Four Universal Window projects earn 2019 Preservation Awards

Marlborough, MA Universal Window and Door, a leading manufacturer of custom window solutions for historic restoration and commercial construction projects, provided windows for four historic restoration projects that will be honored at the 2019 Preservation Massachusetts Awards, hosted by the non-profit historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving the Commonwealth’s historic and cultural heritage. The winners will be feted at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel on May 8^th at “Preservation Is,” an awards program that “celebrates and educates on how preservation is far more than just historic buildings and landscapes.”

Universal supplied historic windows to winners in two categories: the Wood Worsted Mill in Lawrence and the Jackson St. Lofts in Lowell were honored as recipients of the Paul & Niki Tsongas Award, and Yarn Works Apartments in Fitchburg and the Lowell Community Health Center: Phase II were awarded the Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award.

The Paul & Niki Tsongas Award recognizes people and projects that have displayed the highest level of commitment to historic preservation in the Commonwealth, and the Mayor Thomas M. Menino Legacy Award is given to preservation projects that are transformative, community-focused and revitalize the best of the past to make something good for the future.

The Wood Worsted Mill in Lawrence, constructed between 1906 and 1909 for the American Woolen Co. and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was transformed into 286 rental apartments; the Jackson Street Lofts in Lowell, is also a mill that was converted to apartments; the Lowell Community Health Center: Phase II added an additional 48,000 s/f of health care space to the existing facility; and Yarn Works Apartments in Fitchburg, a former mill that was converted into 96 units of mixed-income housing, which already earned the Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse, Rehabilitation & Restoration.

“We are very pleased to have been recognized again this year by Preservation Massachusetts. Many of the projects we are involved with date back more than a century since their original construction and use. To be a part of their restoration, and see these buildings come to life is a true source of pride for our company. We are thankful to our customers for selecting our product as their historic window of choice,” said Tony Muraco, president & CEO of Universal Window and Door.

Universal projects have garnered 17 total awards in the years that the Paul & Niki Tsongas Awards have honored historic buildings (2015, 2017, and 2019).

Preservation Massachusetts is the statewide non-profit historic preservation organization established in 1989 and is supported entirely by members and concerned citizens. In keeping with its original mission, the organization works in partnership with national, state and local preservation organizations and individuals across the Commonwealth.