Lower Basin Barracks
42.366661663733, -71.068840026855
The Charles River Lower Lock Gatehouse, recognized on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1908 by Guy Lowell as part of the Charles River Dam construction. The gatehouse was originally intended as a residence for the lock superintendent and the tower was used for the drawbridge tender. The sliding concrete and steel locks were pushed out of the gatehouse and into the lock by a mechanical chain drive. In 1910, the Lower Lock Gatehouse became the new home for the park police boats, who enforced the rules of the river. There was even an addition made to the rear of the gatehouse that included a mortuary for bodies pulled from the river.
Almost 100 years later, the facility was still being used by the Massachusetts State Police but had fallen into disrepair. In 2017, a skilled project team was assembled and tasked with modernizing and renovating the barracks while honoring and maintaining its history and visual appeal. With the existing locks, river, and busy road nearby, this was a complicated project that needed to be executed without interruption to the services provided on site. The team was able to restore many of the original historic elements such as wood window frames, door openings, and the exterior masonry. The iconic tower, a Charles Rives landmark, was retained and restored.
In addition to restoration of historic fabric, the scope of the project included the design and construction of a new addition at the rear of the Gatehouse Building. This addition was sensitively designed to not detract from the historic structure and created new spaces to modernize the site, including a public community room and public restrooms. Green space that was once lost to a surface parking lot was re-introduced, linking the site to the historic Esplanade. With the introduction of green and “green” elements, the project achieved LEED Gold certification.
“The Lower Basin Barracks project captures all elements of historic preservation,” says Alison Frazee, Executive Director of the Boston Preservation Alliance. “Through restoration of historic fabric, the addition of a sensitively-designed new structure, “green” upgrades, and the re-introduction of public open space, this project represents the many ways that preservation benefits our communities and should be the default approach to development in a historic city like Boston.”
Owner/Developer
Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM)
Architect
Project Team
Massachusetts State Police
STV Inc.
WSP (BECx & Cx)
