As part of the ongoing revitalization of Worcester’s historic Canal District, the Harding & Winter Streets Manufacturing District – better known as the Chevalier Building – is being renovated into a new set of loft-style housing. Canal Lofts will consist of 64 units of mixed-income, LEED-Certified housing. Owned by Canal Lofts Limited Partnership and developed by Winn Development LLC out of Boston, the project is financed by both private and public sources, including low-income and historic Federal and State tax credits.
The finished development will include 10 one-bedroom units, 32 one-bedroom duplexes, 11 one-bedrooms with dens, three two-bedroom units, seven two-bedrooms with dens, and one two-bedroom duplex. The building will also house an on-site management office, a community room, lounge, and fitness area. Residents will also have access to an indoor bicycle storage unit – a fitting addition for the district’s street renovations to include new bicycle lanes.
The historic building was originally constructed between 1870 and 1898 and included a group of three-to-six story buildings. Within the complex was the J.H. & G.M. Walker Shoe Factory, the Hill Envelope Company Factory, Worcester Stained Glass Works, and the Wachusett Building, a shoe manufacturing factory. A symbol of Worcester’s 19th Century industrial history, the building is listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
