PARKVIEW

APARTMENTS

771 Tyler Street Apartments is an example of classically styled American Architecture. Originally built in 1913 as an eight-unit complex, with commercial uses at the ground floor, it was divided into 32 units in the 1970s as a SRO Boarding House. This is a “Full Gut” Restoration with new layouts for 16 Residential Apartments and two Storefronts. Blueline Design provided a full scope of architectural services through completion of Construction Control Services and issue of a Certificate of Occupancy.

PROJECT GOALS

Commercial Building Restoration

01 Traditional Architecture

Working within the building’s existing architectural patterns, roofline details were added as a reference to its former parapet lost in the 1980s. Storefront and window patterns were returned to their original configuration and Blueline modeled the interior and exterior restoration of this building with a sense of modernity that bridges the century's long life of the building.

02 Full Gut Restoration

Common with many old complexes after a century, the bones are still good but the character has faded away. Much has changed since its opening in 1913, and the floorplan has undergone contractions. What was once an 8-unit, 4-room apartment complex, quadrupled into a smaller 32-unit complex, and is now a 16-unit apartment complex. Windows have been upgraded with boards removed and gleaming, modern kitchens and appliances, and code compliant throughout. Graffiti has been erased from the memory of the exterior as two restored storefronts look modern and inviting.

PROCESS

Project Details

Cost: $3,600,000

Style: Contemporary

Location: Pittsfield, MA

Before

The financial success of the 1950s (postwar baby boom and housing increase) created the problems of the 1960s and 1970s. Population increases and migration into new areas necessitated more livable spaces with no zoning laws or building codes. The original 1913 8-unit middle class apartment building became a 32-unit SRO in the 1970s.

After

Looking at the pattern of the original building, Blueline restored Parkview, opening floorplans, and restoring windows that had once been boarded. The façade was cleaned and repointed. The roofline profile had been removed and it was reintroduced from the original building, honoring the City Beautiful Movement that was so popular in the late 19th century