Historic Boston

What Historic Boston does

Historic Boston Incorporated (HBI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit preservation and real estate organization founded in 1962 and headquartered at 3 School Street, Boston. The organization acquires, rehabilitates, and redevelops at-risk historic and culturally significant properties across Boston neighborhoods including Roxbury, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Dorchester, and Roslindale. All project planning is guided by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. HBI combines preservation expertise with real estate development capability, transforming neglected historic buildings into functional community assets that serve housing, small business, urban agriculture, and civic purposes.

HBI's revenue model blends tax-deductible individual and corporate donations (including a Monthly Donors Club and the 2026 Preservation Campaign), preservation easements that provide perpetual preservation guarantees in exchange for tax benefits to property owners, and property sales to qualified operators. Notable transactions include the $1.4 million sale of the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm to the Urban Farming Institute of Boston (January 2024) and the $1.15 million sale of the Vertullo Building to Londy and Langston (April 2022). HBI does not charge for its preservation services. The organization also partners with neighborhood groups, historical societies, religious institutions (Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts), and city government to identify and execute projects.

Recent landmark projects include the $15 million Roslindale Substation adaptive reuse (43 housing units, Trillium Brewing indoor beer garden), the $3.8 million Alvah Kittredge House rehabilitation in Roxbury (5 residential units including 2 affordable), the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm transformation into an urban farming headquarters, and the Upham's Corner Comfort Station rehabilitation into Comfort Kitchen restaurant. Tenants and buyers include Comfort Kitchen, Trillium Brewing Company, Chipotle, Sip and Spoke Bike Kitchen, the Urban Farming Institute, and Londy and Langston. HBI has received the 2026 Tsongas Preservation Award (Preservation Massachusetts), the 2020 National Preservation Award (National Trust for Historic Preservation), and the 2023 Boston Preservation Alliance Preservation Achievement Award. Leadership transitioned in 2024 when Executive Director Kathy Kottaridis departed for the City of Boston's Office of Historic Preservation, with Stacy Thompson serving as Interim Executive Director.

Name

Historic Boston

Legal name

Historic Boston Incorporated

Website

https://historicboston.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic Preservation and Real Estate Development Services

NAICS

Residential Remodelers (236118), Historical Sites (712120), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Real Estate (6500), Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552)

akta.pro primary industry

Historic Home Renovation & Preservation (HSAPAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Urban Renewal, Brownfield Redevelopment & Land Reuse (BPAIANAI), Historic Sites, Heritage Landmarks & Archaeological Sites (THAJACAC)

Keywords

• Historic preservation services
• Historic property redevelopment
• Preservation easement management
• Nonprofit real estate development
• Community preservation projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: HBI generates revenue through tax-deductible donations from individuals, corporate partners, and its Monthly Donors Club program.
2. Preservation Easements: HBI manages preservation restrictions on historically significant buildings. Property owners receive tax benefits in exchange for preserving certain aspects of the exterior of their buildings into perpetuity.
3. Property Sales: HBI redevelops historic properties and sells them to qualified operators, such as the $1.4 million sale of Fowler Clark Epstein Farm to the Urban Farming Institute.
4. Preservation Campaign: The organization runs specific fundraising campaigns like the 2026 Preservation Campaign to support preservation efforts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Historic Boston Incorporated (HBI) acquires at-risk, historically and culturally significant properties in Boston neighborhoods and rehabilitates them for new community, commercial, and residential uses. The organization also manages preservation easements that restrict exterior alterations on designated historic properties in exchange for tax benefits to the owner. HBI is funded primarily through individual and corporate donations, fundraising campaigns, and proceeds from redeveloped property sales.

Product overview

Historic Boston Inc. (HBI) is a non-profit historic preservation and real estate development organization that does not offer commercial software products or technology services. HBI rehabilitates at-risk historic and culturally significant properties in Boston's neighborhoods through property acquisition, redevelopment, and preservation easement management. The organization's work includes restoring historic buildings such as the Old Corner Bookstore, the Phillips Brooks Memorial Reading Room, the Roslindale Substation, the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm, and various other historic properties, providing technical expertise, planning services, and financing for rehabilitation projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Historic Property Redevelopment End-to-end acquisition, rehabilitation, and redevelopment of at-risk, historically and culturally significant properties in Boston neighborhoods. HBI acquires properties, manages rehabilitation using the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, and transfers the finished buildings to qualified operators such as community organizations, small businesses, and housing developers.
• Preservation Easement Management HBI structures and stewards perpetual preservation restrictions on the exteriors of historically significant buildings. Property owners receive tax benefits in exchange for committing to preserve specified exterior features in perpetuity, with HBI holding and monitoring the easement.
• Monthly Donors Club Recurring tax-deductible donation program for individual donors who provide ongoing monthly financial support to Historic Boston Inc.'s preservation and redevelopment mission.
• 2026 Preservation Campaign Targeted multi-year fundraising campaign supporting Historic Boston Inc.'s preservation work, backed by corporate sponsors including Back Bay Development, Feldman Surveyors, HACIN, Haley & Aldrich, Lee Kennedy, Maloney Properties, Shawmut, Handel Architects, Corderman Company, DLA Piper, Epsilon Associates, Daedalus, Anderson & Kreiger, Suffolk, AW Perry, and Rose Law.

