$51 Million Project Revives Historic Boys Club and Builds Adjacent Five-Story Extension

BOSTON (Oct. 21, 2026) – Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey today joined executives from WinnCompanies, an award-winning national owner, developer and manager of high-impact apartment communities, to celebrate the completion of a $51 million construction effort that delivered 80 affordable, energy-efficient apartment homes for adults 55 and older to Worcester, MA.

Together with officials from the City of Worcester, Healey helped cut the ribbon of The Residences on Lincoln Square, a hybrid development that transformed the historic Worcester Boys Club building into 16 apartment homes and community spaces, while erecting a new five-story apartment development alongside it that offers 64 new apartments.

The community is fully leased and features 19 studio apartments, 46 one-bedroom units and 15 two-bedroom apartments. Sixty-eight (68) of the apartments are leased to households earning up to 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) and 12 units are occupied by those earning up to 30 percent AMI. Eleven (11) of the apartments serve as housing for residents with disabilities.

“In one of the state’s most essential housing markets, the Residences on Lincoln Square provides the senior population of the Worcester area a long-term home of outstanding quality and convenience,” said WinnCompanies CEO Gilbert Winn. “Reviving this iconic building has been a city priority for two decades. An innovative development plan and the fantastic support of our public and private partners finally made it happen.”

The project completes a 164-unit housing campus that began to take shape in 2013 when WinnCompanies opened Voke Lofts, an 84-unit mixed-income community located just a few hundred feet north of the Residence on Lincoln Square. Together, the two properties provide apartment homes for households at all income levels and ages in the heart of downtown Worcester.

“Every Massachusetts resident deserves a safe, affordable place to call home. By transforming a long-vacant Worcester landmark into 80 homes for seniors, we’re helping residents age with dignity while preserving the character of our communities,” said Governor Maura Healey. “My administration was proud to support this project, which is part of our work to build more homes and lower costs across Massachusetts. Thank you to WinnCompanies and all of the project partners for making this possible.”

The existing, four-story building hosted one of the first Boys Clubs in the nation in 1930 and later served as Worcester Vocational High School before becoming vacant in 2006. Using adaptive reuse techniques, the construction effort preserved the historic aspects of the 45,750-square-foot building’s exterior and interior; improved its energy efficiency with historic replica windows and high-performance HVAC systems; made the structure handicapped accessible; transformed a classroom into a resident lounge; and repurposed the double-height gymnasium into a fitness center and pickleball court for residents.

The adjacent 61,298-square-foot new construction apartment building was built to the Passive House Institute U.S. (Phius) standard, the most rigorous energy performance measure in the world. It is an all-electric building to meet the Commonwealth’s goals for a fossil fuel-free future. The project acquired air rights from the City of Worcester to construct the building over the Ernest Johnson Tunnel and Underpass.

The Phius design incorporates a robust exterior envelope comprised of triple pane high-performance windows and continuous insulation, designed to drastically reduce heating and cooling loads in the building, which will be met with high-efficiency all-electric heat pump systems. Additional conservation measures incorporated in the building’s design include LED lighting, ENERGY STAR appliances, balanced ventilation with energy recovery, and low flow plumbing fixtures.

"The transformation of the historic Worcester Boys Club into the Residences on Lincoln Square is a monumental achievement for our city. After two decades of effort to redevelop this underutilized site, seeing it reborn as 80 affordable homes for our adults 55 and older is incredibly rewarding,” said Worcester Mayor Joseph M. Petty. “I want to thank WinnCompanies, Governor Healey, and our local partners for breathing new life into a downtown building that has played such a vital role in Worcester's history."

The development effort delivered a direct economic impact of $39.8 million and created 504 direct and indirect jobs, based on a professional analysis by Renaissance Groups, WinnDevelopment’s hiring consultant. People of color accounted for 49 percent of all employees on the project and 41 percent of project work hours. More than $14.8 million in contracts were awarded to qualified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), accounting for nearly 40 percent of all subcontracted work.

The two buildings are connected on the ground floor by a one-story glass walkway. Shared community amenities include a lobby, club lounge with areas for games and reading, fitness center with indoor pickleball court, and on-site management offices.

Outdoor amenity spaces include a secret garden between the two buildings with a patio, seating area and pergola. The development also includes bicycle spaces and 21 parking spaces, including 14 spaces for electric vehicles. All bike and vehicle parking spaces are located under the new construction building.

