ISSUE 1: ISSUE 3:2017 2021
now next +next now+ With great sadness and a heavy heart, we announce our founder, Bob Verrier, FAIA, NCARB, passed away in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in August surrounded by his family, overlooking the ocean, listening to the waves. We have not only lost our founder but a dear friend and an amazing human being. He was an exemplary leader, an architectural visionary, and an inspiring mentor. Bob built more than a company when he started TAT; he created an extended family for all of us. He made a profound difference in our industry, in our communities, and in the lives of countless individuals. His spirit will forever be the foundation of TAT. No words can adequately express our sadness at Bob’s passing or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with such a brilliant and remarkable man. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing his life’s passion.
ROBERT J. VERRIER, FAIA, NCARB 1940-2021
REMEMBERING ROBERT VERRIER On August 23, 2021, the architectural community lost a giant champion for the useful repurposing of historic structures and a force in the creation of affordable housing. We at The Architectural Team lost a leader whose energy and generosity of spirit is reflected in the office he founded, an office in which intensity and seriousness of purpose have always existed alongside collegiality and mutual respect. He brought a fierce joy to the everyday struggle, the heart of which was the pleasure of engaging with others inside or outside the office, whether in collaboration or, as is common in the rough and tumble business of building buildings, respectful conflict. We owe that culture to Bob. Bob was unique in a profession burdened with more than its share of pretension. He had little patience for intellectual airs and taught us that it’s possible to take the work seriously without taking oneself too seriously. He had a common touch, an ability to talk to anyone whether a construction laborer, a billionaire developer, or the Mayor of Boston, and he always did it in his own authentic voice. He was ever the same person regardless of the audience. He could be simultaneously tough, gracious, earthy, and sophisticated and never afraid to be himself. He would sometimes say things that others might think but never think to say and the unfiltered honesty was refreshing. And he had a heart. Thirty-five years ago, when he learned that the mother of a young man in our office was dying in a hospital in Philadelphia, Bob took it upon himself to reassign that young man to a project there so he could visit her once a week in her final months. No one asked him to do it; he just did it. He did it without thinking because it was the decent thing to do. The young man went on to study with Robert A.M. Stern and become a partner with I.M. Pei, but he came back thirty-five years later when he heard the news. And when asked who made the greatest impact on his life, Robert A.M. Stern, I.M. Pei or Robert J. Verrier, he said it was Bob. It was always Bob. People talk about the legacy of architects in terms of the buildings they design. It’s possible to recount Bob’s in the number of historic buildings he helped save and the number of families he helped house, and of course it is all that, but for those of us who knew and loved him, his legacy is how he changed us, how he made us a little more like him. Maybe we take a little more joy in the struggle, maybe we take ourselves a little less seriously, and maybe we’re just a little more decent. Those are the parts of him we carry and hope to carry on.
“He could be simultaneously tough, gracious, earthy, and sophisticated and never afraid to be himself.”
West End Place
The Metropolitan
Building 114
Baker Chocolate Factory Complex
The Car Barn
Kenmore Abbey
Counting House Lofts
Bob believed in
the important role that architecture plays in the generation of thriving, prosperous communities. He founded the firm on that sense of purpose, and it filled him with joy to see the creativity and dedication that his team members brought to work with them every day in the pursuit of designing a better world.
Lincoln Wharf
Yarn Works
The Bedford Building
Avalon Danvers
Samuel Kelsey Apartments
Livingston School Apartments
Chestnut Park Apartments
Uphams Crossing
“Historically significant buildings are too important to our identity and national diversity to be considered disposable. It’s not always the most celebrated architecture that brings the most meaning for the community. It is the recognition of the elegance of those buildings that were ordinary in their day and create the architectural fabric that connects us to our common past, which can be most vital.” — Bob Verrier, FAIA, NCARB
Loft Five50
Sterling Lofts
Knitting Mill Apartments
Ropewalk
Residences at Mill 10
Voke Lofts
The Apartments at Boott Mills
LARRY CURTIS, PRESIDENT + MANAGING PARTNER, WINNDEVELOPMENT
While still in graduate school I worked on The China Trade Center, my first historic development deal with Bob. Over the ensuing decades we completed over forty historic rehabilitation projects. With Bob’s expertise, we were able to bring new life to abandoned historic structures which reinvigorated towns and cities throughout the Commonwealth and beyond. The transformation of these historic buildings into housing also served to provide thousands of outstanding affordable residential units. Bob and I looked at many decaying buildings. Bob would point out the wonderful architectural features and the possible layout of units in between warnings to walk along the beam line to avoid falling through the floor. All he saw was the potential of what could be.
