Architecture
Interior Design
- Type
Walker School Apartments
Taunton, MA
Originally constructed in 1895, The Walker School is the historic adaptive reuse of a former elementary school into 40 units of affordable housing for seniors aged 62 and older. A three-story brick Georgian Revival building with a hip roof, and a facade 11 bays wide, is organized in a four-three-four window pattern. The main entrance is in the center bay, set in a round-arch opening, with flanking bays featuring small oval windows. A compatible addition was added in 1924 to accommodate increased enrollment. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the former school remained vacant for nearly a decade prior to its rehabilitation.
Artfully restoring the structure for new use, the firm converted 16 light-filled historic classrooms into one-bedroom units. Classroom chalkboards, storage hutches, and large vertical closet doors complete with pulley systems are preserved within units. Exacting efforts include the restoration of the wood wainscotting in the corridors along with the original wood flooring throughout. A three-story, 20,660 square foot contemporary addition, comprised of brick at the ground level and stucco at the upper two levels, houses the remaining 24 units.
The school’s wide-set, spacious corridors allow ample resident seating and congregating spaces to increase socialization, ambulation, and wellbeing. Resident amenities include a community room with a kitchenette, a mailroom, laundry facilities, and on-site management offices. The property is located near the Weir Village Riverfront Park and the Taunton River, and is serviced by the Greater Taunton Regional Transit Authority bus line, which provides access to regional stores and amenities.
Related Projects
-
