Southside Community Land Trust Headquarters

Union designed the rehabilitation and renovation of a 12,000 square feet, 1850s livery building to serve as the headquarters for Southside Community Land Trust, a well-established urban agriculture organization. The ground floor includes a USDA produce packing center and commercial kitchen for use by the organization’s farmers. There are also three rental spaces for locally owned food production businesses and a fresh food market facing Broad Street. The entire second-floor houses offices, meetings, and classroom space for the organization.

After 170 years and many uses, the heavy-timber building required a new foundation, structural reinforcement, and completely upgraded exterior and interiors. It sits next to Trinity Square, a gateway between downtown and Upper South Providence, a neighborhood challenged by years of disinvestment. The revitalized building will once again serve as a community hub; helping to activate the public space and connect pedestrians to the adjacent Somerset Hayward urban youth farm.

Union worked with Southside and their development consultants from existing building evaluation through fundraising, design, and construction. Funded in part by the state housing agency and local health insurance companies, this building helps Southside scale up its commitment to healthy food and economic empowerment for all.