Children's Services of Roxbury celebrated plans on Thursday for a $27 million renovation of its Dudley Street headquarters, with construction set to officially begin in November on the 46,000-square-foot building. The project is expected to expand the organization's reach by serving an additional 1,500 people once complete.
The celebration, held at 504 Dudley Street, brought together community members, supporters and faith leaders for an interfaith blessing ceremony outside the building CSR has occupied for years and purchased outright in 2021. As reported by wgbh.org, the organization will officially begin renovations on the headquarters in November, with the work expanding its so-called front porch concept to include family hubs, studios for youth and young adults, and a large community room.
CSR President and CEO Sandra McCroom, who has led the organization for 11 years, told the outlet that the project should be completed in about two years, and that staff will continue operating inside the building throughout construction. The front porch concept itself traces back to McCroom's own childhood, inspired by memories of neighbors gathering at her grandmother's home in Memphis.
A Long Road From Lease to Ownership
According to Boston Real Estate Times, McCroom said at the ceremony that community support made both the 2021 property purchase and the current renovation plans possible, and recalled being told at one point to conduct a feasibility study she could not afford. Reverend Ray Hammond, who spoke at the gathering, described CSR as a beacon of light during times of desperation and said the organization opens its doors to everyone in need.
Marie St. Fleur, a former Massachusetts state representative and Roxbury native, opened and closed the program with a cappella musical performances, the outlet reported. CSR board member Phil Hillman told attendees that people of different traditions can achieve things by working together, while Rabbi Elaine Zecher described the planned transformation as a welcoming and meaningful space for children and families. More than 80 people attended the ceremony.
The renovation will be financed through a mix of New Market Tax Credits, local bank loans, public funding, private foundation contributions and individual donors, per Boston Real Estate Times. CSR purchased the formerly leased Dudley Street property at 504-520 Dudley Street on January 8, 2021, a deal that csrox.org described at the time as a signal the nonprofit would remain rooted in Roxbury amid displacement pressures and escalating property values. Eastern Bank provided an $8.1 million loan toward that purchase, according to massdevelopment.com.
Decades of Service Behind the Expansion
Children's Services of Roxbury was founded by Reverend Richard Richardson and his wife as a foster care agency, and the nonprofit has operated for 54 years, per Boston Real Estate Times. Today it describes itself as a Massachusetts Black-led nonprofit providing early childhood education, foster care, children's behavioral health services, housing and stabilization assistance, youth resiliency programs and parent mentoring. Massdevelopment.com separately lists the organization's founding year as 1972, a discrepancy from the 1975 date reported elsewhere.```
CSR currently serves more than 6,500 children and families statewide annually, including 5,000 in Boston, according to csrox.org. The nonprofit has reported growing demand for its behavioral health, early education, housing and family services, a trend the wgbh.org report also noted in describing the renovation's rationale.
Building Out New Programs and Jobs
Once complete, the expanded headquarters is meant to support several new or growing programs, according to csrox.org. A planned resource called the Front Porch is expected to serve at least 400 parents and youth annually, while a childcare center expansion aims to serve 20 additional children per year and raise the center's quality rating from Level 2 to Level 3. A planned makerspace called the LaunchPad is expected to serve at least 200 pre-teens, teens and young adults annually.
The broader growth plan is expected to add more than 170 career-oriented jobs to the local economy, primarily in Roxbury, with additional positions in Worcester and Springfield, per csrox.org. CSR launched a fundraising campaign in 2022 to raise $19 million in public and private revenue toward the renovation, and had raised nearly $11 million as of its most recent reporting, with support from the Liberty Mutual Foundation, Eastern Bank Foundation, Boston Children's Hospital, the Lynch Foundation, congressionally directed spending, state economic development bills and MassDevelopment, among individual philanthropists.
The design work on the headquarters is intended to preserve the building's historical character and existing wood structure while connecting two buildings into a single cohesive facility, according to modelofarchitecture.org. The project has also drawn support from partnerships with Boston Children's Museum and MASS Design Group, per massnonprofit.org.
