The Farley Building Transformation into a Multigenerational Community Center for Hollis (Copy)
This story was originally published in the March 2024 issue of The Positively Hollis Post.
By Liz Barbour
The Farley Building stands above Main Street looking across a tree-shaded lawn and down over the historic center of Hollis. The school building has been a witness to almost 150 years of Hollis’s children running through its halls and out the front doors prepared to meet the world. Since the last day of classes in 2006, this sturdy building has awaited a new purpose, holding the potential to be transformed into a vibrant multigenerational community center.
As the population of Hollis expands, existing single-use community spaces are often booked well in advance, creating challenges for groups in search of suitable meeting places. Taking inspiration from the successful preservation and rehabilitation model of the Lawrence Barn Community Center, a group of residents began to consider the Farley Building as a viable solution to the town’s space problem.
Farley Building Project History
In 2011 the town voted to provide $50,000 in funds for work needed to stabilize and mothball the building for future use. Ten years later in 2021, the Hollis Select Board formed a committee to determine viable options for the fate of the building. After careful study, the Farley Building Committee recommended preserving and repurposing the building to serve the entire community. In response, the residents of Hollis showed their continued support and approved the $50,000 funding to hire an architectural firm to produce a condition assessment and reuse study. The comprehensive analysis by structural engineers, architects, and contractors confirmed the building's structural soundness and suggested that the rehabilitation of the building would be a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable option for the town.
Dave Sullivan, Chairman of the newly named Farley Building Community Center Committee (FBCC) has been involved with the project since the beginning. “The firm of Misiaszek Turpin found the building to be in overall good condition. Structurally and historically, it is a great candidate for rehabilitation. All work to be done to the Farley Building will be done following the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. These standards acknowledge the need to alter and add to historic properties, to meet the current needs, while maintaining the property's historic character.”
The environmental impact of repurposing the building has also been an important consideration. “The environmental advantage of rehabilitation is that the energy to build this structure has already been expended. Labor, materials, and the environmental impact of developing this property took place nearly 150 years ago. By rehabilitating this existing structure, we will not duplicate this process. The quality of materials and the workmanship that went into buildings of the era have stood the test of time. We should take the opportunity to use the craftsmanship within the walls of the Farley Building to our advantage. Recycling this building and bringing it to current standards is the environmentally responsible thing to do,” noted Dave Sullivan.
Community Input
The FBCC has recognized the importance of community input on the proposed concept and created multiple ways to invite ideas. Karla Vogel, the Heritage Commission representative on the committee offered some insight. “We presented the design drawings to the public at the 2023 Old Home Days. This was followed by a community meeting attended by representatives from clubs, commissions, and interested individuals where they could offer ideas and ask questions. It became clear from comments that Hollis needs several smaller meeting spaces. Students in attendance showed great interest in supervised spaces to gather after school. The Farley Building would offer a safe, convenient location for them. Mothers expressed the need for spaces to meet other moms and form connections with their children. Clubs and other groups were very much in support of more accessible meeting spaces. Even senior citizens wanted a place to “hang out”, a room to meet for coffee and card games. It would be a welcoming place to many who are living alone.”
The Vision
The vision for the rehabilitation of the Farley Building is to maintain the original structure and features of the 1920 footprint. This plan will showcase the unique classroom features inside the building while at the same time providing modern amenities that will serve residents of every age and accommodate a wide range of activities. The building spaces will be designed to offer ample room for such things as group meetings, enrichment classes, social gatherings, small performances, and art shows. Each room will be filled with natural light streaming in through the building's 78 expansive windows. The open basement space is ideal for a children’s play space and storage lockers that can be assigned to different town groups. The front porch redesign will offer a large, covered space that can be used for outdoor concerts and performances that overlook the shaded lawn, where audiences can gather. Building access considerations include wide staircases, an elevator, and a handicap entrance from the back of the building. Ample parking is ensured at the rear entrance. As you can see, the possibilities of how the space can be used are endless.
Financing the Project
The residents of Hollis have shown their support for the FBCC by previously voting to invest $100,000 to fund the stabilization of the building and develop a condition assessment and feasibility reuse study. The estimated cost of the completed project is around $5 million, significantly less than the over $7 million estimated for a teardown and rebuild of the exact building. “We realize that a project of this size will have a large cost, but the benefits to the community will be immeasurable. Looking forward, we will employ the financing model of the Lawrence Barn project. The combination of Town funding, grants, donations from residents, and donations of labor and materials from Hollis businesses can all be incorporated to fund this project.
It’s important to remember that over three-quarters of the cost to rebuild the Lawrence Barn, and the Noah Dow Cooper Shop was done with donations and pledges. When voters pass Warrant Article 4, we will then have a clear understanding of the scope of work and cost involved,” explained Dave Sullivan. Dave added that like other community centers in the area, this project could be accomplished in phases which would break down the overall cost into smaller amounts over time. While this option tends to add time and cost to the overall project it is certainly an option.
Next Step-Pass Warrant Article 4
“Passing this warrant article IS the next step in this process that began in 2011. We are asking for up to $300,000 to develop the needed documents, drawings, and plans to take this project to bid. This phase could very well come in under this amount. Donations to this phase, creative funding, and the possibility of a grant may all contribute to offsetting this amount. However, this amount must be our starting point to ensure this phase is completed correctly, it is also based on the industry standard of 7 to 8 % of the total project,” Dave Sullivan. We’d like to note that Warrant Article 4 has earned the unanimous support of both the Hollis Select Board and the Hollis Budget Committee. Details about the warrant article can be found on the FBCC website (www.farleyforhollis.org).
Now is the time to envision a building where our community can gather. A community center that conveniently connects schools, ball fields, the library, and the town center. A place where different generations can regularly pass each other in hallways, where lives are enriched, and where folks can just sit and pass the time. A place where every Hollis resident will find a welcoming home. The Farley Building is ready to be transformed into a community center we all can enjoy. We encourage you to learn more about the project at www.farleyforhollis.com. There you can join an email list to receive project updates, see the project floor plans, project FAQs, and information about Warrant Article 4.