The Cove Underscores Worcester’s Tranformation

Designed by national housing experts The Architectural Team (TAT) for V10 Development, the seven-story, 210,000-square-foot building that opened just a few months ago is already a major draw in Worcester’s Canal District, according to regional news site MassLive.

With an ideal location, compelling amenities, and a thoughtful design whose massing and brickwork nod to the district’s industrial heritage, The Cove underscores how well-planned multifamily architecture bolsters residential, social, and economic vitality in smaller and midsize cities. And for TAT’s architects, who have adapted dozens of underutilized Worcester buildings into housing over nearly three decades, this high-profile new construction apartment building also symbolizes the extent of this Gateway City’s resurgence.

When TAT first began its longstanding collaboration with the City of Worcester and likeminded developers, the focus was almost exclusively on stabilizing and transforming the city’s large supply of existing, underutilized, and often vacant building stock,” says TAT principal James J. Szymanski, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP. “The Cove’s immediate success as a newly built luxury apartment community proves that Worcester has truly entered a new era. The market is showing that this is in fact one of the most desirable residential destinations in the state.”

Szymanski points to The Cove’s design as evidence of Worcester’s ongoing evolution and the city’s enduring connection to its own history. “The onsite amenities are at or above the level residents would find in larger cities across this region, with a creative live-work-play program featuring lounges, a game room, two rooftop decks with views of Polar Park, an outdoor patio, a co-working lounge, and a full fitness center. Additionally, in the building’s retail space, American Flatbread’s wood-fired pizza and candlepin bowling lanes contribute to a lively, social experience for the broader Worcester community,” he notes.

“At the same time, because the building is located on the former site of a storied music venue, Sir Morgan’s Cove, our interior design approach embraces that tie to Worcester’s heritage,” says Meghann Van Dorn, IIDA, LEED AP, an Associate at TAT and the firm’s Director of Interior Design. “We created a bohemian rock-and-roll glamor aesthetic including a double-sided glass fireplace, custom art and millwork, tattoo-inspired pieces by local muralists Jay Mac and Serve 142, and Persian rugs and leather upholstery that speak to the energetic and youthful spirit of the 1970s. Residents have really connected with the mood this approach creates, and its reference to local history.”

Having created nearly 1,000 apartments across Worcester in its decades of work in the city, TAT’s thoughtful design approach is a throughline connecting past and present. “All of these projects, including The Cove, demonstrate how a commitment to well-designed housing and considered investments in both existing resources and new construction can help stabilize a city’s economy and stimulate dramatic growth over time,” asserts TAT’s Szymanski.

Further illustrating the diversity of development and design solutions that have helped Worcester’s transformation, background about several other influential Worcester projects by TAT follows.

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About The Architectural Team, Inc. (TAT)

The Architectural Team, Inc. (TAT), Is an award-winning architecture firm that has been recognized for its thought leadership and diverse portfolio in architecture, interior design and master planning. Creating lasting transformation in the communities it serves, since it was founded In 1971, the 100-person firm has earned more than 200 awards for design excellence across a broad range of building types and programs. These include new construction of large-scale urban mixed-use developments, multifamily, commercial, resilient waterfront developments, and hospitality projects, assisted and senior living facilities, and community centers.

TAT holds a national reputation in the areas of historic preservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse with hundreds of projects that have transformed neighborhoods across the United States, artfully restoring and reimagining neglected buildings for new uses while simultaneously preserving history. Building on its established reputation as a trusted partner in design, The Architectural Team looks forward to future decades of design innovation, client service and creative collaboration.  For more information, please visit www.architecturalteam.com.