Boston – Historic Boston Inc. has begun reconstruction of Upham’s Corner Comfort Station, on Columbia Road in Dorchester, that will transform the building into Sip ‘&’ Spoke, a café, bike repair shop and meeting place for the neighborhood.
The City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development designated the redevelopment to the partnership of Historic Boston Inc. and The American City Coalition. The architect for the development is Utile, Inc. Architecture + Planning. The contractor is MJ Mawn, Inc. The Bowdoin Bike School is also a partner in the project, which is set to open in spring of 2019.
Historic Boston and The American City Coalition are working with Noahde Amor, founder of the bike school, to repurpose the existing building that has been empty since 1977. The former rest station, a stucco 940sf facility with full basement, is undergoing $1.4 million in renovation and improvements.
The renovation promotes bike use at a time when roads and the MBTA system are at or exceeding capacity, and it creates a local business that will enhance the overall Upham’s Corner business district.
Fundraising totaling $450,000, plus $365,000 in Community Preservation Funds, were combined with capital from the tenant and permanent financing secured by Historic Boston to make the project possible.
Historic Boston Inc. will employ $176,000 in proceeds from Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits as a funding source to save and establish the new uses for the historic structure.
