Historical Boston Landmark Is Set for a Revival To Help With Affordable Housing

A long-empty 112-year-old church in the heart of Boston will soon get new life as it is turned into affordable housing.

In Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the country with a median list price of $800,000 for August, according to Realtor.com® data, homeownership is out of reach for many.

It's not any better for renters. The median rent in the Latin Quarter neighborhood, where the Blessed Sacrament church is located, is $3,200 a month.

But the converted church will offer rents at steep discounts (as yet to be determined) for those earning less than the area's median income.

The redevelopment "adds critically needed affordable and mixed-income housing to the neighborhood while honoring the church’s historic architecture," said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in a statement.

The redevelopment is led by Pennrose, a "mission-driven" national developer, and was funded by MassDevelopment, Citizens Bank, and multiple public agencies.

All 55 apartments in the 71,000-square-foot historical building will be for those earning less than the area's median income (AMI), which is $115,800 for a one-person household and $132,350 for a two-person household, according to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.

There will be 27 units for those earning 60% of AMI, 11 for those earning 30%, 10 for those earning 80%, and 7 for those earning 50%.

The apartment breakdown is 13 two-bedrooms, 25 one-bedrooms, and 17 studio units. In addition, there's a 200-person community space, which will feature "events and performances centered around Afro-Latin arts and culture," according to the nonprofit Hyde Square Task Force, the building's former owner.

There will be six units reserved for people experiencing homelessness, but it is unclear if that is in addition to the 55 units, reports Boston Real Estate Times. (Realtor.com reached out to Pennrose.)

The conversion is part of the mayor's promise to add 802 units of affordable housing, with 160 of that for senior citizens.

A former church sees new life as an apartment building

Blessed Sacrament at 361 Centre St. in Hyde Square was built in 1913 and has been empty for 20 years.

The conversion is considered a win-win for the city: Residents will get more affordable housing, and the church will be saved from further deterioration. Most of the exterior and the historic facade of the five-story church will be preserved.

The Hyde Square Task Force acquired the property in 2014, intending to preserve the structure. Property records show that the nonprofit sold the church in July 2025 to Pennrose for $3.1 million.

"Redevelopment is necessary to save the Boston Landmarks-designated structure, as the building has been vacant and largely unused for two decades," states the nonprofit's website.

Realtor.com reached out to Hyde Square Task Force.

"Located in a transit-oriented, resource-rich neighborhood, the Blessed Sacrament redevelopment will improve access to high-quality housing in one of the country’s most expensive cities," said Karmen Cheung, regional vice president of Pennrose, in a statement.

The developer is also behind The Pryde, the city's first LGBTQ-affirming apartments for seniors 62 and older. The Pryde was converted from a 120-year-old school.

Funding came from MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, which issued a $37,630,000 tax-exempt bond, and from federal low-income housing tax credits (led by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities), which is projected to provide $32.8 million in equity.

Converting churches into homes

Churches, many of which are abandoned as attendance has dwindled nationwide, can often be snapped up for below-market prices.

In a city like Boston, which has not only a serious housing crunch but also a plethora of old churches, the buildings can be the perfect creative solution to more housing combined with historical preservation.

Other similar conversions in the area include Sacred Heart Church rectory and school in East Cambridge, Hill Memorial Baptist Church on North Harvard Street in Allston, and St. Aidan's Church in Brookline, according to CBS News.

Also, the former St. Augustine's Convent at 207 E St. in South Boston is being turned into 35 units of affordable senior housing.

Country star Zach Bryan even snapped up the Saint Jean Baptiste Church in Lowell, MA, to turn into a community arts center honoring one of his heroes: Beat Generation novelist and poet Jack Kerouac.

But due to many factors, old structures like churches, which may have landmark status, pose big challenges to convert into livable spaces.

"Blessed Sacrament is an especially complicated project due to the challenges of rehabilitating and adapting a 100+ year-old structure that has been vacant for over two decades," the developer said on its website.

"Repurposing the building will require a high level of structural and environmental work to address multiple issues including damage to the masonry, roof, and structure," it continued.

Boston-based architect DiMella Shaffer heads up design. The firm's website says that a large community space will be carved out of the main nave, and the cupola will be made into a residents' common area.

The building will also be fossil fuel-free as befits the state's clean energy and climate plan.

"We hope the approval of Blessed Sacrament as affordable housing establishes a new standard for similar historic structures," it said.