The eyesore across from the laundromat at Forest and Mass. Ave. is long gone.
Through a many-sided partnership, the house an Arlington farmer built 190 years ago has become the town’s first affordable-housing project paid for in part with Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds.
That’s history in itself for a home that dates to 1826. Let’s look at the partners involved. Many showed up on a sunny morning Wednesday, Aug. 24, behind 1173 Mass. Ave., the Kimball Farmer House.
There was Pam Hallett, executive director of the Housing Corporation of Arlington, the nonprofit that led the effort. Doing housing work her whole life, first in Chicago, she told those gathered for a ribbon-cutting that see people find homes “gratifies my soul.”
There was Richard Duffy, the unofficial town historian who noted HCA’s progress — from apartments near Capitol Square to the Forest-Peirce project to the 1820s home originally built by Kimball Farmer. He raised fruits and vegetables, which he sold at Faneuil Hall, and operated a mill on the Mill Creek to grind grain. His son Elbridge donated $50,000 in the 1890s to Robbins Library.
There was Andrew J. Cannata, a Boston architect, who is a town native, and first visited the then-dilapidated home in June 2014. His first thought: “Oh, my.”
He was undeterred. “All buildings have a heart and soul,” he told those gathered for the ribbon-cutting. How do you find that? “The building will inform you,” he said, relaying a lesson from a mentor. And in the end, it did. He worked hard to maintain the Federal style.
He credited help from Duffy, who unearthed photos of the house from 1919, and the contractor, Tony & Son of Lynn, who took on its first historic-preservation project.
There was Sushil K. Tuli, president and CEO of fast-rising Leader Bank, a key funder. Tuli gave credit to Matt Pierce, Leader senior vice president, remarking on his enthusiasm for the project.
There was Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, who emphasized that a blighted property along Mass. Ave. is “now a gem.”
There was Selectman Joseph Curro Jr., who said that HCA “has really taken off” by building partnerships. He said he knows the property well, because he had once spent hours in the laundromat across the street.
There was Clarissa Rowe, who pointed out that the CPA is a new aspect of the housing partnership and said she hopes the HCA submits another project before the Oct. 7 CPA deadline.
There was Dee Birdy, home program director of the Malden Redevelopment Authority, who told YourArlington that a 70-percent preference given to Arlington residents. In general, the housing is for those receiving 65 percent of the region’s median income — in general, that is families making $34,000 or less.
There was Thomas Nee, HCA president, who said the three units at Kimball Farmer are already spoken for.
Hallett said she expects two tenants to move into one-bedroom units fronting Mass. Ave. by Sept 1. The two-bedroom, townhouse-type unit is in a lottery, so she hopes it will be occupied by Oct. 1.
The unit on the first floor is wheelchair-accessible with rear ramp and front sloping walk.
The further challenge? One thousand households are on HCA’s waiting list for affordable housing, she said.
An estimated 30 people, including representatives from real-estate interests, attended the ribbon-cutting in front of 1173 Mass. Ave.
Renovation of the 1826 house, listed in the Massachusetts Historical Commission inventory and the National Register of Historic Places, was made possible by funding from:
Leader Bank: $350,000 construction loan and a $310,000 permanent loan
Federal Home Loan Bank: $100,000 grant through Leader Bank and write-down funds to reduce interest rate to 3.5 percent on Leader Bank loan.
Community Development Block Grant via Town of Arlington: $190,000
Community Preservation Committee grant: $200,000
North Suburban Consortium through Malden Redevelopment Authority: $430,000 loan
State historic credits through the Massachusetts Historical Commission: $100,000 to be sold for $91,000
TD Bank provided the acquisition financing of $500,000, which was taken out (paid off) by a combination of the Leader Bank construction loan and North Suburban Consortium Loan
This report, which includes opinion, was published Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. In photo, architect Andrew J. Cannata explains his role from the steps at the rear of the Kimball Farmer House.
