HISTORY
Today, Nubian Square is at a major inflection point in its development. Following the work of numerous neighborhood contributors and advocacy groups, the City of Boston and private developers, the stage has been set to creatively reconnect the resources of the local community with Boston at large and the outside world. Nubian Ascends’ intent is to build the future with respect toward the past, highlighting the culture and heart of Roxbury and its unique attributes while inviting others to come to Nubian Square to collaborate, be entertained, enlightened, and grow.
The existing streets and buildings in Nubian Square harbor memories that unite to form a “sense of place”, but because of significant gaps in the urban fabric (one of which is the Blair Site) the area does not appear whole. Existing buildings such as the Ferdinand, the Eustis Street Firehouse, and the Dartmouth Building provide clues to busier times and circumstances that brought about these fragments of architecture. Enduring quality materials and architecture have enabled these buildings to withstand the test of time and given the neighborhood its own identity, scale and character. With materiality, iconic scale and quality in craftsmanship we are borrowing ideas from these character-defining buildings as we plan future interventions.
1934
1934
Once the site of the Blair Foodland store, two theaters, and other infill buildings, Nubian Ascends brings back the mixed-use character that once made Dudley Square such a lively commercial and cultural destination. Filling out the block with an assemblage of buildings to hold the edges along Washington, Harrison, and Eustis streets is one of the most fundamental urban design goals of Nubian Ascends.