This honor given by Preservation Massachusetts recognizes preservation projects that are transformative, catalytic, embrace the community, create partnerships and revitalize the best of the past to make something good for the future.

Thomas Hains AIA, Principal-In-Charge says: “The renovation of the College of Fine Arts building at 855 Commonwealth Avenue has been a transformative project on many levels. It did more than just repair the skin of the building, it (re)connected the building with the immediate community, creating a welcoming arts hub with greater access to the artistic endeavors within the walls to the passerby”.

Originally designed by prominent local architect, Arthur Bowditch (1870-1941), The Boston University College of Fine Arts Building (CFA) at 855 Commonwealth Avenue was constructed in 1920 to serve as a showroom for H.K Noyes & Sons Buick in the early days of America’s embrace of the automobile.