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Architecture Alum Renovates Historic Mill

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Thomas Remmes ’11 in the newly renovated Junction Shops.
Thomas Remmes ’11 in the newly renovated Junction Shops.

Here’s a case in which “wisdom to make a difference” meant having the knowledge and skills to save a historic, but abandoned and derelict mill complex in Worcester, Mass., by converting the buildings into 173 market-rate apartments and amenities known as the “Junction Shop Lofts.” Architecture major Thomas Remmes ’11, now the construction project manager for Manchester, N.H.,-based Brady Sullivan Properties led the $20+ million renovation of the site previously known as the Junction Shop and Hermon Street District, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The district includes 28 industrial properties on Jackson, Beacon, and Hermon streets that were part of a much larger manufacturing district in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Remmes was in charge of the entire project from start to finish, coordinating more than 70 subcontractors and 300 people. Each unit features granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, washer/dryers in the unit, individual furnace and air conditioner, and historic character from the existing building including exposed brick and remnants of the old machinery previously used in the factory. The amenity spaces include a 12-seat movie theater, full gym, interior basketball court, putting green, community room, game room, patio with fire pit and grill, a dog park, and open green space.

History revived: The Junction Shop before (top) and after.
History revived: The Junction Shop before (top) and after.

Remmes started with Brady Sullivan Properties as an architectural drafter and designer in 2012 and quickly moved up to lead project designer. Due to his extensive design experience on several large mill building projects in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, he was invited to manage the Junction Shop Mill project. His experience designing and leading the work through the many rennovation surprises hidden in 150+ year-old mill buildings has made him an invaluable member of such projects.

“Since graduating from Keene State, I have kept in touch with many of the professors in the Architecture Department and still go back for final reviews as a critic for their final reviews,” Remmes said. “I have also been able to start an internship program through which Brady Sullivan has hired three recent Keene State graduates to work in our architecture department.”

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