Adjacent building and parking parcels in Medford Hillside, roughly 0.53 acres combined.
Buyer property brief | Medford, Massachusetts
Two adjacent parcels with transit access, parking, and multiple reuse paths.
If you have been searching for inner-core scale, parking, transit access, and a real second-parcel strategy, 100 and 101 Winthrop solve the problem in one acquisition. The asset is not complicated to understand. It is difficult to replace.
Design Concepts
Potential design renderings
Concept imagery helps buyers see the range of outcomes the parcels could support: mission-oriented renovation, adaptive residential conversion, subdivided-lot development, or a separate 101 Winthrop residential path.
100 Winthrop St
101 Winthrop St
Property Specs
The facts a buyer needs before the first internal approval meeting
The package is easiest to evaluate when the operating asset and the parking parcel are viewed together: existing building utility at 100 Winthrop, plus control, parking, and optionality at 101 Winthrop.
| Building sq ft | 14,874 sq ft living area per FY2026 assessor record |
|---|---|
| Year built | Current structure reportedly built circa 1950 after a fire; buyer to verify against municipal and historical records |
| Current use | Religious / institutional; assessor use noted as Church/Temple |
| Lot sizes | 100 Winthrop: 14,874 sq ft | 101 Winthrop: 0.20 acres |
| Zoning | 100 Winthrop: GR | 101 Winthrop: SF2 |
| Parking | Approx. 20+ surface spaces; 101 Winthrop assessor record notes 9,000 sq ft of asphalt paving |
| MBTA access | Walkable to Medford/Tufts Green Line station |
All specifications, history, dates, dimensions, zoning references, parking counts, condition statements, concept images, and use assumptions are preliminary diligence inputs only. Buyer is solely responsible for verifying all information with municipal records, survey, zoning, legal, engineering, environmental, architectural, lending, insurance, and other appropriate advisors.
Building History
Long-held church property with a mid-century replacement structure
The church has reportedly owned the property since the early 1900s. After a fire, the current structure was built circa 1950 and has continued to serve religious and institutional use. Buyers should verify the ownership timeline, fire history, construction date, permits, and any related municipal records during diligence.
Location Context
A close-in Medford Hillside position buyers can underwrite quickly
The parcels sit north of Tufts, within walking range of the Medford/Tufts Green Line station and close enough to I-93, Cambridge, and Boston to support multiple user groups without giving up neighborhood context.
Campus edge demand driver for housing, nonprofit, education, and community-serving uses.
Approximately 0.4 miles from the site, supporting car-light staff, visitors, tenants, and residents.
Highway and urban-core access broaden the buyer universe beyond a neighborhood-only use case.
Asset Overview
What makes this hard to replace
Most buyers can find a building without parking, or land without immediate use, or a transit-accessible address without control of the adjacent parcel. The reason this opportunity matters is that those pieces sit together.
Walkable Green Line access
Medford/Tufts access gives staff, residents, visitors, tenants, and congregants a practical car-light path into Cambridge and Boston.
A separate parking parcel
101 Winthrop is not leftover land. It protects operating use now and preserves a second decision for parking, tenant value, or future development.
14,874 sq ft institutional building
The existing improvement gives a buyer usable assembly, classroom, office, fellowship, and kitchen areas before any ground-up thesis is considered.
More than one credible exit
A buyer can underwrite operating reuse, partial tenanting, adaptive reuse, or redevelopment without depending on only one future approval path.
Parcel Strategy
Two parcels, two distinct sources of value
A buyer can keep the parcels together for operating efficiency, or separate the underwriting into a main-building thesis and a parking/development thesis.
100 Winthrop St
Main building opportunity
- Existing institutional building with large assembly spaces.
- Potential for community, educational, religious, residential, or mixed reuse.
- Large lot position relative to surrounding residential parcels.
101 Winthrop St
Parking and development optionality
- Separate 0.20 acre parcel currently used for surface parking.
- Single Family 2 zoning profile creates independent development potential.
- Parking materially improves the main building's buyer universe.
Floor Plans
Existing layout and room program
The building includes large gathering spaces on both levels, multiple classroom or office rooms, kitchens, restrooms, and several exterior exits. These plans help buyers understand the current operating layout before starting reuse, tenanting, or renovation studies.
Buyer Fit
Which version of the opportunity are you trying to solve for?
Different buyers will not value the same thing here. That is the point. The site gives each serious buyer a way to make the acquisition make sense without needing every other buyer to see the same future.
Multifamily or townhouse developer
You have been looking for inner-core control where the downside is not just land banking. You need a transit-accessible address, a separate parcel that can be valued independently, and a story that can survive partner scrutiny before entitlement risk is resolved.
Adaptive reuse or condo converter
You have been searching for existing volume that can save time without forcing a compromised layout. The question is whether the building can carry enough value through conversion to reduce the need for a full ground-up bet.
Religious or mission-aligned organization
You are not trying to lease another temporary room. You need a permanent home with sanctuary-scale space, weekday rooms, neighborhood presence, and parking that makes ministry or service delivery workable for years.
School, daycare, clinic, or nonprofit
You need rooms that can work soon, a location families and staff can reach, and enough site control to make operations credible. Parking, floor-plan flexibility, and community familiarity may matter more than a pure land comp.
Market Evidence
Comparable signals buyers should underwrite
These examples frame the relevant value drivers: institutional building utility, parcel scale, and redevelopment outcomes. The removed outlier church comp is not included in this buyer-facing version.
Boston Onnuri Church - 73 Pine St, Woburn MA
- Sale price
- $3,500,000
- Building size
- 10,500 sq ft
- Lot size
- 2.71 acres
Useful as an upper functional-utility signal: single-level flex space, large site area, and less immediate renovation friction than a legacy church building.
