143 Beech Street Kitchen The kitchen was redesigned with three main goals: strengthen the connection both visually and physically to the deck and the rear yard garden, organize the cabinet layout for optimum use and performance, and upgrade the systems of envelope, heating and cooling, ventilating, lighting and electricity. The kitchen is organized to create three distinct areas: food preparation, cooking, and storage. The food preparation area has the kitchen sink overlooking the deck and the garden through three large windows– emphasized by a custom cherry trim at the windows which provides a storage and display shelf for the owner’s...
Master Plan for Camp Calumet: Lutheran Ministries of New England Situated on Lake Ossipee, Camp Calumet was founded in the 1920's as a summer camp for boys. Now a year-round facility, operated by tile New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Camp serves over 10,000 people annually as a place for retreats, conferences, and family events in addition to it's summer camp tradition. Richard Alvord Architects led the master planning project that reconceptualized the camp as a series of nodes around which various groups organize around. In this way, the camp can now host multiple groups...
Sterling Senior Center The Town of Sterling’s Senior Center is currently located in the basement of the Town Hall. In order to provide better facilities and more programming space, the Town asked Richard Alvord Architects to research various available property in the Town for use as the Senior Center. We worked with the Town Selectmen, Board of Health, Conservation Commission and Council on Aging to explore properties with existing structures and vacant land. After careful evaluation of a variety of properties, the Council of Aging settled on two properties - a 1905 Inn and an 1850 Church building. Richard Alvord...
Overhead Lamp The square pendant light fixture was originally fabricated for a meeting space in a religious facility. The design is a variation of a Greek cross symbol which represents the four directions of the earth. It easily converts to secular surroundings. The fixture's details are modified from the various design motifs from the cherry furniture design. A 24" x 24" frosted tempered glass shade is held in place by intersecting quarter sawn cherry inverted arches including decorative brass bars reinforcing the cross theme. The shade is hung 10" below a painted wood reflector flush with the ceiling by brass...
Cherry Bedside Table The Bedside Lamp Table design continues to incorporate the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The single drawer is on wood side glides with wood center guide for stability. The Drawer front is lacewood veneer. The rails at the bottom of the panels become wood slats for temporary storage of periodicals and books. The slats are set into the side rails and show through creating a rhythmic pattern and base to the side profile. The martini glass motif on the sides is formed with...
Cherry Chest The design is derivative of the simple forms of American Craftsman Style furniture. Special details of an architectural nature make these pieces unique in design: The front legs (corner posts) are formed from three pieces of 1/2” thick cherry boards glued and biscuited together providing a stable post due to its three ply opposing grain configuration. The post construction presents a basic joining assembly feature: the three pieces allows for the side panels or braces to be sandwiched into the corner posts, again adding to the integrity of the structural strength of the piece. This also allows for...
Cherry Coffee Table The Coffee table design continues to incorporate the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The three drawers are on wood side glides with wood center guide for stability. The Drawer fronts are lacewood veneer. The rails at the bottom of the panels become wood slats for temporary storage of periodicals and books. The slats are set into the side rails and show through creating a rhythmic pattern and base to the side profile. Last Project Next Furniture & Lighting
Cherry Credenza The credenza design continues to incorporate the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The four drawers are on wood side glides with wood center guide for stability. Cabinets open below the drawers. The martini glass motif on the sides and front is formed with patterned cherry veneer with maple inlay. The lines formed by the cabinet doors create the bottom of the martini glass motif on the front of this piece. Five sets of legs add stability as well as visual rhythym. Last Project Next...
Cherry Dining Table The dining table design embodies the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The feet of the cornerposts are a modern geometric representation of earlier period furniture styles that incorporated (literally) animal feet into the base of the legs. All face wood is quarter sawn American Cherry planed to 1/2” thickness. Interior sub structure is made of MDO and Poplar for strength and stability. Last Project Next Furniture & Lighting
Cherry Executive Desk The Executive Desk design continues to integrate the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The three drawers are on wood side glides with wood center guide for stability. The martini glass motif on the front is formed with patterned cherry veneer with maple inlay and the lines made by the cabinet doors meeting. Inlay and wood grains form patterns on both the sides and top. All face wood is quarter sawn American Cherry planed to 1/2” thickness. Interior sub structure is made of MDO...
