CHELSEA — Today Governor Charlie Baker joined Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, Secretary of Veterans' Services Cheryl Lussier Poppe, Commissioner of the Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Carol Gladstone, and Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea Superintendent Eric L. Johnson for a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Community Living Center at the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea. 

The Community Living Center (CLC) is a new long-term care facility for the Commonwealth’s veterans on the grounds of the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea. It replaces the Lawrence Quigley building, which sits on the campus that first opened to serve veterans in Massachusetts in 1882. Designed by Payette and constructed by Consigli, the CLC has 154 private rooms with private bathrooms, and large windows offering panoramic views of downtown Boston and the harbor. Rooms are organized around shared community spaces and will be surrounded by beautifully landscaped grounds when complete.

“The completion of the Community Living Center project marks a significant milestone for the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea, and for the Commonwealth. This new facility will make a positive impact on the lives of aging veterans in our Commonwealth, who have given so much of themselves to serve our nation,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “This project would not have been accomplished without the partnership of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, our legislative colleagues, and countless others in the community who came together to support work together to enhance long-term care for the Commonwealth’s veterans.”

“This new facility will help ensure we are providing the best possible housing and care for the veteran residents of the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are grateful to the state and federal partners who came together to make this project a reality.”  

“This new center offers the state-of-the-art physical space that the dedicated staff need to provide the highest quality care and support that our veterans deserve,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders. “The CLC is a testament to this administration’s commitment to serving Veterans across all life stages, from engaging them in services upon their return from service and supporting their transition to civilian life, to offering high quality, modernized nursing care in homes like Chelsea.”

The innovative and thoughtful model of the new Community Living Center will enable long-lasting improvements to the safety and quality of long-term care for hundreds of the Commonwealth's veterans," said Administration and Finance Secretary Michael J. Heffernan. "This initiative has been a priority for the Baker-Polito Administration and was made possible by the support of the Legislature and many other stakeholders, and we look forward to seeing the new facility completed and occupied soon."

“Massachusetts is a national leader in serving veterans, and the completion of this state of the art Community Living Center that will improve veteran long term care now and for future generations affirms this,” said Secretary of Veterans’ Services Cheryl Lussier Poppe. “This small home design model provides more than skilled nursing, at its core, it’s about creating a home for our veterans – enrichment activities, socialization and the space to have family and friends visits; including a kitchen for group meals and a den for spending time together. In short, we’re providing a space that supports the best care environment and quality of life for our veterans. We look forward to supporting similar projects in the future.”

“The new Soldiers’ Home represents a very different way of providing long-term care for our veterans,” said Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance Commissioner Carol Gladstone. “The Community Living Center model offers privacy and community in a state of the art building that provides a new landmark on the Chelsea skyline.”

“As a veteran and nursing home administrator, it is an honor to be part of an exciting project that will ensure that this physical building, with the state-of-the-art medical equipment and cutting-edge technology, will go beyond modern skilled nursing as we know it, and focus on the needs of our veterans. Most importantly it will provide a home like environment for Veterans and loved ones, as well as staff – creating an even greater atmosphere to promote health, wellness and activity in our community. For 140 years, our mission has remained to provide the highest level of care and supportive services to Massachusetts Veterans - we look forward to continuing this time-honored tradition of serving those that have served - with Dignity, Honor and Respect. And our staff believe and live that mission every day,” said Superintendent Eric L. Johnson of the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea.

The CLC was funded in the Baker-Polito Administration’s Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Investment Plan, released in May 2017, and in November 2017 Governor Baker signed legislation that provided authorization needed to advance the project. The project broke ground in 2018, followed by the demolition of the Soldiers’ Home Water Tower in May of 2019.  The foundation of the building, which includes over 300 dog tags of Veterans with ties to the Home, was completed in June 2020.  Now, at the culmination of years of construction, the certificate of occupancy is slated for January 2023 when staff training will begin, following by the move of all staff and residents into the CLC in the spring.

The new CLC, covering over 243,000 square feet, will focus on wellness and healing – with a park environment, 252 individual windows, and 12 five-story glass curtains, there are views to nature from every room. The landscape entry sequence balances military formality with winding paths, garden plantings and spaces to rest.  Community and activity spaces, a chapel, a central kitchen and multiple secure exterior spaces will be available for residents. The Sunrise Courtyard, Meditation Garden, and the updated Malone Park will be gathering areas for the community and will be utilized for Physical Therapy programming.

The CLC will be a cutting-edge resilient and sustainable building, with geothermal heating and cooling systems and a high-performance envelope that integrates natural ventilation in all public and private resident spaces. Heat recovery and electric primary systems are coupled with a 594 kilowatt (718,528 kilowatt-hours annually) rooftop-mounted solar array, which will allow the building to use 71% less energy than the limit allowed by code and eliminates the use of fossil fuels during typical operation. The building has achieved LEED Platinum and Zero Net Energy certifications, and it is tracking LEED Gold Certification. In addition, the Commonwealth is receiving an energy rebate from Eversource of nearly $1 million, one of the largest projects in Eversource’s territory in terms of savings and incentive dollars this year. The result is a forward-looking building that not only meets the Commonwealth’s energy reduction goals but also provides a healthy, comfortable environment for residents and staff.

The Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea first opened its doors to Massachusetts veterans in 1882, and is the second-oldest veterans’ home in the nation. The first residents were Civil War veterans who were wounded or unable to care for themselves, many of whom had previously resided in the Commonwealth’s “alms houses.” Today, the Commonwealth’s Soldiers’ Homes carry on Massachusetts’ proud tradition of helping all veterans in need of both long-term care and domiciliary/independent housing and services. The Home is surveyed annually by the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It is also fully accredited by The Joint Commission.

The domiciliary portion of the Soldiers’ Home campus will also be redeveloped, and the Commonwealth is proceeding with a public-private partnership for this phase of redevelopment, recently selecting Pennrose LLP as the development.

The Department of Veterans’ Services (DVS) is the primary advocate on behalf of all the Commonwealth’s veterans, service members, and their families. DVS provides veterans and their families with quality support services and directs an emergency financial assistance program for those veterans and their dependents who are in need.

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