Brookline St Warehouse to Get Her Eyes Done, Full Makeover Later

Through the work of some concerned neighbors and MIT's Government/Community Relations folks, the abandoned warehouse at 130 Brookline Street will soon have its dozens of broken windows repaired. This is mostly a temporary fix, as the Institute's commercial real estate team has plans to redevelop the property into R&D/lab space in the coming years.

The near-term window repair and replacement, which is welcome news, will begin in the next few weeks--a contractor has already been identified for the work. At a community meeting this summer, MIT's Sarah Gallop encouraged C-port residents with concerns about MIT properties in the neighborhood (snow removal, trash, security, etc) to contact her with their concerns.

Office of Government and Community Relations
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 11-245
Cambridge, MA 02139
Phone: 617-253-1988

This work, of course, is not to be confused with the ongoing Brookline Street reconstruction, which is using the driveway of the warehouse as a staging area. See this DPW letter (pdf) for a recent update on that work.

Ultimately, the Institute hopes to redevelop 130 Brookline as part of the belt of laboratory space that surrounds the campus (see rendering of the renovated exterior above). Like their plan for 640 Memorial Drive, the building will be renovated once a commercial tenant is identified. In this economy, no one is holding their breath, but MIT expects to move forward in the next few years. Community concerns around this project have mostly focused on the height and positioning of the new mechanical penthouse, and its effect on the neighbors across Brookline, and on the view from the Pacific Street park. Thankfully, any utility work under Brookline Street will be completed during the current project, eliminating the need to dig up the brand new street in a year.