Historic mill building complex converted to affordable housing

Mill 240 is a mixed-use repositioning of a turn-of-the-century mill complex, comprised of two buildings on the Merrimack River in downtown Lawrence, Mass. This project is part of the larger Washington Mill Lofts property.

The seven-story, 350,000 sf Building #4 includes 198 apartment units, 65,000 sf of self-storage space and 100 interior parking spaces. The 30,000 sf single-story Building #6 provides 19 artist live/work studios. A clubhouse includes a community room, internet cafe, fitness center, leasing office and bicycle storage.

A portion of the adjacent building was demolished to make room for a new riverfront park, providing outdoor seating, a grilling station, bocce ball court, and an outdoor movie theater.

Featured in the Ben Affleck Movie, “Live by night”

The riverfront property sat unoccupied for several decades and required extensive structural repairs. Featured in the recent Ben Affleck movie, “Live by Night,” the depleted state of the building was used to represent the 1920’s prohibition era.

Mill building characteristics required careful planning

Considered a high-rise by code, careful planning was required to address the mixed-use occupancy and egress requirements. Floor-to-floor heights of 15 feet combined with window units that are 7’-6” wide and over 10-feet tall allow daylight deep into the residential units.