Salem, MA – The Old Salem Jail Complex was granted to the city of Salem by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after a federal judge declared the building unfit for habitation in 1991. At the time it was the oldest jail in continuous operation in the country. Following closure, the jail languished for two decades as a blighted site in the middle of Salem. The complex was overgrown and surrounded by razor wire topped fencing, the carriage house was dilapidated, and all structures had missing windows and doors. Vandalism and a fire contributed to making the complex an eyesore that decreased neighborhood property values and inhibited adjacent development.
The Massachusetts Historical Commission, local preservation groups, the Salem Redevelopment Authority, as well as those at City Hall, had long understood the blight of the property could and should be addressed through preservation and rehabilitation activities. They sought a development entity with the skill and technical expertise that could match these goals. Following a public selection process, New Boston Ventures (Boston developers David Goldman and Dennis Kanin) and Finegold Alexander (Boston-based architects known as pioneers of the adaptive use movement).were designated the development team in 2005.
The development team joined up with General Contractor Metric Construction of Brighton to restore the three building historic jail complex and adapt it for residential and mixed use. Plans were laid for a luxury mixed-use complex and the project moved along the development trajectory.
In 2008 the project was challenged by the recession. The team responded by switching strategies. Financing and implementation required significant nimbleness on the part of the project team. Bolstered by powerful civic and political will, the team was able to get it done in a strained financial climate. By developing the site as rentable apartments that are eligible for condo conversion in five years, they secured alternative financing via State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. This quick action allowed the project to continue apace and capture the political momentum to turn the property around.
Epsilon Associates was engaged to prepare the required historic tax credit application documents and to assist with negotiations with the National Park Service and the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the respective regulatory agencies responsible for administering the Federal and State Historic Tax Credit Programs.
The Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program has made a significant contribution across the state and has resulted in job creation, new housing, and has spurred economic development in depressed cities and towns. Combined with traditional financing, tax credit programs made all the difference for the Salem Jail Project, but the challenges were significant. It is extremely difficult to adapt this building type. Jails are an unusual project type for historic tax credits because they are hard to modernize while still complying with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
The design team took advantage of the inherent characteristics of the historic Jail and Jail Keeper’s house – renamed The Bryant and The McIntire, after the buildings’ original architects, Gridley Bryant and Samuel McIntire.
The Carriage House could not be rehabilitated and was instead replaced with a 1350sf new building that used the original footprint, massing and exterior detailing of the original barn. It now houses a free standing two bedroom unit.
The Bryant units benefit from high ceilings, 14 foot tall windows, and walls of exposed brick and granite. The McIntire had been gutted by a 1999 fire, allowing the design team freedom to intervene with 21st century interiors within the historic fabric. Throughout, the synergistic mix of old and new is evident. The revitalized complex fronts onto a landscaped courtyard with view corridors terminating at the original entries of the historic structures. The courtyard provides drop-off access, loading and pedestrian circulation, gardens and permeable hardscape.
Adapting existing buildings is an environmentally responsible activity and one that values the embodied energy in the materials as well as the social and cultural role the structures have played and can continue to play in the life of a community. Near public transit and the City’s retail commercial center, reuse of this once vacant and abandoned property contributes to density and the ongoing revitalization of the downtown area. Other green aspects of the rehabilitation include: efficient natural gas heating and cooling systems; a high-performance envelope with well-insulated walls and roof as well as double-paned, Low-E, argon filled insulating windows; and all appliances are Energy Star-rated for reduced energy consumption, and repurposing materials on-site (e.g. granite floor slabs were retained and reused throughout the public spaces of the Jail and as landscape pavers throughout the site).
There has been a great deal of interest in the success of this project from the community and municipal leaders. The complex includes affordable units and offers a further link to the City’s creative community along with other benefits stemming from this project, not the least of which is valuing and rehabilitating a historic structure and community asset for renewed use. The fact the project was completed with a high level of quality and has reached market success in a very challenging economic environment speaks to the team effort and spirit of cooperation between the City, New Boston Ventures, Finegold Alexander, and Metric Construction.
The project knitted together and enhanced various aspects of the site—history and culture, built and natural environment, economic and social stability—to contribute to the city’s interest in being a livable community. The project created 23 units with views of the North River, a landscaped open space, parking on site and easy access to the downtown recreation and commercial district.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the project State Rep. John Keenan, who had worked as a guard at the Jail as a young man, declared it “a glorious moment for the City…” At an Open House in April 3,000 people arrived to see the rehabilitated complex and soon after units were occupied. A recent tenant party attended by design team members (who are also Salem residents), revealed a community that is already tight-knit with keys shared and pot-lucks organized. A gathering, at the on-site restaurant, of former jailers was also recently reported in the local newspaper; further evidence of the community-making benefits of the restoration of the Jail.
50 Saint Peter Street (its current moniker) has won two national awards, is home to young families and empty nesters alike and is a positive contributor to the built fabric in Salem.
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About Metric Construction
With thirty years of experience, Metric Construction prides itself on beinga leader in historic renovation capabilities across New England – from Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood to old mill conversions.
Construction on the project began in 2009 and consists of 23 apartments and a new restaurant. Various materialsfrom the existing building were recycled and repurposed.
The Salem Jail project demonstrates Metric’s significant experience in replicating finishes, restoring masonry, and replacing structure. Theywork extensively with historians to preserve the history of a building, and in the case of the Salem Jail, devised new structural elements to demolishthe cell block, while maintaining the exterior shell of the building in order to ensure authenticity.
Significant attention was paid to modern elements such as using custom aluminum windows, all the while making sure that they blended in with the existing architecture of the building.
In 2009 Metric converted a 207,000sf mill into 150 loft-style units in Providence, Rhode Island. Greystone was selected as the “2009 Rhody Award for Historic Preservation” recipient by Preserve Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commissio
Old Salem Jail Conversion: Finegold Alexander Turns Eyesore into Gem by Dan Ricciarelli and Doug Kelleher
Salem, MA – The Old Salem Jail Complex was granted to the city of Salem by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts after a federal judge declared the building unfit for habitation in 1991.