Commercial Wharf
Some of our exceptional projects include The Boott Mills, Loft 27, and Hamilton Lofts in Lowell, MA; Baker Chocolate in Milton, MA; Voke Lofts and the Boys and Girls Club in Worcester, MA; Loft Five50 in Lawrence, MA; Yarnworks in Fitchburg, MA; Residences at Mill 10 in Ludlow, MA; Sterling Lofts in Attleboro, MA; the Livingston School in Albany, NY; and East Haven High School in CT. Our professional relationship was based on our mutual love of old buildings and our dedication to the social mission of creating homes for people of all income levels. Bob had an unwavering belief in the potential of architecture, but most importantly he believed in human potential. I was touched by his warmth, humor and love of life and am privileged to have been able to call Bob my friend.
The Back Bay Hotel
Like many, I first knew Bob through his work as an extraordinary designer. His mastery of adaptive reuse restored honor and new life to hundreds of buildings, and he truly understood the value of community. I was fortunate enough to have had a 40-year friendship with him. Bob was an amazing architect. When he entered a building he knew immediately, instinctively, what to do with it. A sketch pad was all he needed, and his unassuming brilliance gave us countless treasures. He sketched all the time, and everywhere…on discarded cups at a job site, on the back of the menu at restaurants…everywhere. Bob made The Architectural Team what it is today. It thrives because of Bob’s creativity, commitment, and connection to the people he served. Tens of thousands of people, both very poor and those better off, have him to thank for their homes. But the Bob I loved, and the man I celebrate today, was so much more than an architect. He was my good friend, who gave testimony to the power of moral character. His courage and decency were unassailable, his loyalty unimpeachable, his generosity enormous. Your status in life meant little to Bob, whether you were a millionaire developer, or a waitress at Floramo’s where my husband and I met him for lunch. If you were self-important, Bob was happy to take you down a notch; if you were insecure, he’d be the first to let the world know how special you were.
Bob had an unwavering moral compass. He was honest, compassionate, and kind. He was authentic, brave, and the most selfless person I know. He taught me a lot about design, but much more about life and love and joy. Bob “urged us forward with enjoyment” (his daughter, Maria’s, words in the book she put together on Bob’s life). He sent me emails of James Cagney and Bob Hope dancing; photos of beautiful flowers in Australia; hot air balloons over Turkey; and of rose petals to wish me Happy Mother’s Day. Many of these forwarded from Carmen, and all to say, “life is good.” And nothing, nothing made Bob happier, or meant more to him, than his family. His children Lita, Maria, and Carlos, his grandchildren, and Carmen…his rock, his best friend, and the absolute love of his life. There is a quote at the front of the book Maria curated on Bob. It’s from Shakespeare, and describes Bob perfectly: This above all: to thine self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou cannot then be false to any man. You are my hero, Bob Verrier, and always will be.
Lisa
Lisa Alberghini Executive Vice President, Peer Exchange, Policy, & Innovation Housing Partnership Network
T
hrough his national and regional leadership, Bob’s trajectory influenced pivotal preservation campaigns in dozens of states, particularly throughout New England. Best known for preserving and adapting scores of abandoned historic mills, wharfs, factories, schools, and hospital campuses, Bob elevated the craft and creativity of preservation to serve new uses ranging from multifamily, senior, and affordable housing to mixed-use and commercial purposes. Over five decades, Bob’s steadfast work positively impacted hundreds of older structures, heritage neighborhoods, and local economies, catalyzing renewed life and far-reaching interest in historic areas. His founding of The Architectural Team in 1971 and years of mentorship to a generation of architects inspired and guided the preservation of hundreds more. At the time of the firm’s founding, adaptive reuse was a relatively new idea, and preservation often meant taking a building out of service as an observed artifact. The new was still prized over the preserved. Urban Renewal had not yet been discredited, and the science of programming suggested that a building could not function adequately without having been designed for its intended use. Yet Bob would have none of it; he advocated for historic tax credits and appropriate adoption of historic reuse from its early emergence. Through professional leadership, Bob enthusiastically promoted the safeguarding and use of our nation’s architectural historic fabric as a civic touchstone, a key to urban revitalization, and a living record of shared history. Nearly every historic building that Bob adapted was threatened by development pressures, demolition, or catastrophic failure. Examples throughout Massachusetts include The Apartments at Boott Mills – regarded as one of the most architecturally significant mill yards in the U.S. and the oldest surviving cotton textile mill in the country, Building 114, Admiral’s Hill, Commercial and Lincoln Wharfs, The Bedford Building, Yarn Works, Sterling Lofts, among hundreds of others. These projects include celebrated architectural works and elegant utilitarian and vernacular structures. Often, Bob’s love of old buildings, and his passion for the preservation of historic