Inside the Martin Richard Dorchester Field House, according to a rendered image of the project | Courtesy of dorchesterfieldhouse.orgA 75,000 square foot three-story field house owned by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dorchester and operated and programmed in partnership with the Martin Richard Foundation will be built in Dorchester’s Columbia Point.
The building will be open to the community, featuring indoor multi-sport athletic field and courts, walking track, fitness and training rooms, classrooms, an event space, teaching kitchen, and office and conference space. The building will have a café with outdoor seating and retail space to support its essential programming.
The building project costs more than $50 million. The project was initially approved in March, 2022 by the Boston Planning and Development Agency, but needed the approval of the Zoning Board of Appeals to fit its zoning for the dimensional regulations, specifically, building height, and conditional use permits for the Field house’s event space, take-out operations in the café, accessory parking, and other accessory uses. The Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously in favor of the the project in October 2022, with the exception of board member Eric Robinson, who abstained because his architectural firm, RODE Architects, designed the building.
The Martin Richard Dorchester Field House will be built in 315 Mount Vernon Street (02125), a land owned by the Boston Public Schools. The building is named after Martin Richard, Dorchester neighbor killed during the 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist attack when he was just 8 years old.