Quantifiable outcome

• Properties restored include Alvah Kittredge House (5 residential units including 2 affordable), Fowler Clark Epstein Farm (urban farming HQ), Upham's Corner Comfort Station (now Comfort Kitchen restaurant)

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Urban Farming Institute of BostoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2024Nonprofit developing and promoting urban farming. Purchased Fowler Clark Epstein Farm from HBI for $1.4 million. Uses property as headquarters with classrooms, farm stand, and demonstration kitchen.
• Spencer Preservation GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm specializing in historic preservation. Doug Manley, Principal of Architecture, led restoration of St. Luke's Chapel (1901) which won the Tsongas Preservation Award. Partnership dates back to HBI's Steeples Program.
• Revolutionary SpacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization stewarding Old State House and Old South Meeting House along The Freedom Trail. President & CEO Nat Sheidley shares HBI's belief that historic places are valuable community assets.
• Anh55minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston-based atelier dedicated to beautifully designed and ethically crafted clothing. Founders Anh Vu Sawyer and Philip Sawyer donated custom pieces to support HBI's 2026 Preservation Campaign.
• Trust for Public LandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Boston Urban Agriculture Partnership - a community-driven effort to create five farms in Boston providing healthy food, job opportunities, and livable neighborhoods.
• North Bennet Street SchoolminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContributed to both buildings' preservation carpentry for Fowler Clark Epstein Farm project.
• Hyde Park Historical SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with HBI exploring opportunities for reviving Phillips Brooks Memorial Reading Room (1896) at 12 Hamilton Street in Hyde Park.
• Episcopal Diocese of MassachusettscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in St. John St. James campus restoration including St. Luke's Chapel, designed by Ralph Adams Cram in 1901.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hyde Park Historical Society: Boston neighborhood-based historical society partnering with HBI on the Phillips Brooks Memorial Reading Room in Hyde Park. Operates as a local preservation partner with overlapping community-driven mission.
• Preservation Massachusetts: The statewide preservation advocacy organization that awards the Tsongas Preservation Award (HBI's 2026 honoree). Operates as a peer preservation-focused nonprofit in Massachusetts with comparable mission to identify and protect historic resources.
• Massachusetts Historical Society: Boston-based historical organization founded in 1791, focused on collecting, preserving, and communicating American history. Comparable as a long-standing Boston heritage nonprofit with educational and preservation mandates.
• Boston Preservation Alliance: Greater Boston's primary preservation advocacy organization, awarding HBI its 2023 Preservation Achievement Award. Directly comparable as a Boston-area preservation nonprofit focused on protecting historic buildings and neighborhoods.
• Revolutionary Spaces: Boston nonprofit that stewards the Old State House and Old South Meeting House along the Freedom Trail. Core strategic partner of HBI with shared mission of preserving historic sites as community assets in Boston.

Broad incumbents

• New England Historic Preservation Society (Historic New England): The largest regional heritage organization in the U.S., preserving and operating historic properties across New England. Comparable preservation-focused nonprofit with property ownership and education missions spanning the broader region.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: The largest U.S. preservation nonprofit, operating nationally and awarding the 2020 National Preservation Award to HBI's Fowler Clark Epstein Farm project. Directly comparable as a preservation funder and advocate, but with national scope and significantly larger resources.

Emerging players

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on land conservation and parks, partnered with HBI in the Boston Urban Agriculture Partnership creating five farms. Comparable as a nonprofit that acquires and redevelops properties for community benefit, though with broader land conservation mandate.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Boston: Boston office of national nonprofit supporting equitable neighborhood development. Comparable as a nonprofit developer working in Boston's underserved neighborhoods, with overlapping affordable housing and community revitalization focus.
• Urban Farming Institute of Boston: Nonprofit customer of HBI that purchased the Fowler Clark Epstein Farm for $1.4M. Operates as a community-focused nonprofit in Boston's food access space, receiving rehabilitated historic assets from HBI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw6eZBADLRsTiYn6LldL4QA
• Facebookfacebook.com/historic.boston
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/historic-boston-incorporated
• Xx.com/HistoricBoston

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Historic Boston