Groundbreaking ceremony for Nubian Square

Franklin Cummings Tech Breaks Ground on Nubian Square Campus

March 12, 2024

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>Franklin Cummings Tech today marked the beginning of the construction of its Nubian Square campus with an official groundbreaking ceremony attended by Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, city and state officials, community partners, philanthropic partners, and college leadership.

The 68,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art building marks a new era for the college. The Roxbury campus will support the college in expanding its dynamic and entrepreneurial curricula designed to put graduates on a path to prosperity while building the skilled, diverse workforce needed for Massachusetts’s economy.

“Massachusetts is a beacon for higher education across the country, and Franklin Cummings Tech is no exception,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This new building will allow students to gain access to skills needed to enter our state’s diverse workforce, and will open the door of opportunity for students to join some of our most competitive industries like clean energy and the life sciences. We are proud to support Franklin Cummings Tech and look forward to seeing this new campus come to life in Nubian Square.”

Located at 1011 Harrison Avenue, the multi-story facility will feature an advanced manufacturing center, rooftop learning lab, ground-level automotive shop, and walk-in optical shop, among other innovative learning environments and community resources.

“Franklin Cummings Tech and the City of Boston have a long history of working together to ensure community members have access to high-quality secondary education and training for fulfilling careers and lives,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This campus will be a major investment not only for Franklin Cummings Tech’s academic mission, but also for Nubian Square and the city.”

The construction of the college’s campus is part of the development taking place in Nubian Square, which, in part, aims to cement the neighborhood’s identity as Boston’s “Education Innovation District.” Further, Nubian Square’s development primes it and Roxbury to become one of the city’s most important cultural and business districts.

“The building that will rise here will educate generations of entrepreneurs, technicians, and technologists who will shape the future of Greater Boston’s economy,” said Turahn Dorsey, chair of the Franklin Cummings Tech Board of Trustees. “In innovative and effective ways, Franklin Cummings Tech will continue to produce the skilled, qualified, and diverse workforce that regional companies and industries need to thrive.”

“We are grateful to the coalition of public sector funders, financial institutions, and private sector philanthropists that are making this bright future possible for Franklin Cummings Tech and our students. We are putting a stake in the ground in Nubian Square to signal the value and viability of high-quality technical education close to home,” said Dr. Aisha Francis, president & CEO of Franklin Cummings Tech. “This college offers pathways into some of the Commonwealth’s most lucrative and fulfilling clean tech careers, placing economic opportunity at the community’s fingertips. We are creating a vibrant and inspiring space here at the corner of Eustis and Harrison, and the anticipation about what’s to come is contagious.”

The financing for the Nubian Square campus is made possible through a creative and unique approach to building a capital stack that includes New Markets Tax Credits, public sector grants from the state and the City of Boston, loans from foundations, loans from community development and financial institutions, and private sector philanthropy.

The campus and building are designed by Studio G Architects, with interiors by Studio ENÉE and landscape by Ground, Inc., all women-owned firms. The building has features that make the structure itself a teaching tool for the next generation of technical and trade careers. Interior design plans include visible building systems with exposed structure, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and sprinkler systems to support project-based learning curriculums in sustainable building management. The rooftop will include outdoor demonstration labs with access to photovoltaic (solar electric) panels and roof-mounted wind turbines to serve as hands-on teaching tools for students studying renewable energy technology.

Dellbrook One Way is the project’s joint venture general contract with a targeted completion date of late 2025. One Way is a minority business enterprise based in Roxbury. Organized labor will be part of the construction of the building.

With the move to Nubian Square, students, faculty, and employees will have centralized access to public transportation, including MBTA buses, Orange Line stops at Ruggles and Roxbury Crossing, and commuter rail services into Ruggles and Newmarket station stops. The campus drawing in students, faculty, and staff will generate additional economic impact in the area.

The location of Franklin Cummings Tech’s future campus reflects the history of the technical college and the Roxbury neighborhood. Benjamin Franklin, a member of the Continental Congress, left money in his will to contribute to “forming and advancing other young people who may be serviceable to their country.” An original concept was to have the institution built in Roxbury, and over a century later, Franklin Cummings Tech breaks ground in Nubian Square.

For more information on the project timeline, visit: franklincummings.edu/about-us/move-to-roxbury

More About the New Campus Building

The Boston Planning and Development Agency board voted to approve a package of public support—including a $4M recoverable grant from the City of Boston—to aid in building the new campus.
The 68,000-square-foot building will be located at the former Harrison Supply site at 1011 Harrison Avenue.
The building was designed by Studio G Architects, with interiors by Studio ENÉE and landscape by Ground, Inc.—all women-owned firms.
Dellbrook One Way Joint Venture is the contractor for the construction, which is targeted to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026. One Way is a minority-based enterprise based in Roxbury. Organized labor will also be part of the construction of the building.
The 100% electric building will be LEED Gold certified.
The three-story facility building will feature a renewable energy rooftop learning lab, ground-level automotive shop open to the community, and a heat pump installation lab among other innovative learning environments and community resources.
The building itself will be a teaching tool. Interior design plans include visible building systems with exposed structure, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and sprinkler systems to support project-based learning curriculums in sustainable building management. The rooftop learning lab, which is supported by a grant from Liberty Mutual Foundation, will include outdoor demonstration labs with access to photovoltaic (solar electric) panels and roof-mounted wind turbines to serve as hands-on teaching tools for students studying renewable energy technology.
Students will eventually be able to work in the lab space in the forthcoming Nubian Ascends building for the newly created Associate’s Degree in Biotechnology.

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