Small apartments are designed for college students and empty-nesters

By Bronislaus B. Kush TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
STAFF
bkush@telegram.com

WORCESTER — It was during an era long past that some city visitors chose to book their overnight accommodations at the Hotel Capitol, conveniently located in a two building complex on Portland Street, about half a block from Worcester Common and smack in the middle of the central business district.

However, the once-teeming buildings, which, at one time, also provided tenement space for downtown workers, have been largely vacant over the past three decades, victims of the topsy-turvy economics of downtown Worcester. Now, an effort is being made by the relatively new owners of the properties to breathe new life into the buildings. The structures, along with the abutting Bancroft Building at 60 Franklin St., have been emptied of the few remaining tenants and are being retrofitted for 39 new housing units.

The renovations are part of an ongoing plan by the Mayo Group — a Boston-based real estate investment, development, and management company — to transform the area immediately south of City Hall into a “village” of college students, empty-nesters and others who prefer city living.