BUA Building Undergoes Historical Restoration
Not one to miss out on wellness trends, Boston University Academy is getting a glow-up.
Beneath the scaffolding and plywood, the exterior of our building at One University Road is undergoing a transformation. Over nearly a century of Boston winters, the adhesive bonding the building’s concrete façade to the substructure began to detach, impacting the safety and stability of the structure. The renovation project currently underway will reinforce the façade and replace the decorative panels with identical replicas of the originals. The results of this historical restoration – like the best of facelifts – will be subtle but apparent, strengthening the structural integrity of the façade and highlighting the natural beauty of our historic Art Deco building.
Constructed in 1931 and designed by the architect Gilbert Miles Ramsey, the building at One University Road was the original home of the Shell Oil Company, part of Commonwealth Avenue’s historic auto mile. The hard-to-miss yellow and red Shell sign, now located on top of the Shell gas station across the river on Memorial Drive, once perched proudly atop what is now the BUA building.
Today, the building’s origins are still visible in the scallop motif on the façade of the structure. As part of the historical restoration, undertaken in partnership with Boston University’s Office of Campus Planning and Operations, these decorative panels are being removed and recast from the originals using 3D laser scanning – a lengthy and exacting process involving not just contractors but also skilled craftspeople. The replicas will be reinstalled using modern construction technology.
The renovation will take place over the coming months, with an estimated completion date of August 2026. Thank you for your forbearance as our school building undergoes this exciting historical restoration. We look forward to revealing the results of this project to our community in the fall of next year!
