Frank L. Walsh Housing for the Elderly Nears Completion at Shattuck School-August 1, 1980

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The seventy-six-year-old Shattuck School sits proudly on a hill surrounded by five modern buildings of new housing for the elderly. The development, officially named the Frank L. Walsh Housing for the Elderly in memory of the late police officer, is slated to open in September, boasting 210 senior citizens on the waiting list for its seventy-two total units.

The new contemporary buildings feature balconies, terraces, natural wood siding, and sharp architectural angles, with seven units specially designed for the handicapped—marking the very first such units in town. However, the old brick and granite school building serves as the true showplace of the complex. It has been completely gutted, sandblasted inside, reinforced, wired, piped, and renovated into seventeen one-bedroom units. Through the core of the building, from the basement to the roof, stands an atrium reminiscent of a small version of the Quincy Market rotunda. Each apartment opens to a corridor surrounding the atrium, which is enclosed with glass and oak panels. At the bottom in the basement level sits a four-foot round brick planter designed for a tree to grow toward the skylights in the roof, surrounded by planned oak benches and community rooms.

Converting a school into housing for the elderly is not new, but this is unique because it blends the modern with a 76-year-old school building, stated Housing Authority Director Kevin Maguire. The crown jewel of the project is the prize apartment located in the old principal’s office just above the main entrance, featuring two levels with a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor, a living room and kitchen on the second floor, and nine sunlit windows.

The project faced challenges, including a temporary work stoppage ordered on June 23 by Building Inspector John Grover because design aspects did not conform to the latest building code updates. To comply, original plans for an open railing overlooking the atrium were scrapped in favor of glass and oak panels, and a comprehensive sprinkler and smoke ventilation system was added. Work resumed under a new permit, though the delay meant the new buildings would likely open before the school section. Additionally, builders encountered unexpected ledge during early construction, accounting for most of the $270,000 spent over the original $2,070,000 budget. Federally subsidized units required residents to pay 25 percent of their income as rent, with unit costs averaging $25,000 for new builds and $33,000 for the Shattuck School section. The project was designed by Charles F. Jacobs Associates of Cambridge, with Jim O’Rourke serving as Clerk of the Works.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger