Architecture
- Type
Counting House 71
Lowell, MA
Originally constructed in the 1840s, Counting House Lofts 71 is the adaptive reuse of a historic industrial warehouse situated on the former Hamilton Manufacturing Company campus in Lowell, Mass. It was the earliest structure remaining within the complex that once produced cotton and wool textiles with more than 17,000 active spindles, and was later the home of Adden Furniture Company. The six-story Greek Revival structure features rock-faced granite sills and unusually heavy lintels that project farther than is typical, with granite blocks beneath each end — similar to the impost blocks of an arch. During the extensive restoration and rehabilitation, the design team meticulously separated and stored bricks, sills and lintels for subsequent reinstallation. The 170+-year-old building suffered considerable subsurface deterioration, requiring the removal of large portions of the structure to reconstruct and stabilize the foundation. Additionally, the northeast corner of the exterior wall necessitated rebuilding due to increased ground settling above the active sluiceway that once provided power to the complex — the reconstruction was closely monitored by the local historic commission to ensure the salvaged materials were accurately reinstalled.
The $15.6M project created 75 loft-style, market-rate units with two set aside for those with household incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income. Nearly two-thirds of the units are one-bedroom, with the remaining divided between one-bedrooms with dens and two-bedrooms. The 95,000 square foot historic building is adjacent to the award-winning adaptive reuse project Counting House Lofts, also designed by the firm. The site is listed on National Register of Historic Places. The property, which incorporates state-of-the-art green sustainability features is LEED Certifiable.
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