Cherry End Table The end table design continues to incorporate the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The drawers are on wood side glides with wood center guide for stability. The Drawer front is lacewood veneer. This table can have two bottom drawers or an open bottom for easy access storage. The martini glass motif on the sides and the triangle pattern on the top are formed with patterned cherry veneer with maple inlay. All face wood is quarter sawn American Cherry planed to 1/2” thickness. Interior...
Cherry Kitchen Table The kitchen table design continues the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The feet of the cornerposts are a modern geometric representation of earlier period furniture styles that incorporated (literally) animal feet into the base of the legs. All face wood is quarter sawn American Cherry planed to 1/2” thickness. Interior sub structure is made of MDO and Poplar for strength and stability. Last Project Next Furniture & Lighting
Cherry Occasional Table The occasional table design continues to incorporate the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The feet of the cornerposts are a modern geometric representation of earlier period furniture styles that incorporated (literally) animal feet into the base of the legs. All face wood is quarter sawn American Cherry planed to 1/2” thickness. Interior sub structure is made of MDO and Poplar for strength and stability. Last Project Next Furniture & Lighting
Cherry Plant Stand The occasional table design incorporates many of the design motifs present in all of the pieces: trabiated front with double dental capitals holding up the paneled top. The feet of the cornerposts are a modern geometric representation of earlier period furniture styles that incorporated (literally) animal feet into the base of the legs. All face wood is quarter sawn American Cherry planed to 1/2” thickness. Interior sub structure is made of MDO and Poplar for strength and stability. Last Project Furniture & Lighting
Wareham Feasibility Study For the Wareham Community, Richard Alvord Architects was chosen to provide a feasibility study for an existing but neglected school. The 4,000 sf structure was in need of many repairs and the Town of Wareham had a variety of space needs which the building might fill. Through weekly public meetings, Richard Alvord Architects was able to help the community decide the best use for the school, involve the community in the development of schematic plans, and provide cost estimates as the new schemes took shape. In this way the Town became fully supportive of a building renovation...
ABCD Geneva Avenue Head Start Located in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, the existing building’s cold morose exterior stands in striking contrast to the lively energy and warmth of the activities within, including two HeadStart programs, a Parent Child Center (PCC), and EvenStart program (for young parents). The lack of natural light and views and the narrow corridors and low ceilings make the interior extremely disorienting and claustrophobic. In renovating the building, the Client desired that the separate programs of the facility feel connected as parts of an integrated whole engaging the site, and that the image of the building conveys a...
ABCD Claybourne Head Start In 2004, the ABCD property at the corner of Claybourne Street and Park Street in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood caught fire and most of the interior was lost. As a local Service Center, the facility provided social services, after school programs and daycare in a circuitous but acceptable building. Richard Alvord Architects worked with the ABCD staff, property services and their contractor to renovate the interior of the building. Except for the removal of a large stage area and the addition of a new basement entry, the exterior remains as it did before the fire. As the...
Holy Epiphany Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church needed additional worship and gathering spaces for its growing congregation. We worked with the church building committee to design a new addition to complement the existing interior spaces and to match existing exterior features and construction, allowing the façade to appear as if it has always been there. The new interior includes a narthex, entry and mezzanine choir spaces in the main space as well as bathrooms and informal gathering areas in the basement. The exterior remains true it the original design and is sited in a way that continues the...
Holworthy Family Housing 43 Holworthy Street, in the Dorchester Neighborhood of Boston, is a three story six unit masonry building which had failing exterior materials. The exterior masonry surface was spalling and cracking, sills, lintels and cornice materials were broken and missing, windows were broken and allowing air infiltration and the roof was leaking. Working with the Boston Housing Authority and the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Richard Alvord Architects provided exterior renovations to correct these severe problems. Through an exhaustive survey of existing building components, code review and meticulous product research, Richard Alvord Architects provided cost effective...
Texas House The Texas House provides a high quality of living while being extremely economical. The size and shape of the footprint – 18’ x 32’– allow for single span framing across the short dimension. An extended truss roof framing system is easy and inexpensive to construct. The two-story house has only four major rooms – living room and kitchen at the first floor, and two bedrooms upstairs. A central stair, open to the rafters, provides a sense of openness and at the intermediate landing, the house’s only bathroom, convenient to both levels. The small house area is extended by...