fabric, has overlapped with his devotion to the mission of creating quality, affordable, safe, and attractive housing for those in most need. Bob’s lifetime portfolio of affordable housing numbers over 45,000 units of various programs and construction types. The significance of this contribution is unique because of the predominance of preservation projects across the country that have provided a new life to abandoned buildings. Bob’s career demonstrates what a younger generation of architects has only begun to embrace: the most sustainable building is an existing building. In 1988, Bob earned the National Historic Preservation Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation with personal Presidential recognition from Ronald Reagan for transforming the Walter Baker Chocolate Complex into a thriving community. The 25-year project was one of the earliest examples of adaptive reuse that swept through New England’s vacant mills in the ’80s and ’90s, leading TAT to 300+ historic preservation works. He was registered in 27 states and completed projects in 20 states — from turn-of-the-century Michigan convents to 1920’s Baltimore streetcar garages to early American industrial gems. Bob emerged as a foremost U.S. specialist in preservation techniques and North Atlantic building methods spanning mid-18th century Colonial styles to 19th-century mills with their brick and stone façades, stair towers, large windows, cupolas, and plank floors. A passionate yet unassuming practitioner, Bob was elevated to Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 2012 and earned lifetime honors from Habitat for Humanity in Boston. Bob served on the Board of Overseers of Boston Architectural College, where he was also Alumni Board vice president and, for two years, its president. In 2007, the BAC presented Bob with the Alumni in Practice Award, acknowledging his achievements in design and his commitment to making the world a better place in which to work, live, learn, and grow. Under Bob’s direction, the firm has built a solid foundation of lifetime clients, enabling it to grow from a team of four professionals to more than 95 strong. Throughout his life’s work – even his offices in the 1840’s Commandant’s House listed on the National Register of Historic Places – Bob has shown that no historic building is too wide, too narrow, or too neglected to restore and adapt for new use.
PARTNER-IN-CHARGE FOR 70+ DEVELOPMENTS THAT RECEIVED DESIGN AWARDS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION + EXCELLENCE FROM 1981–2020 Sterling Lofts, Attleboro, MA 2020 Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Counting House 71, Lowell, MA 2019 Paul and Niki Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Counting House Lofts, Lowell, MA 2019 Paul and Niki Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Residences at Mill 10, Ludlow, MA 2018 Reuse Award, Multifamily Executive Magazine • Yarn Works, Fitchburg, MA 2018 Preservation Award, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Yarn Works, Fitchburg, MA 2016 Readers Choice Awards Finalist, Affordable Housing Finance • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2016 Project of the Year Award - Grand Winner for Adaptive Reuse, Multifamily Executive • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2016 J. Timothy Anderson Award, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2016 Community of Excellence Award in Historic Preservation, Lowell National Historic Park and Lowell Heritage Partnership • Counting House Lofts, Lowell, MA 2016 J. Timothy Anderson Award, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association • Chestnut Park Apartments, Holyoke, MA 2015 Vanguard Award, National Affordable Housing Management Association • Voke Lofts, Worcester, MA 2015 Silver Hammer Award, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce • Voke Lofts, Worcester, MA 2015 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Voke Lofts, Worcester, MA 2015 J. Timothy Anderson Award, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association • Voke Lofts, Worcester, MA 2015 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Rice Silk Mill, Pittsfield, MA 2015 Audrey Nelson Community Development Award, National Community Development Association • Curtain Lofts, Fall River, MA 2015 J. Timothy Anderson Award, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association • Counting House Lofts, Lowell, MA 2015 Paul E. Tsongas, Preservation Massachusetts • Chestnut Park Apartments, Holyoke, MA 2014 Vanguard Award, National Affordable Housing Management Association • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2014 Community of Quality Award, National Affordable Housing Management Association • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2014 Jack Kemp Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Award, Urban Land Institute • Atlas Lofts, Chelsea, MA 2013 Preservation Award, Waterfront Historic Area League • Manomet Place, New Bedford, MA 2013 Merit Award - Adaptive Reuse, Multifamily Executive Magazine • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2013 Project of the Year Adaptive Reuse, Multihousing News Magazine • Loft Five50, Lawrence, MA 2013 Readers Choice Award, Affordable Housing Finance • Franklin Square House and Kenmore Abbey, Boston, MA 2012 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • The Hayes at Railroad Square, Haverhill, MA 2012 J. Timothy Anderson Award, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association • Oliver Lofts, Roxbury, MA 2012 Project of the Year - Grand Winner - Mixed-Income