The Massachusetts Executive Office for Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), partnered with MassDevelopment and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), to provide Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). EOHLC also delivered support from the Housing Stabilization Fund, American Rescue Plan (ARPA), Facilities Consolidation Fund, and Underutilized Properties Program.

“We are happy and excited to celebrate the opening of the Residences on Lincoln Square. This project fulfills a dual commitment: to preserve a historic property and create 80 new homes in downtown Worcester,” said Juana Matias, Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities. “Projects like the Residences on Lincoln Square put people back in our downtowns, back next to retail and dining, and allow older adults to age in the community where they've built their lives. The Healey-Driscoll Administration was proud to provide the support to help make this project possible.”

The U.S. National Park Service provided Federal Historic Tax Credits, while the Massachusetts Historic Commission provided state historic tax credits.

The City of Worcester provided HOME and Affordable Housing Trust funds. “The completion of this project is a historic moment for the City of Worcester,” said Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista. “This was the first project to utilize the municipality’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which helped give life to what is now 80 affordable units for our 55+ community. An adaptive re-use project like this is exactly the kind of work we need to be doing to help ease the burden of the housing crisis. A project like this does not cross the finish line without a full team of dedicated supporters. Thank you to the Healey administration, WinnDevelopment, contractors and laborers, and all partners who played a role in getting this iconic building serving the residents of Worcester once again.”

MassHousing provided funds from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and issued bonds for the tax-exempt bridge and tax-exempt permanent loans. “MassHousing is excited for the residents who will live in these new apartment homes in the heart of Worcester and enjoy all that the Lincoln Square area has to offer,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “We were pleased to partner in this effort that preserved and transformed the historic Boys Club and added a brand-new building for a total of 80 deeply affordable units for residents over 55.”

Rockland Trust Bank provided a construction loan and tax-exempt bridge loan. “The Residences on Lincoln Square demonstrate what’s possible when community-minded organizations come together around a shared vision,” said Rockland Trust SVP, Commercial Loan Officer Claudius Zorokong. “Rockland Trust is proud partner on a project that expands affordable housing for adults 55+ while revitalizing an important piece of Worcester’s history.”

The Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) provided a first mortgage. “MHP is deeply committed to supporting this kind of development and proud of its longstanding partnership with WinnCompanies,” said MHP Executive Director Rachel Heller. “The Residences on Lincoln Square demonstrates that energy modernization and affordable housing preservation can work together to improve the quality of life for the residents of Massachusetts.”

WNC & Associates, Inc. served as syndicator for the tax credit investment, with CVS Health as the lead investor, providing nearly $10 million in financing for The Residences on Lincoln Square. The investment builds on CVS Health commitment to affordable housing in Massachusetts, where it has invested approximately $45 million over the past five years to support more than 500 affordable homes.

“Housing is foundational to health, particularly as people age,” said Keli Savage, Vice President, Head of Real Estate & Impact Investments, CVS Health. “We’re proud to work with WinnCompanies on a development that helps older adults age in place and remain connected to their community.”

WinnCompanies Executive Vice President Michael O’Brien and WinnDevelopment Senior Vice President Andrew Colbert oversaw the development, with F.W. Madigan Company, Inc., of Worcester, serving as the Design-Builder.

Maugel DeStefano Architects, of Harvard, MA, served as architect with Petersen Engineering, as mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer; the Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc. (PAL), as historic consultant; Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) as civil engineer and landscape architect; WSP. as structural engineer; and Building Evolution Corporation (BEC) and Sustainable Comfort Inc. (SCI), as Passive House consultants.

With the completion of the Residences on Lincoln Square, WinnCompanies now owns six apartment communities in Worcester, totaling 628 units – including one of the company's first developments, Coes Pond Village, which opened in 1975. The Residences on Lincoln Square is operated by WinnResidential, the property management arm of WinnCompanies.

ABOUT WINNCOMPANIES

WinnCompanies is an award-winning owner, developer and manager of high-impact, quality apartment homes, supported by over 4,600 team members in 30 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The company is known as a leading manager of multifamily apartment communities, operating the nation’s largest portfolio of affordable housing with a groundbreaking resident services platform. Its community development work prioritizes creating true mixed-income properties for households of all incomes. The company has also been a top manager of privatized housing for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families since 2001. Founded in Boston in 1971, WinnCompanies is a family-owned, private company. Learn more at WinnCompanies.

MEDIA CONTACT

Ed Cafasso
edcafasso@gmail.com
Call or Text: 617-455-9651

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