Miles-Erickson Residence Main House Located on a tidal salt marsh in Ipswich, MA, the Miles/Erickson Residence celebrates the natural beauty of its rural seaside site. Centrally sited between the heavily-travelled road to Crane Beach and the expanse of the salt marsh, the burned-out shell of the original house has been renovated to include a new two-story gallery which stretches from the front entry to the back porch. Framing dramatic views of the marsh and filled with natural light, the gallery is the central circulation space for the house, with a bridge cutting through it at the second floor. The sense...
Private Residence With its familiar New England features, this private residence is constructed in the tradition of American farmhouses built through a process of several additions. The first phase creates an economcal, two-story structure with kitchen and dining at the first floor, bedrooms above, and bathroom at the intermediate landing off the central stair. Single-span framing is cost-efficient and provides a sense of openness, and trapezoidal-shaped rooms are distinctive and feel more expansive than the traditional rectangle. The second phase creates a two-story height art studio/multi-purpose room linked to the main house by a pergola that, as construction continues, becomes...
Halfenger Residence Built in the 1920’s in a stately neighborhood in West Roxbury, this Queen Anne home has been neglected in the recent past and is suffering from that neglect. Exterior columns no longer have structural integrity, siding is missing and/or deteriorating in places, water is infiltrating the foundation and windows have lost their seals. Through careful site planning, thorough structural and architectural review and material research, Richard Alvord Architects is currently working with the home owners to renovate the home while remaining true to the building’s design and period style. We are currently researching period finishes and details to...
Stearns Residence Bathroom This project is located in an established residential neighborhood in Dorchester Ma. The quality and scale of the neighborhood made a true 19th century “school house” image desired by the facility’s neighbors. The scale of the simple building mass was broken down through the use of gables, porches, bays and window placement and variety. The pitched roof form is purposely evocative of wood framed small-scale buildings. The exterior skin of the building is completed with cedar clapboards and shingles detailed with wood trim cornices and watertables. The facility has five 20-child classrooms with toilets, administrative space, parent...
Lawlor Residence Surrounded by forest, this grand private home creates a striking profile at the crest of a rolling hill. The owners desired that design for the house evoke the rich traditions of their European heritages. Stucco was chosen as a common European residential building material, with a Boston hip roof, cropped Boston hip roof, and balcony adding a strong Bavarian flavor. The chimney is capped with traditional European chimney pots. Inside at the first floor a formal seqence of spaces leads to a wrought- iron-railed staircase at the center of the house. The arched barrel-vaulted vetsibule leads to the...
3 Kitteridge Court Pergola The clear cedar pergola is located adjacent to the walkout finished basement on the south facing rear of the house. The pergola serves as a shade device to provide a comfortable outdoor space for dining and casual seating. It offers privacy under the canopy combined with the wooden screens at two sides. Also working as an arbor to grow cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and wisteria that flourishes during the summer months. Bathroom The full bath needed modernization both aesthetically and technically. The existing pipes were beyond expected life cycle, the fixtures offered no conservation standards, the colors...
MADI Office Interior This complete interior renovation turned a 1958 industrial building into a first class office facility for a fast growing service company. The 8,000 SF facility’s antiquated condition was in need of many systems upgrades including structural remedial work for wind load resistance, new mechanical electrical and plumbing systems and envelope repairs to the roof and brick, as well as a new interior fit-up specific to the needs of the new owner. Structural repairs included new retrofitted wind loading devices to anchor the building roof structure at the perimeter and center masonry walls as wells as reinforcement of...
45 Shawmut Road 45 Shawmut Road in Canton, MA sits next to a sister building at 35 Shawmut Road. The three story brick clad steel framed office facilities were developed over a five year period. 45 Shawmut Main Entry is clad in Stoney Creek Granite, while 35 Shawmut Entry is clad in Dakota Granite marking similarity in design and differences in address. A total of 126,000 Square Feet of gross area yields 103,000 s.f. of tenant interior space. The central circular three story atrium with a domed skylight fills the interior with natural sunlight and provides accented entry areas to...
