic Places. Photo by Kalman Zabarsky

The GRS Preservation Studies Program is concerned mainly with the restoration of historic structures, not with providing affordable housing, but a recent project it was involved in does quite a bit of both.

The 14-story YWCA headquarters on Clarendon Street was renovated last summer in a $53 million redevelopment project with the help of city and state grants, tax credits, and a $20 million loan from the Bank of America. It was converted into 144 apartments, 79 of them subsidized. The Y also opened the 40-room Hotel 140, which is creating revenue to help pay for the affordable housing.

The project got an encouraging boost from the efforts of Elaine Finbury, a College of Arts and Sciences adjunct assistant professor, and three of her students, who did the research and work necessary to file nomination papers to put the building on the National Register of Historic Places. Their efforts were successful, making it eligible for federal historic restoration tax credits.

Five years ago, because the building, built in 1929, was sorely in need of renovation, the Y considered selling it and moving to another neighborhood. Among its problems were leaks in the basement that required constant pumping. Then in 2002 the Y hired GLC Development, a real estate consulting firm, to look into the possibility of converting it into affordable housing. The firm contacted Finbury (CAS’76), who took a look at the building’s ornamental balconies, curved marble staircase, and copper cornice, and suggested pursuing federal historic designation.

“We investigated whether or not the building would meet the criteria for listing on the National Register of Historic Places,” says Finbury. “We had to get it listed individually, because unfortunately it’s located right between two historic districts, the South End and the Back Bay. One would assume that it was included in an existing historic district, but it wasn’t. And it has to be a notable building to be individually listed on the National Register, so we started researching the history of the YWCA headquarters.”

Finbury and students Kara Cicchetti (GRS’03), Jason Reeves (GRS’03), and Sarah Hansen (GRS’03) got to work documenting the building’s historical and cultural importance, which included the Y’s spearheading of educational and recreational programs for women and its advocacy of racial justice and social equality. “The YWCA made a significant contribution to social movements in the United States,” says Finbury.

The Preservation Studies Program has worked with numerous restoration efforts, from a 19th-century black church in Portsmouth, N.H., to a historic stadium in Haverhill, Mass. But the program has also been engaged in adaptive use projects. “I had three exceptional students who were really interested in adaptive use,” says Finbury, “but they had never worked on historic rehabilitation tax credit applications.”

The YWCA headquarters has traditionally served as an affordable option for travelers and as housing for low- and moderate-income people. Hotel 140, named after its address, charges $129 a night. Those living in the subsidized apartments, who earn between $17,350 and $33,960, pay 30 percent of their paychecks in rent. Tenants in the unsubsidized units pay market-rate rents of between $1,500 and $1,700 a month.

The project thus enabled the Y to buttress its finances and further its mission of helping people, providing reasonably priced housing in an area known for its million-dollar townhouses.

Finbury says her students liked the idea of aiding a worthy cause, particularly one that was consistent with the history of the building, which is a stop on the city’s Women’s Heritage Trail. “It’s an important social institution,” she says. “The history of the building and the organization is woven into the history of Boston.”

 

 

Explore Related Topics:

  • Culture
  • Local
  • Sustainability
  • Share this story

Share

Preservation Studies Program helps a building with a cause

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Latest from BU Today

  • Watch Now

    BU’s Class of 2025: What Are Your Plans After Graduating?

  • Fitness

    BU Sports Rehab Therapists on Jayson Tatum’s Achilles Injury and Recovery Ahead

  • Commencement 2025

    Sights and Sounds from Boston University’s Class of 2025 Commencement

  • Commencement 2025

    Video: 2025 Graduate Jayde Best: “I Ended Up Exactly Where I Wanted to Be”

  • Commencement 2025

    “Empathy Is Essential,” BU Commencement Speaker Emily Deschanel Tells 2025 Graduates

  • Voices & Opinion

    I’m a Business Professor Who Asked Dozens of Former Students How They Define Success

  • Commencement 2025

    Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Convocations a Joyous Affair

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    BU Commencement Student Speaker: Say “Yes” to New Opportunities

  • Athletics

    Women’s Rowing Aiming for Second Consecutive Patriot League Title

  • Infectious Diseases

    Tick-Borne Diseases Risk Increasing Due to Climate Change: What You Need to Know

  • COMMENCEMENT 2025

    This Mother and Daughter Are Both Graduating from Boston University

  • Accolades

    Wheelock’s Tina Durand Wins 2025 Metcalf Cup and Prize, BU’s Highest Teaching Honor

  • Commencement 2025

    Three Standout BU Graduating Master’s Students Share What Drives Them

  • Things-to-do

    The Weekender: May 15 to 18

  • Commencement

    Looking for a Place to Take Grad Photos? These Spots Are Perfect

  • Accolades

    COM’s Michelle Sullivan Named 2025 Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching Winner

  • Fine Arts

    How I Made This: Raquel Philippe (CFA’26)

  • Student Life

    Conning an Aircraft Carrier. A Storm-Drenched Training Exercise. Graduating ROTC Students Reflect on Last Four Years

  • Commencement 2025

    The Ultimate Senior Bucket List

  • Commencement 2025

    Advice to the Class of 2025: “Make Your Existence Meaningful”

Section navigation

  • Sections
  • Must Reads
  • Videos
  • Series
  • Close-ups
  • Archives
  • About + Contact
Get Our Email

Explore Our Publications

Bostonia

Boston University’s Alumni Magazine

BU Today

News, Opinion, Community

The Brink

Pioneering Research from Boston University

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Weibo
  • TikTok
© Boston University. All rights reserved. www.bu.edu
© 2025 Trustees of Boston UniversityPrivacy StatementAccessibility
Boston University
Notice of Non-Discrimination: Boston University prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, natural or protective hairstyle, religion, sex or gender, age, national origin, ethnicity, shared ancestry and ethnic characteristics, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, military service, marital, parental, veteran status, or any other legally protected status in any and all educational programs or activities operated by Boston University. Retaliation is also prohibited. Please refer questions or concerns about Title IX, discrimination based on any other status protected by law or BU policy, or retaliation to Boston University’s Executive Director of Equal Opportunity/Title IX Coordinator, at titleix@bu.edu or (617) 358-1796. Read Boston University’s full Notice of Nondiscrimination.
Search
Boston University Masterplate
Preservation Studies Program helps a building with a cause
0
share this
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.