Boston developer seeks Mission Chapel renovation project

Photo | Grant Welker The Mission Chapel in Worcester could be renovated for residential units.

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By Zachary Comeau

A Boston developer of mixed-use properties is proposing to convert the long-vacant Mission Chapel in Worcester into seven residential units.

Traggorth Companies, a residential and commercial developer, is being supported by the Worcester Historical Commission in its bid for Massachusetts state tax credits as it seeks to invest in the 165-year-old property.

According to the city’s Preservation Planner Susan Arena, the company will build residential units of varying sizes, including one larger unit to preserve the main chapel space.

The project has yet to go before any other city boards. It will need approval from the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, as the agency holds a preservation restriction on the building that restricts residential use at the property.

The project would be one of the only residential spaces in the immediate area.

“It’s a great location for a potential residential use,” Arena said, noting the company is open to allowing first floor commercial use.

The chapel, which has been vacant for at least two decades, abuts Saint Vincent Hospital and other commercial buildings near Washington Square and the 290 on ramp.

If approvals are obtained, it would mark another project for the immediate area. The Homeward Suites Hotel across the street was built in 2017 and the same developer, First Bristol Corp. of Fall River, is planning another hotel at the rotary.