Boston – Arrowstreet recently completed renovations to The Women’s Lunch Place, Back Bay’s only day shelter for homeless women. The renovations took a 50-year-old church basement and, through exposing the historic brick piers and granite foundation walls, created a light-filled, warm, inviting dining space that gives WLP’s guests a sense of home.
“We wanted to create a facility that would align with the Women’s Lunch Place’s core values: all human beings should be treated with dignity and respect,” said Arrowstreet’s Scott Pollack, project principal. “These renovations have transformed a tired space that was not well suited for the organization’s program into a functional—and beautiful—home.”
A donor wall welcomes guests and volunteers in the entry space, fashioned to resemble cafeteria trays and featuring art by shelter guests. Entering the dining area, a suspended ceiling gracefully mimics the curve of the adjacent arches, while simultaneously providing improved lighting with a more pleasant and natural feel. Combined with an improved, more open layout, the renovated space is now easier to navigate, while still providing private, dignified spaces for showering, laundry, and rest.
Arrowstreet’s renovation also provides a new, modern industrial kitchen to serve 200 meals a day to the non-profit’s guests and accommodate shelter fundraisers. The team improved the kitchen’s layout as well, creating direct line-of-sight between volunteers and guests to improve both the quality of food service and the volunteer experience.
Included in the renovations was updated support space, including a resource center and reading room located in the upper levels of the historic church. The space takes advantage of ornate decorative windows and exposed brick arches to create a comfortable and useful space for guests to participate in career training.