Timberline completes Dr. Sewall Center for Acute Treatment Services renovation at The Dimock Center

Roxbury, MA  Timberline Construction has completed the 18,730 s/f interior and exterior renovation project for the Dr. Lucy Sewall for Acute Treatment Services Building at The Dimock Center. This fourteen-month project restored the building’s aging detoxification facility and will strengthen its comprehensive substance use disorder treatment services. The Roxbury-based health and human services organization houses one of only three inpatient detox facilities in Boston and one of 30 in the state, offering addiction recovery services for men and women throughout the Commonwealth. Timberline served as the construction management firm on this project. 

Timberline worked closely with Platt Anderson Freeman Architects, and CSL Consulting to restore life back to this historical building. The project has increased The Dimock Center’s inpatient acute treatment beds from 30 to 40, reaching an additional 1,000 people annually for a total of 4,000 patients served each year. The interior renovations created new program areas, including residential double occupancy units, open nurses’ stations, integrated case management offices, multipurpose community rooms, integrated security and an outpatient treatment area. The project will serve to attract and retain expert treatment providers and will stand as a leading example for future treatment facilities.

There were many facets to this project, as this historical building presented a few challenges. The team worked together to make sure this project was completed on-time and followed Massachusetts Historical Society guidelines. Timberline’s senior project superintendent, Brian Passino said, “With a building that is over 100 years old we uncovered many deteriorating conditions. With the right team in place we worked together to solve these conditions and keep the project on the road to success.”

This project included new sprinkler, plumbing, electrical & HVAC systems, a complete structural replacement, including converting the existing roof joists to trusses and complete replacement of the first floor structural framing system including replacing the existing wood columns with new steel columns.  The construction team coordinated around existing water, gas & sprinkler lines that had to remain active to support adjacent buildings. The project also included a new elevator to serve all floors of the building. This installation required creating a new elevator pit in solid ledge, an effort requiring special drilling techniques and a chemical expansion process to complete, while protecting the adjacent bearing elements of the historic structure.

Principal of Platt Anderson Freeman Architects, John Freeman said, “On a project that is designed to be state of the art, and is also a unique historic building, there are few precedents to look to when issues arise. The design-construction team has to be creative and in sync with each other to solve problems. We had a team of architect, owner, consultants and construction manager that were totally comfortable with each other and worked quickly through every issue. The result is a stellar project of which we are all immensely proud.”

This project was the result of Dimock’s $16 million capital campaign, Building the Road to Recovery, supported by lead contributor The Yawkey Foundations, as well as the three major hospital networks in Boston - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Partners HealthCare, and Boston Medical Center, among other supporters. The Dimock Center has also received tremendous support from city and state leaders and welcomed governor Charlie Baker and mayor Martin Walsh at the ribbon cutting ceremony on April 3, 2018. 

“We are thankful to Timberline Construction, led by Steven Kelly-president and CEO, for completing our historic renovation project that will serve an increased capacity of over 4,000 patients each year in a state-of-the-art inpatient detoxification facility. Our partnership with Timberline has facilitated the enhancement of our renowned substance use disorder treatment model.  From the beginning and throughout our time together, it was clear that the Timberline team brought top knowledge, expertise and a commitment to our mission and to our project. The transformative support we received for the Building the Road to Recovery capital campaign, marked this significant milestone in the Dimock Center’s history.” said Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan, president and CEO of The Dimock Center.

Other generous supporters of Building the Road to Recovery include The Claddagh Fund; The Boston Foundation; Century Bank; Coverys Charitable Foundation; Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation; the Fish Family Foundation; Sanofi Genzyme; Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation; John Hancock Financial Services; Keen Charitable Foundation; and the 23 members of the Dimock Community Foundation Board.

Project team: Timberline Construction, construction manager; Florence Electric, electrical; Farina Corp., HVAC; Platt Anderson Freeman Architects, architect; and CSL Consulting, owner’s project manager.

photo credit Robert Umenhofer Photography