the trickiest part of the effort was replacing some 90 windows with custom-sized, double-glazed units that would prove energy efficient...

UCKED DOWN A LEAFY SIDE STREET, located an easy walking distance from Claremont’s main shopping district, Way School has enjoyed a proud history.

It was, after all, where nationally acclaimed New England poet Wesley McNair got his start editing the Way School Journal as a sixth-grader. And it’s where New Hampshire artist Alice Cosgrove, best known for creating the character “Chippa Granite,” painted several murals that decorated the school for years.

Thanks to developer Judy Nesset of Nashua, the city of Claremont, lender Connecticut River Bank, a host of subcontractors, and the efforts of Trumbull-Nelson, the Way School is turning a new page in its proud history. While its exterior has been lovingly preserved, the interior of the nearly century-old school has been converted into 14 one- and two-bedroom condos.

“Adapting the old elementary school is something the city felt strongly it wanted to do, and it also felt strongly it wanted more housing opportunities in the form of condominiums,” explained Anthony Lyons, Claremont Planning and Economic Development Directory. “The Way School is a gorgeous, gorgeous building and Judy Nesset and Trumbull-Nelson have done a wonderful job with it. It’s a symbol of what’s happening in the city and an indication of what we are trying to do in reusing these old buildings and turning them into modern, adaptive reuse projects. It is really a great way to go. It’s smart growth.”

“You hate to see great old structures like that leveled to build ‘McMansions’ or something like that.”

Nesset is proud of the Way School project, which features a handicap-accessible, two-bedroom unit on the ground floor and units ranging from just under 600 square-feet to just over 1,000 square-feet on the three floors of converted living space.

“I am a real estate appraiser by trade,” Nesset explained. “I looked at the school, and I know we have an incredible shortage of condominiums in Claremont. So I went and negotiated with the city for the purchase. Trumbull-Nelson gave me the cost, and everything worked so we went forward with it.

“Claremont has made leaps and bounds in its revitalization and this is my small effort to help continue that. I think we’ve done a fantastic job of keeping things historically correct as the building basically looks just like it did before we took it over, with the exception that we’ve freshened it up. In my opinion, Trumbull-Nelson walks on water.”

Jim Odorisio, project manager for Trumbull-Nelson, has nothing but good things to say about Nesset and the cooperation of the city of Claremont in the Way School rehabilitation, which began on December 15 with a late-June deadline for finishing.

“It’s been an amazing transformation and a fun project, basically taking a building that was no longer useful for the city and turning it into a viable, thriving property that is back on the tax rolls for the city,” Odorisio said. “You hate to see great old structures like that leveled to build ‘McMansions’ or something like that.”

Because the structure
of the old building
was so solid, almost
the entire focus of the
renovation was directed
to the interior space.

Erected in 1917 (with a later addition), the Way School has remained structurally sound from its foundation to its slate roof almost a century later. “It was very well built,” said Odorisio. “There were some minor issues with some structural point loading issues we had to address on the ground floor in terms of installing some new foundations and some new columns; not because the existing building was deficient, but because construction techniques in 1917 were not what they are today... But overall the quality of the construction from the early 1900s and the quality of workmanship was excellent.”

Because the structure of the old building was so solid, almost the entire focus of the renovation was directed to the interior space.

“All of the partitions that divided the classrooms from one another we basically removed,” Odorisio explained. “So all that was really left on each floor was the central corridor and its north and south walls, and the exterior walls of the building. That left clear space from one end of the building to the other, where you now have two or three condominium units.

“We framed all new interior partitions and then roughed in all new plumbing. We took out all the existing plumbing and all the existing electric and installed new.”

Perhaps the trickiest part of the effort, according to Odorisio, was replacing some 90 windows with custom-sized, double-glazed units that would prove energy efficient for a building that features high ceilings.

“We’ve added all new windows and foam insulation of the exterior walls to achieve an R21 wall and an R50 ceiling for the building envelope,” said Odorisio. “More than any other facet of the construction that was the biggest challenge because of the amount of glass area of window.

“We did not want to have to brick in any of the windows to meet the energy code requirements for buildings in New Hampshire. So we had to work closely with the window manufacturer as well as the insulation contractor to ensure that the calculations achieved the R21 wall construction that’s required.”

“for the price point that judy is targeting for the local real estate market, i think the condiminiums are a great bargain.”

The way Odorisio sees it, the first new condominium complex to be built in Claremont in two decades is a win-win proposition for everyone involved.

“For the price point that Judy is targeting for the local real estate market, I think the condominiums are a great bargain,” he said. “It’s not like we are retrofitting to existing utilities. It’s 100 percent new construction within a beautiful, existing brick-masonry building. There are modern appliances, beautiful kitchens, and spacious living rooms with all of that natural light from the windows and great views.”

Perhaps Nesset, who donated the Cosgrove murals back to Claremont, should have the final word on a project about which she raves.

“The city loves it. The people love it. We all love it,” she said. “What we have built is something the community can be proud of. Let’s face it. My name is going to be on this project forever and so is Trumbull-Nelson’s. People will always look at it and be pleased because it’s a class act project.”