Central Mass. by the Numbers

61

When Gene Fry went for a walk through the 55-plus community Brookfield Meadows Park on July 6, 2023, he didn’t expect one of the three owners of the park would stop his truck near him and ask whether Fry would consider organizing the residents to buy the 61-home park from the partners. Nearly a year later on Sept. 4, the Brookfield Meadows Park Association closed for $3.9 million with financing provided by ROC USA Capital. At $4.4 million, the loan covered the cost of the purchase, infrastructure improvements of the community and phasing in lot rent increases

$46M

Worcester Polytechnic Institute has finalized its $46 million purchase of two hotels at Gateway Park. On Sept. 13, two limited liability companies whose signatory is WPI Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Michael Horan signed deeds to purchase the Hampton Inn & Suites at 65 Prescott St. and the Courtyard by Marriott at 72 Grove St. They were both owned by BRE Hotels & Resorts, based in New York City. According to the deeds, the Hampton Inn sold for $20.4 million and the Courtyard by Marriott sold for $25.6 million.

1971

A popular Greater Gardner retailer is shutting its doors after more than a half century in business.Bruce Duguay, the manager of Templeton Furniture , which opened its store at 162 Baldwinville Road, Templeton, in 1971, has announced that the business, which specialized in medium- and high-end dining rooms, kitchen sets and living room furnishings, would be closing permanently at the end of October. Duguay, who started the business along with his father-in-law Roland LeClerc, who owned the store, said the decision to close was based on the current economic situation and the collapse of the local furniture manufacturing industry.

230

Trader Joe's has confirmed that it's coming to Milford and that a store could open later this year. In a statement posted online , the California-based grocery chain announced that it will open at 230 Fortune Blvd. The store's website said the company is working to open the 230 Fortune Blvd. store by the end of the year and updates will be posted on its website. Trader Joe's is a national grocery store chain selling items under its own private labels , often at a discount to name-brand equivalents. It operates more than 500 stores , 22 in Massachusetts including a location in Shrewsbury.

1864

Built in 1864, the Aaron Kimball House was one of three massive mansions built in Second Empire architecture-style along West Main Street in Brookfield. Today, it's the only one that remains and it just hit the market for less than $600,000. What's more, over the last 40 years the home has been restored to its original 1860s glory. Located at 2 West Main St., the former home of Brookfield industrialist Kimball was built directly over his former shoe factory after a fire destroyed the business in 1863. The house includes six marble fireplaces and five bedrooms on the second floor.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Central Mass. by the Numbers