Belmont-Watertown United Methodist - 80-92 Mount Auburn St
- Sale price
- $5,000,000
- Building size
- 35,000 sq ft
- Lot size
- 1.37 acres across 3 parcels
The most relevant institutional scale signal. It shows how buyers discount larger, harder-to-fill buildings while still assigning substantial value to location, parcel control, and ancillary property.
150-156 Summer St, Medford
- Acquisition
- $1,200,000
- Exit value
- $4,000,000 total
- Use case
- Condo conversion
Relevant to buyers considering whether existing building volume and shell value can support a higher-yield residential conversion strategy.
101 Winthrop Development Reference
A nearby single-family development playbook
28 Chester Ave is useful for understanding 101 Winthrop as a standalone parcel: similar neighborhood context, similar lot constraints, and a clear acquisition-to-exit development pattern.
Zoning Analysis
100 Winthrop St - Zoning change outlook
Upside > DownsideCurrent zoning still controls. The upside case is that Medford's ongoing zoning work, Tufts/Boston Avenue planning, and transit-oriented housing pressure make this a site worth tracking closely, not a site to price as though future reform is already adopted.
Upside drivers if zoning changes advance
- Transit and campus context: Medford/Tufts Green Line access and Tufts proximity support a stronger density and reuse argument than a typical neighborhood lot.
- Large institutional parcel: the 14,874 sq ft main parcel is larger than many nearby residential lots, giving buyers more ways to study coverage, circulation, and reuse.
- Recognized conversion pathway: religious and institutional properties often attract residential, nonprofit, education, and community-use conversion analysis in supply-constrained markets.
- Separate parking parcel: 101 Winthrop can support interim operations while a buyer studies whether future zoning creates a higher-value second-parcel strategy.
Downside risks if zoning changes advance
- Current rules remain the base case: no buyer should assign full value to unadopted zoning or assume reform will arrive on the acquisition timeline.
- Open-space and surface limits: any new dimensional or environmental standards could affect coverage, parking layout, and hardscape assumptions.
- Process risk: neighborhood review, special permits, site plan review, and building-code upgrades can materially affect timing and carrying cost.
- Use-specific diligence: religious, nonprofit, education, daycare, residential, and mixed-use buyers will each face a different approval and operating path.
Commercial Lenders
Financing conversations to start early
For nonprofit, religious, educational, and community-use buyers, lender fit can be as important as rate. Start with institutions that understand commercial real estate, nonprofit cash flow, campaign timing, and mission-oriented occupancy.
Leader Bank
Massachusetts-based commercial lending team with named loan officers and commercial real estate expertise.
View lending teamRockland Trust
Dedicated nonprofit banking team offering tax-exempt and traditional financing, bridge financing, working capital lines, equipment loans, and acquisition or construction loans.
View nonprofit solutionsSalem Five
Nonprofit-focused commercial lending and banking, including term loans, lines of credit, tax-exempt bonds, deposits, cash management, and related advisory support.
View nonprofit lendingCass Commercial Bank
Commercial bank serving businesses, religious institutions, and nonprofits, with faith-based funding for building or updating facilities.
View Cass BankChristian Community Credit Union
Ministry banking platform with real estate loans, equipment loans, lines of credit, vehicle loans, share-secured loans, and term loans.
View CCCUChurch extension funds
For churches, a loan from the denomination or affiliated church extension fund may also be an option if that ministry offers lending. These lenders often understand congregation giving, campaigns, and church governance better than a general bank.
Example requirementsYour current banking institution
It is also worth checking with the bank or credit union where the organization already has accounts. An existing deposit, treasury, or lending relationship may help the lender understand cash flow, giving history, reserves, and operating patterns more quickly.
Start with your relationship managerOwnership Sustainability
Making ownership sustainable long-term
One other thought worth sharing: there are practical ways to make ownership more financially sustainable long-term. Wesley Church has been a strong example of this: sharing space with congregations that worship at different times, turning idle hours into both income and Kingdom partnership.
Share worship space
Share space with partner churches that need a home on weeknights or Sunday afternoons. Even one partner congregation can offset a meaningful portion of monthly carrying costs.
Preschool or after-school program
Partner with a licensed preschool, daycare, or after-school program to use the building during weekday hours, generating consistent rental income throughout the school year.
Nonprofit partners
Host established nonprofit partners such as tutoring centers, recovery groups, or community organizations that already budget for recurring meeting space.
Tenant commitments can strengthen underwriting
Something many church buyers do not realize: some lenders may count signed or projected rental agreements toward loan underwriting, which can improve the terms a buyer qualifies for. Lining up even one or two tenant commitments before closing can make the bank process smoother and strengthen the buyer's position.
Leverage housing assets carefully
If the church owns a property currently being used as a parsonage, that can sometimes be a helpful piece of the puzzle. Some churches borrow against it to supplement the down payment; others sell it and transition pastoral housing to a rent arrangement. Both approaches are common and can meaningfully reduce what the congregation needs to bring to closing.
Next Steps
What a serious buyer should confirm next
If the site solves the problem you are already trying to solve, the next step is not more browsing. It is focused diligence on the variables that determine whether your use, capital stack, and timing can work.
Confirm the parcel and zoning path
Verify lot dimensions, current zoning, permitted uses, parking requirements, and any special-permit path.
Confirm the building scope
Assess envelope, systems, accessibility, assembly occupancy, bathrooms, egress, and renovation scope.
Confirm the acquisition case
Model operating reuse, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment cases separately, then assign value to 101 Winthrop.
Pricing & Contact
Asking price: $2,950,000
If 100 and 101 Winthrop solve a real acquisition problem for your organization, development thesis, or capital plan, request the offering memorandum or schedule a walkthrough before preparing an offer.
Venture Real Estate, Inc.
MA License #9553857