Back to life

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), Worcester, Mass., purchased two buildings in downtown Worcester in 2000, totaling 160,000 square feet. Built in 1898 and the early 1900s, the two buildings are considered historic structures.

Most of the original 56,000-square-foot building was reconstructed to significantly upgrade the exterior and build a 5,000-square-foot addition.

The other building was a former graphic-arts building, which the college recently converted to a nine-story, 90,000-square-foot Living and Learning Center. The first floor is commercial space. Two floors of academic expansion include classrooms, faculty offices and conference rooms, and five stories of apartment-style residences with space for 200 students.

The buildings are connected on two levels, allowing easy student access to classrooms, the Blais Family Library and a student lounge.

Steffian Bradley Architects (Boston) is the architect for the original structure, and Perkins & Will (Boston) is the architect for the Living and Learning Center. Payton Construction Corp. (Boston) is the construction manager.