YWCA BOSTON at 140 Clarendon Street

An occupied rehab of this scale, situated in a congested urban area, presented myriad challenges requiring detailed coordination. The project team worked closely with the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) to meet the City’s aggressive climate resiliency and carbon neutrality goals. The complexities associated with rehabbing and adapting a historic building for new uses while maintaining occupancy during construction required a balancing act for the team. Converting 66 existing hotel rooms and 62 SROs into studios with kitchenettes required additional infrastructure to accommodate ventilation and plumbing. Petersen also designed new main electrical rooms to enable the use changes. We also collaborated on a stormwater retention system, incorporated into the building footprint deep in the sub-basement. Finally, the team preserved historic interior finishes while updating building infrastructure to accommodate contemporary uses and energy regulations.

Our clients chose Petersen Engineering for this project based on our strong relationship, built over many years. Beacon Communities’ CEO shared that this project provides a rare chance to add high-quality housing for low-income residents in the increasingly costly core of the city.

Completed in 2024, the project delivered 210 affordable apartments, including 111 permanent supportive housing apartments for people exiting homelessness, with services provided by Pine Street Inn. The grand opening took place March 7, 2024. Existing tenants, including the Lyric Stage Company of Boston and Snowden International School, remained in the building throughout construction.