Hotel Dartmouth, 2010
Name: Hotel Dartmouth
Location: 51-61 Warren Street, Roxbury, MA 02119
Built/Founded: 1871
by Ada McKenzie, Ph.D.
Architecture: The Hotel Dartmouth, constructed in 1871 by architect John Roulestone Hall for William M. Rumery, Co., is a prime example o a nineteenth-century apartment hotel in Roxbury. It is a Second French Empire style four-story building, replete with a mansard roof, seven Queen Anne Towers, bays and turrets.
History:First owned by William Sheafe, the building provided a home to Roxbury businessmen during the late nineteenth century. The convenient location next to Dudley Terminal made it an ideal location for commuters who traveled into downtown Boston.
The Dartmouth became a commercial building by the 1930s, and fell into disrepair for several decades. In 2003, Nuestra Comunidad* Development Corporation purchased the Dartmouth and completed an extensive renovation, including restoring the original marble façade. The Dartmouth now stands as a architectural gem an a center of commercial activity in Dudley Square.
Nuestra Comunidad is a nonprofit community development corporation founded in 1981 to address economic, social, and public policy issues affecting the Dudley Street neighborhood. Nuestra has been particularly active in creating and preserving over 600 affordable rental units and 132 homes for ownership in the area. It has also been involved in restoring three historic buildings in the Dudley Square, including Hotel Dartmouth.
Current Use:Affordable housing and commercial retail space
Sources:
(Boston Landmark Commission Files)
http://www.nuestracdc.org/about.html
http://www.bostonpreservation.org/past/2006_f.html
http://www.historicboston.org/99cb/dartmouth.htm
Anderson, Benix. (June 2005). “Local Builder Saves Magnificent Building.” Affordable Housing Finance.