Norfolk County Probate Court The Norfolk County Probate Court project at 35 Shawmut Road is administered through the Massachusetts Department of Capital Asset Management as a rental space contract privately negotiated. Our services were provided to the Commonwealth through the Landlord. We provided initial design, program analysis and cost estimating to the landlord to help secure the contract for the project. Upon winning the bid, we met with the Trial Court of Massachusetts Project Manager as well as the DCAM Project Manager through the design process. The 43,660 SF program was organized into five major parts: the Probation Department, the...
35 Shawmut Road 35 Shawmut Road is located next to a sister building at 45 Shawmut Road in Canton, MA. The three story brick clad steel framed office facilities were developed over a five year period. 35 Shawmut Main Entry is clad in Dakota Granite, while 45 Shawmut Entry is clad in Stoney Creek Granite marking similarity in design and differences in address. A total of 126,000 Square Feet of gross area yields 103,000 s.f. of tenant interior space. Most of the interior space of 35 Shawmut Rd. was custom designed by Richard Alvord Architects for The Norfolk County Probate...
Currie Oil Located in an industrial park in an historic seacoast town, this truck maintenance and office facility consists of two parts –for people and vehicles. Facing the street a series of two-story volumes contains an open administrative area, offices, and conference room on the second floor, with drivers’ break room, tool box room, maintenance room, and parts storage below. The Garage, a long-span structure with double-height bays for servicing and cleaning trucks, is accessed by way of overhead roll-up doors located at the side of the building. With the people areas at the front and vehicle spaces behind, the...
MADI This exterior and interior renovation turned a 1958 industrial building into a first class office facility for a fast growing service company. The 8,000 SF facility’s antiquated condition was in need of many systems upgrades including structural remedial work for wind load resistance, new mechanical electrical and plumbing systems and envelope repairs to the roof and brick, as well as a new interior fit-up specific to the needs of the new owner. Structural repairs included new retrofitted wind loading devices to anchor the building roof structure at the perimeter and center masonry walls as wells as reinforcement of all...
25 Shawmut Road Similar in design to 35 and 45 Shawmut, 25 Shawmut Road in Canton, MA is a three story brick clad steel framed office building with a main entrance clad in Stoney Creek Granite. The central circular three story atrium with a domed skylight fills the interior with natural sunlight and provides accented entry areas to tenant spaces. The building is entirely handicap accessible meeting all of the physical plant guidelines of the ADA and the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board. Photos by Matt Teuten Last Project Commercial Projects Office buildings
Roxbury/North Dorchester Neighborhood Opportunity Center This neighborhood center provides essential antipoverty services for the surrounding Grove Hall community in Boston, MA. The 3,500 SF, 105 year old building was restored including new envelope, storefront, insulation, HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, new floor framing and new roof and structure. The storefront presence offers view inside, inviting neighborhood residents to its welcoming interior. The program provides educational opportunities including ESL classes, parenting classes and cooking classes in the teaching kitchen. The seminar room provides space for community meetings and educational programs. The computer station room gives confidence to job seekers as a...
Allencrest Family Development This is the first Highly Leveraged Asset Preservation Project (HILAPP) endorsed by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in 2013. Based upon a building needs study performed in 2011 by RAA for the Leominster Housing Authority – the HILAPP combined the modernization of the entire 18 building, 73 unit development including exterior envelope upgrades of exterior insulation, roof insulation, new siding and soffits, new windows, new entrance porches and rails, new family porches, new exterior doors, new exterior storm doors, repairs to exterior walkways, drainage improvements, parking improvements, new electrical services to 18 buildings...
Rand Residence Part of a new residential community, the Rand Residence is sited in the woods facing a cove off the north side of Lake Winnepesaukee. Located on a steeply sloped site, the house is a variation on the traditional “salt-box” form, enlivened by a series of gabled dormers and porches. By using long-span joists for framing at the second floor, a large open area is created at the first floor including areas for kitchen, dining, and living room. A barbecue deck, screened porch, and covered porch facing the water provide many opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the site....
Seaside Cottage This tiny cottage lies on the western shore of a tidal basin in the northern portion of Maine’s “Down East”. Presently existing on the site is a small post-and-beam shack which once served the fishermen at the town pier. It was relocated to this site during the 1960s. The owners, a Lutheran pastor and a social worker, have found respite from their daily lives by vacationing there in the past, but now find the quarters somewhat cramped due to their expanding family. The program is to add on to and renovate the building in a phased construction, allowing...
