Charlestown Navy Yard Rowhouses

The Charlestown Navy Yard Rowhouses houses 50 units of affordable residences built on the edge of Boston Harbor. Developed by a nonprofit housing corporation, Charleston Navy Yard addresses the family housing needs of first time home-buyers while resolving the difficult intersection of the urban street grid and the water’s edge.

By being responsive to its setting without merely replicating the historical 19th century forms of the Navy Yard, the design strives to remove the stigma that so often burdens affordable housing. The building's design responds to three distinct urban conditions of the site: 1) the design strengthens First Avenue as the main street of the Navy Yard; 2) the site calls for a linear building perpendicular to the water; 3) the building celebrates its end at the water's edge.


Source: Design Matters: Best Practices in Affordable Housing, City Design Center at the University of Chicago.