Johnson Roberts Associates

05/29/2026

Our Marketing Manager Will recently revisited the beautiful Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in North Andover, MA. Helen Stevens Coolidge inherited Ashdale Farm in 1914. Helen and her husband, US diplomat John Gardner Coolidge (a descendent of Thomas Jefferson and a nephew to Isabella Stewart Gardner), made the property their summer home. Noted preservation architect Joseph Everett Chandler was commissioned to renovate the house and gardens, and over the course of almost 50 years, the Coolidges transformed the property into a neo-Georgian Colonial Revival estate. If you are ever in the area it is definitely worth visiting, and it's free.

05/08/2026

05/01/2026

Here's an article on MassLive about funding being approved for us to build a new East Springfield Branch Library (which we recently completed a study for): https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2026/04/a-new-lease-on-life-for-library-hub-in-east-springfield-the-republican-editorials.html

"The initial idea was to expand the current building, but city and neighborhood leaders decided that a modern library that gets used as much as the one in East Springfield needed more space. The current plan is to spend $12.4 million to raze the 94-year-old branch and build a new one three times as large."

We are thrilled to create a beautiful new, energy-efficient library that will become a central hub of the East Springfield community.

East Springfield community leaders understood the sustained effort it would take to rebuild the branch.

04/17/2026

Here are some more photos of the Town Hall and School Administration Building we recently completed for the town of Wilmington, MA.

04/10/2026

JRA designers Ruth and Chris also attended the NESEA BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 conference at the Westin Boston Seaport District — where they learned new strategies for planning, discussing and implementing sustainable design techniques and technology.

Ruth's favorite presentation was “Spinach and Sustainability.” It focused on how to talk about sustainability without actually using the word—making the message more engaging and accessible (like selling a healthy green smoothie without highlighting the spinach). She also enjoyed playing a game called “Cards Against Sustainability” to practice this approach..

03/27/2026

We are dedicated to sustainable design, and one of the ways we keep up with the latest breakthroughs and technology is to attend the yearly NESEA (Northeast Sustainable Energy Association) conference. We joined NESEA in 2023 and have learned a lot through our membership.

On March 23 & 24 some of JRA’s designers attended the NESEA BuildingEnergy Boston 2026 conference at the Westin Boston Seaport District.

Some of the informative sessions they attended included:
• Decarbonization and Constructing All-electric Buildings
• Breaking Thermal Bridges
• Energy Modeling
• Passive House Design
• Geothermal Heating and Cooling

As members of the United States Green Building Council and participants in the AIA 2030 Challenge, our designers came away with many fresh ideas to further our energy-efficient design goals. Thanks NESEA!

03/16/2026

For a few years now we’ve been working on the historic Cambridge City Hall. This local landmark was designed in 1888 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow (yes, this famous architectural firm is where the names of the bar and restaurant above the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square originated).
Initially we were working on office space reorganization, but the project later expanded to exterior restoration and improving accessibility by installing additional stair railings and revised treads, new ramps, lower counter heights, more signage, recessed water fountains with cane-detection rails, and more. The grand staircase was previously not accessible due to handrail, stair treads and other elements not meeting modern code requirements.
One of the challenges in a project like this is making modern improvements while maintaining the historic character and aesthetic quality as much as possible. Achieving this fine balance between safety and beauty/authenticity requires careful planning and our vast experience with historic structures combined with the expertise of our consultants.
Now this iconic city hall is more accessible to everyone in the community, and we are pleased we were able to help.

03/02/2026

Last Thursday we took a tour of the newly completed Wilmington Town Hall & School Administration Building. It was exciting to see the results of everyone's hard work on this project. Here are a few photos (more to come).

02/06/2026

Here's a look at our recently completed Swansea Free Public Library project from our partners at Delphi Construction.

01/23/2026

Construction is complete on the new Wilmington, MA Town Hall and School Administration Building! We hope it serves the Wilmington community well for many years. Here are a couple of initial photos, more to come.