Historic MMA Building to Receive $2M in Renovations

COURTESY OF MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMY Blinn Hall, which was built in 1932, will receive a $2 million renovation this summer.

COURTESY OF MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMY
Blinn Hall, which was built in 1932, will receive a $2 million renovation this summer.

BUZZARDS BAY – An historic building on the campus of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy will see a major renovation this summer.

Blinn Hall, which was built in 1932, currently houses admission and financial aid offices, a small auditorium and a classroom.

The renovations are needed due to water damage suffered over the years.

“[It’s] the typical damage you’d get from a leaky roof, leaky walls, water damage to interior floors and ceiling tiles,” said Paul O’Keefe, the vice president of operations for Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

Renovation work will include replacing the original slate roof and brick masonry, along with weatherproofing windows and doors.

“It’ll be a complete exterior restoration which will weatherproof the building from the elements which are pretty severe around here,” O’Keefe said.

The project would cost approximately $2 million and will be paid for through state deferred maintenance funds from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance.

“They are basically the landlord of the buildings on campus,” O’Keefe said.

The project will go out to bid to contractors in May.

“We anticipate beginning the work in July and the project could take up to four months,” O’Keefe said.

Blinn Hall was originally built as a passenger and freight terminal and was known as the “Port of Buzzards Bay,” according to O’Keefe.

“I guess the idea was to boost the economy during that depression era,” he said.

The building was used as classroom space after the academy moved from Hyannis in 1948.

“You will not notice any difference in the look of the building,” O’Keefe said. “We plan to maintain the historic look of the building.”

Blinn Hall is listed with the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter

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