In Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, the award-winning Chelsea-based firm the Architectural Team has unveiled The Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, New England’s newest and largest social services facility. This $35 million, 90,000-square-foot structure of brick and masonry demonstrates the firm’s sustained dedication to urban renewal in some of America’s most economically challenged communities. Robert Verrier, who leads the firm from its Admiral’s Hill offices in the Georgian Commandant’s Home, expressed his satisfaction with the undertaking. “This a great beginning for much bigger things to follow,” said Verrier.
The 6-acre site adjoins a recently restored commuter rail station and transforms previously abandoned and deteriorated lots into a vibrant intergenerational hub shaped through active community participation. According to the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, this structure marks a turning point for an area that endured prolonged arson, disinvestment, neglect and redlining. Beyond its three gyms, pool and soccer field, the complex houses a learning center, library, auditorium, music room, chapel and recording studio. The design achieves an “indoor village” feel as well as intuitive wayfinding through the facility. Thoughtful details further support the sense of the outside brought within, from exterior light fixtures which continue into the main lobby and out the back door, to a two-story tube water slide in the natatorium, which weaves outside and back into the building to return laughing children. The building is finished in glass, brick, tile, metal panels and concrete block – a varied material palette reflecting Dorchester’s diversity. For The Architectural Team, a firm of 55 employees, this is the largest and most sophisticated of its portfolio of community/athletic centers.
Mark J. Rosenshein, Senior Project Manager and lead designer at The Architectural Team, reflected on the collaborative effort: Founded in 1971, the firm has accumulated 75-plus design excellence awards and maintains a diverse portfolio encompassing large urban mixed-use developments, residential and commercial projects, hospitality venues, and recreational facilities, alongside a national standing in historic preservation and adaptive reuse.