August 2, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Work on the new mixed-use development at 109 North St. in the heart of Hingham Square is progressing, with plans to construct eight one-bedroom condominiums with open floor plans and 1,750-square-feet of retail space.
The structure is located behind the historic building at 103 and 105 North St., which contains rental units that will remain so. The development will also feature indoor parking for the eight condos, shared parking outside the building, and landscaping.
"This development will be a benefit to downtown Hingham, adding more dwelling units within walking distance to restaurants, shops, churches, the post office, and the cinema," developer John Barry of JMGH Hingham, LLC told the Hingham Anchor. "Everything is right there. It will be a great spot to live, and I believe that the residents will support local businesses."
The building -- which is located in an historic district -- will have a "New England Colonial-style" appearance to fit in with the surrounding area. The developer gained Historic Districts Commission approval for the project.
"In addition to constructing the new building, we are also making significant improvements to 105 North St., also known as the Norton House," Barry said.
"My wife and I purchased the property from the Hersey family several years ago. It's a very attractive historic building that has a large presence in downtown Hingham, and we are very enthusiastic about restoring it."
The late Vcevold Strekalovsky was the architect for the permitting of the project at 109 North St. "Vcevy was a very talented architect, with whom I really enjoyed working," Barry said. "I was very saddened to hear of his passing."
It's expected that the roof will be completed and the windows and doors in place in the next couple of weeks. "The building will start to take shape over the next couple of months," according to Barry. "We worked closely with the town and neighbors during the permitting process to come up with a development that would complement the surrounding neighborhood. I feel that the neighbors and townspeople will find it to be attractive."
The siding will be installed in about a month and the building painted and the parking lot and landscaping completed before the end of the year if all goes as planned. Hingham resident Sean Papich is the landscape architect for the project, and EMBR Architects of Hingham is finalizing the design plans.
"We'll spend the winter working on the interior," Barry said. "We're still finalizing the color palette."
The work -- which was delayed by the pandemic -- got started last fall after earlier gaining the necessary town approvals.
The former Renaissance Leather building has been taken down, and the carriage house behind 103 and 105 North St. will be razed to make room for the new development -- work that was approved as part of the permitting process.
The new development has a one-way traffic circulation pattern, with ingress from the westerly side adjacent to Bank Avenue and egress on the easterly side of the property.
The makeup of the retail component has not yet been decided.