Residences at Mill 8 accomplishes two important goals—delivering much-needed housing for seniors and preserving one of the most significant buildings in Ludlow, Massachusetts.
Completed last year, the development is the adaptive reuse of a historic mill building into a vibrant mixed-income community with 55 affordable and 40 market-rate units for residents 55 and older.
Project Details
Location: Ludlow, Massachusetts
Developer: WinnDevelopment
Architect and Interior Designer: The Architectural Team
Builder: Dellbrook JKS
Completed: October 2024
Number of Units: 95
Unit Mix: One- and two-bedrooms
Rents: $539 to $2,549
The apartment homes are unique and feature elements of the former mill, including expansive windows, high ceilings, wood floors, and exposed original beams and carpentry. One of the most unique features can be experienced in many of the third-floor apartments, where a portion of the homes includes a monitor/clerestory that rises to almost 26 feet and adds additional light. Other historic features have been preserved, including large industrial doors that are now the centerpieces of the resident lobby.
Residences at Mill 8 is the second phase of WinnCompanies’ work at the Ludlow Mills complex. In 2017, the company completed the adjacent Residences at Mill 10, a 75-unit community for seniors. Many older adults who were on a waiting list for Mill 10 have been able to move into the new building.
Amenities include on-site management, laundry facilities, a fitness room, a resident lounge, and several outdoor recreation areas.
Gregg Shupe
The project took several years to complete, as the development team navigated and overcame rising construction costs and a widespread shortage of electrical components essential for the rehabilitation, says Adam J. Stein, executive vice president of WinnDevelopment.
WinnCompanies worked closely with local and state officials, including the Westmass Area Development Corp., and multiple funding sources were assembled for the project, including state and federal low-income housing tax credits and historic tax credits. Funds from the American Rescue Plan Act were also involved.
The result is a development that is meaningful not just for the residents but the wider Ludlow community as the project helps establish a thriving neighborhood, according to Stein.
The building, which dates back more than a century, sits at a major intersection and is a town symbol. The town seal features Mill 8’s iconic clock tower, which WinnCompanies restored as part of the redevelopment.
“It’s the emblem of the town,” Stein says. “The rehabilitation of the mill district is special, and to be the landmark of the mill district is special.”
