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Salem Tabernacle Church
Honoring History, Housing Heroes. An historic adaptive reuse project restoring a Salem landmark, keeping the congregation on site and creating 100% affordable housing for our veterans
Preserving Our Past,
Building Their Future
The redevelopment of the Salem Tabernacle Congregational Church is a unique opportunity to save a historic structure while addressing a critical need in our community. This project is a historic adaptive reuse initiative that transforms the property into housing for at-risk or homeless veterans.
100% Affordable
46 affordable apartments, large community room, fitness center, and wellness office.
Historic Restoration
A full restoration of the existing building will preserve the historic and significant community building.
Continued Worship
The Tabernacle Congregational Church congregation will retain shared use of the property for continued worship and will have an endowment from the sale of the property that will sustain them for generations to come.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Over the years the membership of the Tabernacle Church of Salem has decreased significantly. As a result, they no longer need all of the space available and no longer have the funds to maintain the 100 year old building and its significant deferred maintenance. The congregation sought to find a developer that would 1) restore the building, 2) provide them with a purchase price that would be used to assure their long-term financial viability, 3) allow them to continue to use the building for the congregations services, gatherings and other activities, and 4) contribute to the greater needs of the region by allowing for the building to be used for much needed housing opportunities, thereby being a part of the solution to the housing crisis and aligning with the church’s mission.
Yes! The Tabernacle Church of Salem will be given dedicated and shared use of a portion of the new development that will allow them to continue to worship and gather in the congregation’s long-time home. Beacon Communities will provide this space to the congregation free of charge. There will be no rent, utilities or operating expenses charged to the church for their use of the space.
The Tabernacle Church congregation voted unanimously to select the partnership of Beacon Communities and Solider On team to redevelop the church.
Beacon Communities is a Boston-headquartered real estate development company with a driving passion to create well-designed, healthy homes that improve the quality of life of our residents and enhance the neighborhoods in which they are located. Known as a leading affordable housing developer, Beacon has the demonstrated capacity to undertake complex residential real estate affordable transactions. Beacon has designed, permitted and built developments ranging from the adaptive reuse of historic urban buildings to ground-up mixed-income construction to the rehabilitation of occupied communities. All of Beacon’s developments have some element of permitting, planning, constructability or financing complexity - most have all four. We have a significant presence in the North Shore including the redevelopment of Leefort Terrace on Collins Cove in Salem and the adaptive reuse of the old Briscoe School into Beverly Village for Living and the Arts in Beverly.
Soldier On is a veteran supportive service organization with the objective of helping other veterans become fully franchised and contributing members of their community by helping them to regain physical, mental, economic, and housing stability within an environment of integrity, dignity and hope. Currently, Soldier On delivers services in four states to more than 4,000 veterans annually. On the North Shore, Soldier On also has its own development in Tewksbury providing comprehensive supportive services to 21 Veterans with additional supportive housing programs within the Greater Boston Metro region in Brighton, MA and Devens, MA. Soldier On and Beacon are partners on a similar development in Menands, NY, where Soldier On is providing services for the veterans who live at the recently-completed 35 Broadway.
Beacon Communities intends to restore, adaptive reuse and add on to the church building, converting it into an estimated 46 small studio units of permanent, affordable supportive housing for veterans. The plans include building two small additions to the existing buildings on the parking lot that fronts Federal St and the lot off of Lynde St. The additions will allow for the creation of a double-loaded corridor interior layout.The building would also include two larger community rooms with kitchen, fitness center, wellness office, laundry rooms and on-site management and supportive services office, as well as a shared use space for the continued use by the congregation and rental by the community.
Yes! Our design vision at for 50 Washington St has been created in conjunction with local architecture firm SV Design in Beverly, and in consultation with historic preservation firm The Public Archaeology Laboratory. The development team intends to use state and federal historic tax credits as part of the financing. Using this funding source will require that strict historic preservation standards of the federal National Parks Service be adhered to, with additional input provided by MassHistoric and the Salem Historical Commission. Exterior historic restoration will include the facade, roof, windows and steeple. We will also preserve the sanctuary fronting Washington Street as well as the entryway and side rooms.
Residents will be low- and moderate-income veterans experiencing housing instability. Many will be from Salem, as there is a significant need for housing among the communities’ veteran's population. Some residents could be currently living in communities on the North Shore or broader region.
The development will have an on-site team comprised of Soldier On and Beacon Communities staff who will ensure the safe operation and activity of residents on the site's premises. Soldier On has created programs to address the needs of veterans including financial education, wellness, transportation, daily meals, legal and legacy services, and telehealth. Through these programs they have developed essential support services such as outreach, case management, peer support, transportation, mental health, assistance with finances, education, and employment and a specialized holistic case management and wellness program for veterans. This approach is based on the belief that stable housing is the foundation for veterans and their family members to receive holistic help and achieve overall wellness. In service delivery, the focus is on the relationship and success is realized by helping clients achieve the goals they set for themselves.
Yes. Beacon Residential Management (BRM) will be the management company and will have anon-site management officeat 50 Washington St.Security cameras will be in place in and around the property which will be monitored by a security company. Formed in 1969, BRM has built an exemplary reputation and is nationally recognized as a leader in the multifamily housing industry. BRM manages communities that vary in size from 28 to nearly 1,000 apartment homes. These properties range from suburban new construction to urban historic rehabilitation to former public housing sites that have been converted into newly constructed mixed-income developments. We are extremely proud of our history of successfully managing new developments, including renovations, new construction, resident relocation, lease-up, and stabilized operations management.
There will be 9 on-site parking spaces for use by staff of the Tabernacle Church of Salem, Beacon Communities and Solider On. Very few residents are expected to have cars. Soldier On will provide on-call door-to-door transportation to residents as well as the broader community. Residents will also have access to the Salem Skipper, and the site is within close walking distance to the commuter rail and MBTA bus service. We do not anticipate that the development will impact parking in the area.
We expect to pursue a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Special Permit with Site Plan Review. The plans will need to be approved by the Planning Board and will be reviewed by the Salem Design Review Committee.
The development team and Tabernacle Church of Salem will be meeting with direct residential and commercial abutters and elected officials, followed by the broader community. A larger community meeting will be held in the near future to present the team’s plans and get feedback and input.
We expect to begin the restoration and construction in January 2028 and be complete in June 2029. The building will be fully leased-up by December 2029.
The Team
Experienced Partners Committed to Salem
Beacon Communities: Since 1996, Beacon has completed over 10,000 units of housing, specializing in adaptive reuse and complex affordable transactions. Beacon has a long history on the North Shore, including projects in Salem, Beverly, and Lynn, and is currently constructing the 100% affordable Leefort Terrace in Salem.
Soldier On: A nationally recognized non-profit delivering services to more than 4,000 veterans annually. Soldier On currently partners with Beacon on similar housing for veterans in Menands, NY.