The Plummer School

The Plummer School, originally built in 1930, was converted into multi-family housing for seniors and completed in 2017. The $4,888,000 renovation/addition project, funded with Historic Tax Credits, created 34 independent living apartments for seniors with moderate incomes in a 40,400 sf building. Retaining the rich history of the Plummer School (the former Falmouth High School building) was top priority including the rehabilitation and preservation of the wood windows, brick masonry, wood flooring and trim, the cupola clock tower, two historic stair towers, plaster walls, ceilings and gracious hallways. A former two-story gymnasium space that had been infilled in 1975 was restored as a common room for the residents to gather and have potluck meals, play cards or watch the Super Bowl together. The long-ago discarded wood bleachers were reconstructed based on historic photos and reincorporated back into the space while meeting current code requirements. A second-floor stage used for performances in the original school, and partially demolished in the same renovation that infilled the gym, was incorporated into an apartment living room and the curved face of the removed portion of the stage was delineated in the wood flooring and the opposing wall shape to reflect the historic architectural feature.

To make the project financially viable, an addition had to be incorporated into the design. Ensuring that the addition would fit between the existing building, adjacent community center, and public Village Green and minimize the visibility of the addition from the historic front façade of the original Plummer School to adhere to the strict historic tax credit program requirements was no small feat. By balancing the unit sizes and configurations in the new addition and designing the exterior wall that faces the Village Green to act as a retaining wall that accounts for the two-foot grade difference, the team was able to integrate the new construction while respecting the historic structure.

The new two-story addition was designed in keeping with the materials of the original school structure with simpler architectural detailing so that it quietly complements the existing historic structure. Plummer Senior Living was designed to blend character and history with simple, modern features to create the best possible living experience for residents in a building that is perfectly situated between the town’s senior center, located in the adjacent building, and the Village Green allowing easy access to walking paths and interaction with the town community.