The Boston Preservation Alliance’s Executive Director, Sarah Kelly, has joined the Longfellow Bridge Task Force to provide input into the design for the rehabilitation and restoration of the Longfellow Bridge. The project aims to repair the century-old structure to ensure the continued safety of travelers by subway, car, bicycle, and foot and to restore and protect its historic integrity. The Task Force has been convened by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and is part of the state’s Accelerated Bridge Program (ABP). To meet the cutoff dates related to receiving legislative funding for the ABP, MassDOT will present an Environmental Assessment to the Federal Highway Administration in the fall of 2010.
The Longfellow Bridge, originally named the New Cambridge Bridge, was built between 1900 and 1907, according to the design of Edmund Wheelwright. It was lauded as a feat of civil engineering and served as an architectural model for other twentieth century Boston bridges that followed. The bridge spans 2,135 feet and is 105 feet wide, with a granite block masonry substructure, ten hollow piers, and two hollow abutments. The two central piers are decorated with two pairs of neoclassically-dressed granite towers that give the bridge its “Salt and Pepper Shaker Bridge” nickname. The new bridge was renamed in 1927 to commemorate the famous local poet who often used the West Boston Bridge to travel to and from Boston. The Longfellow Bridge’s history as a route of transportation connecting Boston and Cambridge, and its location on the site of another earlier bridge, as well as its significant architectural and engineering achievements make it deserving of immediate rehabilitation and restoration.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit Extended!
The Boston Preservation Alliance is pleased to report that on June 30th, the Fiscal Year 2011 State Budget was signed by Governor Deval Patrick and included an extension of the Massachusetts Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit (MHRTC) program until December 31, 2017.
The Alliance worked closely with our members, affiliates and partner organizations, including Preservation Massachusetts, in order to advocate to members of the Joint Budget Committee on behalf of the credit.
To date, almost 200 projects have applied since the first round of credits was made available in 2004 and approximately $270,000,000 in credit have been allocated statewide. Per Preservation Massachusetts’ economic review of the tax credit’s impact on the Commonwealth, it was found that the $74,000,000 in tax credits already claimed by the state has leveraged close to $1 billion in total investment, created 12,349 jobs and rehabilitated 2,655,688 square feet of historic buildings across the Commonwealth. The economic review also indicated that there is unfulfilled demand for the tax credits totaling approximately $293,800,000. The review further determined that if this demand were to be met, the tax credit could leverage between $1.5 and 2 billion in investments, create over 25,000 jobs and rehab nearly 8 million square feet of space in historic buildings.
The successful redevelopment and preservation made possible by the MHRTC over the past few years has also had a tremendously positive impact on the city’s and the Commonwealth’s economy. Projects like the redevelopment of the Dwinell-Wright Building at 311 Summer Street in the Fort Point Channel, a former warehouse that now serves as office and retail space; the transformation of the Ames Building in downtown Boston into a thriving 130 room hotel; and the rehabilitation of Engine House #40 into a performing arts space in East Boston exemplify how the tax credit has transformed historic buildings for new uses, created jobs, revitalized neighborhoods and fostered economic growth. (Tax credits are available for income-producing, commercial properties. Massachusetts does not have a residential tax credit program.)
As Boston’s lead historic preservation advocacy organization, the Alliance has witnessed firsthand the value of this tax credit and its ability to protect the historic nature of our city. We wish to thank everyone who advocated for this critical extension.
The Alliance worked closely with our members, affiliates and partner organizations, including Preservation Massachusetts, in order to advocate to members of the Joint Budget Committee on behalf of the credit.
To date, almost 200 projects have applied since the first round of credits was made available in 2004 and approximately $270,000,000 in credit have been allocated statewide. Per Preservation Massachusetts’ economic review of the tax credit’s impact on the Commonwealth, it was found that the $74,000,000 in tax credits already claimed by the state has leveraged close to $1 billion in total investment, created 12,349 jobs and rehabilitated 2,655,688 square feet of historic buildings across the Commonwealth. The economic review also indicated that there is unfulfilled demand for the tax credits totaling approximately $293,800,000. The review further determined that if this demand were to be met, the tax credit could leverage between $1.5 and 2 billion in investments, create over 25,000 jobs and rehab nearly 8 million square feet of space in historic buildings.
The successful redevelopment and preservation made possible by the MHRTC over the past few years has also had a tremendously positive impact on the city’s and the Commonwealth’s economy. Projects like the redevelopment of the Dwinell-Wright Building at 311 Summer Street in the Fort Point Channel, a former warehouse that now serves as office and retail space; the transformation of the Ames Building in downtown Boston into a thriving 130 room hotel; and the rehabilitation of Engine House #40 into a performing arts space in East Boston exemplify how the tax credit has transformed historic buildings for new uses, created jobs, revitalized neighborhoods and fostered economic growth. (Tax credits are available for income-producing, commercial properties. Massachusetts does not have a residential tax credit program.)
As Boston’s lead historic preservation advocacy organization, the Alliance has witnessed firsthand the value of this tax credit and its ability to protect the historic nature of our city. We wish to thank everyone who advocated for this critical extension.
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