Photography © Steve Rosenthal

Housed in a restored 1837 mill girl boarding house and a newly constructed 9,000 SF addition, this 22,000 SF cultural mall features a University of Lowell continuing education facility, the University’s Special Collections Library, and National Park Services exhibits designed by Jeff Kennedy Associates. The two-story brick and granite addition maintains the visual prominence of the original historic boarding house while being recognizably modern and architecturally compatible. A major design accomplishment was making the historic multi-leveled building fully accessible to the physically challenged. Unique requirements for access, temperature control, lighting, and fire suppression systems in each tenant space were accommodated.

The opening of this center furthered the Lowell Historic Preservation Commission’s mandate to enrich the cultural life and programs in the city.