INDEPENDENT LIVING
The Newbury of Brookline
The Newbury of Brookline restores residential use to the defunct Newbury College campus, giving it new life as a senior living community, and reconnecting its 3.87-acre hilltop site to the surrounding suburb and historic reservoir park. The facades, massing, and green spaces of the new project spring directly from the architectural character of the surrounding historic neighborhood of Fisher Hill. The project was designed by RAMSA | Robert A.M. Stern Architects, executive architect Finegold Alexander Architects, and operator Kisco Senior Living.
The new building is composed as a series of smaller pavilions that step down with the natural topography, relating in scale to the three-story Mitton House and surrounding neighborhood. Wings on either side of the central volume were intentionally misaligned to create additional spatial complexity and break up the scale. The buildings create two courtyards facing Holland Road and Fisher Avenue, where preservation of existing street trees deeded to the town through an easement, integrate the project with the surrounding streetscape. At the center of the project’s northern courtyard, the existing Georgian Revival Mitton House was restored by Finegold Alexander, providing independent living units with access onto the residential “piazza.” This landscaped space is designed as an inviting arrival area with ample seating, access to both buildings, and weather-protected parking. The edges of the site have been thoughtfully landscaped with native plantings, storm water retention areas, and walking paths that provide a green transition to the bordering neighbors.
The Newbury of Brookline’s facades reference the vernacular of rich and diverse architectural traditions found in the surrounding residential neighborhood. Bay windows and dormers add variety to the clapboard facades while gambrel and hipped roofs reduce the building’s size; porches and loggias create human scale as the building meets the ground and sky.
These buildings provide a combined 208,000 square feet for the senior living community, totaling 159 residential units: 81 independent living, 38 assisted living, and 40 memory care. Services for each unit include dining, housekeeping, and structured activities, each at different levels commensurate with the needs of the residents.
Amenities are distributed thoughtfully toward access to the landscape and views, and include a large, centralized dining room with adjacent great room, lounge, salon, pool, fitness center, library, and upper-floor sky bar.
The Newbury of Brookline is LEED Gold Certified, and Passive House techniques were used to achieve a high-performance envelope. Stormwater is managed by bioswales and underground infiltration systems, at least 40% of the site was kept as open space, and paved surface area was kept to a minimum. Heating and cooling are entirely electric and are handled by high-efficiency heat recovery air-source heat pumps.
On-site nurses reduce reliance on outside emergency services, shuttle service connects to public transportation, and a fleet of electric vehicles are available for tenants to use; these strategies reduce the use load on surrounding public streets while cutting down on emissions. The facilities opened to the public in December 2024.
