St. Joseph’s Abbey

Madigan was honored to be selected by the Trappist Monks to renovate a portion of St. Joseph’s Abbey located in Spencer, MA, as well as to construct an addition of a new refectory and meeting room for their retreat facility. The Abbey is an incredibly special place. Originally constructed in the 1950s, this renovation and addition project proved to be unique as many considerations had to be made in regard to merging the new construction with the historical aspects of the existing facility. There were stylings unique to the monks who performed the original construction of the building that needed to be matched, including the exterior masonry, slate roofing, and elaborate interior millwork. To accomplish this, many of the unique materials needed to be carefully salvaged during the selective demolition operations, and be reworked, repurposed and reused. Madigan assigned a team of craftsmen who had the exceptional talent needed to work with and replicate the existing construction detailing.

Close coordination between Madigan and St. Joseph’s Abbey was of prime importance, so that the construction activities didn’t interfere with the daily lives and rituals of the monks on site, since construction abutted the infirmary as well as the kitchen, which both needed to remain active over the course of the project. The finished product provides more space and updated amenities to guests retreating at the Abbey, while blending seamlessly with the existing space.

Highlights

• Renovation of an historic monastery
• Addition of a new refectory and meeting space, while the building was still active
• Provided modern amenities while mimicking existing historic features
• Overall size of project: 1,800 sf