Canton Senior Center The Town of Canton selected Richard Alvord Architects to design, estimate and coordinate a new senior center in an existing town property, the 6,000 square foot former Knights of Columbus building. The existing building was originally built in 1950 with 2 side additions done with volunteer labor and materials over several years. All building systems needed to be removed and replaced with contemporary energy efficient materials including electrical, HVAC, plumbing, windows, energy code compliant insulation and building ventilation systems and all new interior finishes and the exterior wall system. We provided a design within the existing 6,000...
ABCD Bradshaw Street Head Start The Bradshaw Street Head Start Facility is located in a dense, established neighborhood in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Because of the neighborhood’s historic tradition, the Dorchester community asked us to design a “19th century schoolhouse” to blend with the other buildings in the area. The scale of the simple building mass was broken down through the use of gables, porches, bays and window placement. The pitched roof form purposely evocative of wood framed small scale buildings was also used. The exterior skin of the building is completed with cedar clapboards and shingles detailed with wood trim cornices...
Camp Calumet: Lutheran Ministries of New England Situated on Lake Ossipee, Camp Calumet was founded in the 1920's as a summer camp for boys. Now a year-round facility, operated by tile New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Camp serves over 10,000 people annually as a place for retreats, conferences, and family events in addition to it's summer camp tradition. Richard Alvord Architects led the master planning project that reconceptualized the camp as a series of nodes around which various groups organize around. Completed new buildings, additions, and renovations are shown here while the Camp Calumet...
Kurdi House Recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Architectural Access Board, this project was the transformation of a home into a residence for a young boy who was permanently disabled in an accident. The transformation took the form of a two-story addition onto the back of the modest three-bedroom house, which is sited on a lot with a 1:8 slope and located in a dense neighborhood. The addition contains first-floor bedroom and bath facilities for the boy and living space for a full-time nurse, as well as ramped access and a connector to the existing residence. The addition negotiates the...
ABCD Roslindale Head Start This “gut rehab”of a former bank building creates a full-service Headstart facility including classrooms and kitchen, as well as social service areas and two new ESL classrooms. New windows bring outside light to four Headstart classrooms which each accommodate twenty children. L-shaped circulation allows entry and reception from both Corinth Street and the parking lot, as well as easy access from children’s classrooms to both a new covered courtyard play area and a new 4,000 sf. exterior playground. Site development also includes parking for 30 cars. Last Project Next Community Projects Early Childhood Centers
Canton Parks and Recreation Department/Williams Estate For the Town of Canton, Richard Alvord Architects prepared a feasibility report for the Williams Estate, a historic property loved by the Canton community and used by the town for public meetings and office space. Along with an extensive existing conditions survey with many detailed drawings, we presented a series of proposed schemes based on our meetings with the Canton community. These sketches and associated detailed cost estimates helped the Canton community come to a confident decision on opportunities and challenges to proceed. As a result of the study’s findings and the committee’s favorable...
New England Synod House The new building for the New England Synod, a regional collective of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, serves as both the spiritual heart of the collective and its administrative headquarters. The design successfully resolves the dilemma of expressing a sacred mission and a secular function by balancing the simplicity and austerity of its form and materials - reminiscent of New England colonial structures - with subtle detailing inspired by Christian imagery. Based on a cruciform plan, the interior is a tightly knit spacial confi guration that provides clear delineation between public and private areas. At...
First Lutheran Church of Lynn Providing barrier-free access to the sanctuary, the new ramp is an inexpensive, unobtrusive addition to the church, with concrete and rail matching those of the existing building. Following the slope of the site, access to the side door allows for the shortest ramp. The congregation is delighted that the design of the ramp is so fitting that it appears to have been there since the building was built. Last Project Next Community Projects Special Needs
ABCD South Boston Head Start The existing building, constructed in 1919 as a post office, was being used to house Headstart offices as well as offices and training rooms for the Area Planning Action Council (APAC) a neighborhood service center. Renovation of the 11,000 s.f. building provides four new Headstart classrooms, new full-service kitchen serving all Headstart sites in the area, updated plumbing, new computer training rooms and offices, new multi-purpose room, and new elevator. Visitor circulation is clarified by reconfiguring each floor to have only one corridor. A new entry with reception area faces open office space, creating a...