Worcester Housing Authority gives old movie theater new life
A building that used to be the home of a movie theater is being transformed into a new base of operations for the Worcester Housing Authority .
The housing authority is building a new management and maintenance center at the site of the Webster Square Cinemas at 24 Mill St.
The center will serve as a base of operations for Worcester Housing Authority's property managers and clerks, according to Chief Development Officer Peter Proulx.
Staff at the center will also provide any maintenance, such as fixing broken water heaters, to housing units in the western part of the city, Proulx said.
"We're going to be able to manage many more units on the center and west side of the city from one facility, Proulx said.
The Worcester Housing Authority has a total of 3,000 housing units in the city. Of those units, two-thirds (2,000) are located within the eastern part of the city, while the other third (1,000) is located in the western part, according to Proulx.
Construction at 24 Mill St. in Worcester. Courtesy: Walter Bird Jr.(Walter Bird Jr.)
The Worcester Housing Authority's main office is located at 630A Plantation St., just near the border of Shrewsbury.
The Webster Square Cinema, originally named the Park Theater, opened in 1937, according to the Telegram & Gazette . The theater underwent a renovation in the 1960s and was closed in 1998, the Telegram & Gazette reports. The Worcester Housing Authority bought the property in 2022 for $1,350,000, according to city records.
The management and maintenance center project costs $800,000 with an estimated opening date in two years, according to Proulx. The housing authority is using its capital fund to pay for the construction and renovations of the center. Proulx notes, however, that the authority also uses the capital funds for repairs that their housing units might need. As such, the authority has been budgeting the money between repairs and the new center.
"You can't just put up $800,000 in one shot and get it all done," Proulx said. "We're currently doing a lot of fire alarm replacements and sprinkler replacements. Those kinds of things in high-rise buildings cost millions of dollars."
The new center is a three-minute drive from Lakeside Apartments, which the Worcester Housing Authority is currently redeveloping. The old complex, which had 202 units, will be replaced with a new building with 350 units, according to the Worcester Housing Authority's website .
The project is broken up into four phases, according to a timeline posted on the authority's website. The construction for the first and second phases of the redevelopment is expected to be completed by July 2027, according to the timeline.
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