Three years of painstaking collaboration among preservation experts, skilled trades professionals, the National Park Service, and federal and city agencies culminated in the landmark renovation of the Easton Building in Boston, MA, and a prestigious statewide award.
BOSTON, MA — Coast and Harbor Associates, Inc, an Owner’s Project Management firm, is proud to announce its recognition as part of the 2026 Robert H. Kuehn, Jr. Award team, presented by Preservation Massachusetts. The honor recognizes the firm’s role in the collaboration as the Construction Management Representative for the $23 million historic restoration of the Easton Building at 15 State Street.
The project required three years of cooperative collaboration amid complex conditions, scope changes, Congressional approval for work on a federally owned landmark, and successive changes in federal administrations. The award-winning team — Coast and Harbor; eChem; Jablonski Building; M&A Architectural Preservation; Page Think; Pullman Services; SGH; Stone & Lime Historic Restoration Services and Titan Roofing — held firm throughout, coordinating closely with the National Park Service, the City of Boston, the MBTA, and utilities providers to meet the highest preservation standards.
Built in 1904 by the Ames Family, the Easton Building stands as Boston’s first steel-frame high-rise — a landmark of structural innovation clad in Milford Pink Granite with an ornate copper cornice. It rises directly beside the 1713 Old State House at the epicenter of the Freedom Trail and Boston’s largest historic district, owned and stewarded by the National Park Service.
After 122 years in service, the renovation encompassed embedded-structural-steel repairs, cathodic steel protection, exact-match carved-granite replacement, restoration of 177 original historic windows, and copper cornice work — returning the façade to its original quality and period colors. Complete MEP upgrades, new steam heating, structural vault, and sidewalk reconstruction modernized the building’s infrastructure while fully respecting its historic fabric.
“This restoration is a testament to what is possible when the right team of preservation professionals refuses to yield to complexity. We are honored to be recognized alongside our distinguished partners, and proud that the Easton Building will stand as a symbol of both 1904 engineering innovation and 21st-century preservation stewardship at the heart of Boston’s historic district.”
— John M. Rossi, Coast and Harbor Associates
Construction Management Representative and Preservation Expert
Preservation Massachusetts is the leading statewide nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Commonwealth’s historic places. The Kuehn Award is among its most prestigious annual honors, recognizing the collaborative spirit and technical excellence that define the best in historic preservation work.