The former St. Patrick’s School, located directly across the street from St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Natick Center, has officially achieved complete teardown status. We took video of the building’s last stand before front end loaders finished it off.
Natick Fire Department was onsite to aid with dust control. Debris removal and other site work is expected to continue through late spring.
What goes up, must come down
Plans for the site, which have been vetted before the Zoning Board of Appeals, call for a mixed-use development including market rate (i.e., expensive) and affordable (i.e., less expensive) residential units, plus space on the first floor of the main building at 45 E. Central St. for up to four retail tenants. That main 4-story building will feature 46 1-3-bedroom units and underground parking. Another eight units with 3 or 4 bedrooms will be divvied among four townhouse buildings on Lincoln and Wilson Streets. A quarter of the units will be affordable based on a state formula. Overall, the residential and retail space will amount to 14,320 sq. ft.
Former St. Patrick’s School building, prepared for teardown, early spring 2023.
St. Patrick’s School, April 2023.What goes down, sometimes rises
Natick Community Organic Farm’s new barn is currently a work in progress. According to the farm’s website the foundation has fully cured, and all the electrical conduits (the pipes that hold the electrical wiring) are in.
The timber frame arrived from New Energy Works in Farmington, NY on May 1, and the frame assembly process took three days. Next steps include roofing and siding.
Natick Community Organic Farm barn. The timber framing is up. Photo by Rick Devereux. The NCOF this year received a 50k grant from the Yawkey Foundation to put toward the rebuilding of the barn.
It’s important to make sure that a little life is part of a barn, right from the get-go.
NCOF barn, May 2023. Construction fencing and erosion barriers are in place to protect the site. The foundation area was measured out and excavated, and the concrete was poured over the winter.
Same vantage point as above, March 2022.
Natick Community Organic Farm, old barn, summer 2020.
Natick Community Organic Farm barn after the fire, March 17, 2021- Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email
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