40 Berkeley

Boston, MA, Fall 2013 Instructor: Janet Stegman 40 Berkeley is a former YWCA Residence for Women. It was then purchased in 2010 by a South End couple and was transformed into a hostel. It is currently partnered with the non-profit organization, FOCUS: For Our Communities, to ensure the building still houses the remaining long term residents of the YWCA. 40 Berkeley is located in Boston’s historic South End, and a few blocks away from Copley Square, Back Bay, and Downtown Boston. 40 Berkeley is just around the corner from the stages and theatres of Boston Center for the Arts, the Beehive Jazz Club, bars, restaurants, an d nightspots in town. The aim of this project is to redesign the building for various types of residents: Original residents of the YWCA, hostellers, performers/ dancers, artists and others. I named the project, ‘Center of Attentions‘. Besides improving the current conditions of the building, three programs are introduced at the center of the building: Dance, installation art, and drawing/painting studios. My aim is to promote local arts, to provide exposure for different artists, to bring artists, residents and visitors together and encourage interactions between them.