The North Bennet Street School (NBSS), America’s Oldest Trade School, has been a Boston institution located at 39 North Bennet Street in the North End since 1879. The school was incorporated in 1885 and has a long history of offering vocational training and forward thinking social services which continue through today.

After more than a century at the original location the school eventually grew beyond what the old assemblage of buildings (an ex-church, sailor’s retirement home, townhouses etc)  could fit and some of the programs had to move to other locations around the Boston area. In an effort to re-unify the school, update the facilities, and get everyone under one roof again the school embarked on an aggressive fundraising campaign and has now moved to 150 North Street in Boston (about 1/3 mile from the original location). This new building takes up a city block and has recently opened for the new school year. This new set of buildings once served as the Boston City Printing Press and a Police station. They sit above the entrance to the Callahan tunnel right on the Greenway. The buildings have a stately facade, are stoutly constructed and have an interior fitting for a school of this kind.

Wednesday night was the first North Bennet Street School Alumni Meeting at the new building. We had the opportunity to tour the new facility.I took as many pictures as I could with my iPhone and have shared them below as a virtual tour of the new building. This small set of photos do not do it justice, so I recommend coming by to see it in person yourself during this year’s open house events Nov 8-9. If you click on any of the photos below you can see it in a larger size and can also cycle through them like a slide show.

Front of the building complex which touches the Rose Kennedy Greenway

Scale — the 2 buildings stretch a full city block in the North End of Boston

Architectural Details of the Building

Rear corner of new building. 1st floor in the corner is Preservation Carpentry. Above that is Carpentry. Above that is Cabinet and Furniture Making

Part of the new NBSS marketing campaign ‘Do what you love, every day’

Student work already on display in the new Gallery

Boyd, the new NBSS Gallery Manager in the new Gallery Space

Early NBSS Sign that we used to have in the PC dept. in Arlington

A violin in progress

Violin-making bench room

One of the many awesome views of Boston from the new building.

Bookbinding Dept

A nice change is that each student will have a locker to store and lock up personal items

First year Preservation Carpentry Bench Room

Rich’s sweet new teaching space in the second year classroom

Timber framing models in the second year Preservation Carpentry Bench Room

Human powered miter and mortising machines in the PC dept.

More models and kitchenette in the Preservation Carpentry Classroom

Preservation Carpentry Machine Room

Loading dock and wood rack in Preservation Carpentry

NIcely redone skylghts with indirect lighting — it’s almost too nice for NBSS — ‘Where’s the dank Moe? The dank?”

Locksmithing Department

NBSS Feeling more like home — some of the many great sample walls have migrated to the new space.

One of the cabinet and furniture making bench rooms.

A CFM Student’s tool chest.

More CFM Bench Room. Great to see all the natural light.

Piano technology and repair classroom

Great new common space for students to gather, have lectures, display work etc.

Entryway to the carpentry department

NBSS Alumni Association touring the new facility

Jewelry making and repair department bench space

Jewelry making and repair department work area

Nice view from the atrium.

Great indoor space for big lectures etc. I love seeing the old exterior facade exposed inside of the building.

As a graduate of the Preservation Carpentry Program and workshop instructor at the school, the old building will always hold a special place in my heart, but I am happy to see this new building come together as it took an incredible amount of work by the school and its many supporters to pull of this move.

You can learn more about the history of the school here and here.

Take care,
-Bill