Turning Historic Buildings into Vibrant Housing: Lessons From the Northeast | By Christine Faverio, RA, LEED AP

Adaptive reuse offers an opportunity to preserve historic character while creating much-needed housing and revitalizing communities. But transforming older buildings also comes with complex design, regulatory, and financial challenges.

In a recent Multifamily Affordable Housing byline, JCJ’s Christine Faverio, RA, Associate Principal and New York Studio Leader, shares key strategies for successfully navigating adaptive reuse projects in the Northeast.

Drawing from JCJ’s work on Ellis Block Apartments in New Britain, Connecticut, Christine explores the importance of identifying buildings with strong adaptive reuse potential, building collaborative partnerships early, anticipating zoning and code challenges, and preserving the architectural character that makes historic properties unique.

The $85 million transformation of the former industrial property created 154 affordable housing units, demonstrating how thoughtful design and creative problem-solving can turn underutilized historic buildings into vibrant, lasting community assets.