Development, Multifamily Executive Magazine • Oliver Lofts, Roxbury, MA 2012 Best in Mixed Income Housing, National Multifamily Housing Council • Oliver Lofts, Roxbury, MA 2012 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Curtain Lofts, Fall River, MA 2012 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • City View II, Springfield, MA 2012 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • Canal Lofts, Worcester, MA 2011 Project of the Year - Adaptive Reuse, Multifamily Executive Magazine • The Hayes at Railroad Square, Haverhill, MA 2011 Jack Kemp Workforce Housing Models of Excellence Award, Urban Land Institute • The Hayes at Railroad Square, Haverhill, MA 2011 J. Timothy Anderson Award, Finalist, National Housing & Rehabilitation Association • The Hayes at Railroad Square, Haverhill, MA 2011 Preservation Award, Springfield Preservation Trust • City View II, Springfield, MA 2011 Preservation Achievement Award, Boston Preservation Award • Baker Square III - Watermill, Dorchester, MA 2011 Preservation Award - Adaptive Reuse, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Atlas Lofts, Chelsea, MA 2010 Project of the Year - Mixed Income, Multifamily Executive Magazine • The St. Aidan, Brookline, MA 2010 Architectural Preservation Award, Watertown Historical Commission • Coolidge School, Watertown, MA 2010 American Dream Awards Honoree, Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston 2009 J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, National Housing and Rehabilitation Association • Baker Chocolate Factory, Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, 2009 Preservation for Adaptive Use of Historic Industrial Space, Boston Preservation Alliance • Baker Chocolate Factory, Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, 2008 Paul E. Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts • The Apartments at Boott Mills, Lowell, MA, 2008 Preservation Award, Mass Historical Commission • Royal Mills at Riverpoint, W. Warwick, RI, 2008 J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, National Housing and Rehabilitation Association Royal Mills at Riverpoint, W. Warwick, RI, 2008 Preservation Award, Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission • Whaler’s Place Apartments, New Bedford, MA, 2008 Paul E. Tsongas, Preservation Massachusetts • Whalers Place Apartments, New Bedford, MA, 2007 J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation, National Housing and Rehabilitation Association • Whalers Place Apartments, New Bedford, MA, 2007 Sara R. Delano Preservation Award, New Bedford Waterfront Historic Area League • The Apartments at Boott Mills, Lowell, MA, 2007 Alumni in Practice Award honored by the Boston Architectural College for contributions and achievements in the areas of design and construction, and his life-work commitment to making the world a better place in which to work, live, learn and grow 2006 J. Timothy Anderson Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation, National Housing and Rehabilitation Association • Back Bay Hotel, Boston, MA, 2005 Preservation Achievement Award, Boston Preservation Alliance • Museum Place, Springfield, MA, 2005 Preservation Trust Award, Springfield Preservation Trust • Baker Chocolate Lofts, Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, 2003 Preservation Achievement Award, Boston Preservation Alliance • Baker Chocolate Lofts, Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, 2003 Preservation Award, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Building 114, Charlestown, MA, 2002 Preservation Award, Mass Historical Commission • Building 114, Charlestown, MA, 2002 Preservation Award, Boston Preservation Alliance • Notre Dame du Lac, Worcester, MA, 2002 Design Excellence Award, Preservation Worcester and the AIA of Central Massachusetts • Longwood Place at Reading, Reading MA, 1997 Preservation Award, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Upsala Street School, Worcester, MA, 1997 Excellence in Design Award, Preservation Worcester • Standish Village at Lower Mills, Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, 1996 Preservation Award, Boston Preservation Alliance • Borne Apartments, New Orleans, LA, 1992 Honor Award, National Trust for Historic Preservation • Borne Apartments, New Orleans, LA, 1992 Preservation Award, Louisiana Preservation Alliance • Building 33, 38, 39, Charlestown, MA, 1991 Preservation Award, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Kennedy Biscuit Lofts, Cambridge, MA, 1990 Preservation Award, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Baker Chocolate Factory, Dorchester Lower Mills Lower Mills, MA, 1988 National Historic Preservation Award, Advisory Council for Historic Preservation and Development of the Interior • 50 Franklin Street, Boston, MA, 1987 Build Massachusetts Award for Historic Restoration, Massachusetts Historical Commission • Baxter Place, Portland, ME, 1986 Historic Rehabilitation Award, Greater Portland Landmarks, Inc. • Baker Chocolate Factory, Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, 1985 Preservation Award, Massachusetts Historical Commission • 99 Bedford Street, Boston, MA, 1984 Victorian Award for Historic Renovation • Maple Commons, Springfield, MA, 1982 Unique Restoration Award, Springfield Historical Commission • South Sixth Street, Allentown, PA, 1981 Award for Historic Restoration, Pennsylvania Historic Commission • Personal Award 1988 National Historic Preservation Award honored by President Ronald Reagan for the Preservation and Adaptive Reuse of Baker Chocolate Factory, Dorchester Lower Mills, Massachusetts