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Trumbull-Nelson
Transforms Claremont’s
Abandoned Way School
by Bruce Wood
Photos by Steve Usle
& Caitlin Forcier
TUCKED 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.”
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.” |
