Salem Earns $600,000 Grant for Historic Courthouses

The City of Salem has secured a $600,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Underutilized Properties Program (UPP) to support the preservation and predevelopment efforts in the reuse of the former Superior Courthouse and County Commissioners buildings on Federal Street. The proposed project, being undertaken by WinnDevelopment, aims to create a dynamic mixed-use, transit-oriented site to enhance the downtown, create additional housing, and preserve these historic structures.

“Since taking office, we have been proud to make significant investments in helping our cities, towns and local partners achieve their economic development goals through a range of grant programs and legislation aimed at advancing the diverse needs of municipalities across the state,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The projects awarded funding today build upon that work and will create jobs, build housing, revitalize spaces and empower communities in every region of the Commonwealth.”

WinnDevelopment will use UPP funding for the necessary specific predevelopment efforts that will be needed in the careful restoration of the court buildings’ interior and exterior historic architecture, thus bringing the buildings one step closer to becoming a hub of activity with a mix of potential uses including commercial, retail, event space, and residential at a key entrance to downtown Salem. The preservation and restoration work on the historic court buildings will complement the transit-oriented, ground-up construction planned for next to the MBTA station. Together, the work on both of these sites will bring a new vitality to the northern end of downtown.

“These historic buildings are architecturally and culturally significant as they sit at the entrance to our vibrant downtown,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “With Winn’s partnership and this grant award, I am excited to see these buildings put back into use in a way that invites the public in, creates new employment opportunities, and celebrates their historic fabric. I am grateful to the Baker-Polito administration, Dan Rivera at MassDevelopment, and our development partners at WinnDevelopment, for supporting our community’s goals for these buildings and helping make possible their preservation and reactivation.”

“These funds will be critical to supporting the pre-development planning that’s needed to guide the expert renewal of Salem’s historic courthouse buildings,” said WinnDevelopment Senior Project Director Ramie Schneider. “Restoring and re-activating these long-vacant structures in a historically sensitive way is a complex undertaking, and we appreciate the investment that the Commonwealth, MassDevelopment and the City of Salem have made in the important tasks that must be completed before this adaptive reuse project can begin.”