New veterans home under construction

A construction company has started converting the former Sweater Mill/Carriage House in New Bedford into housing for American military veterans.
Bufftree Building Co. says the new facility will include 19 one-bedroom apartments, plus a new elevator, entrance vestibule and access stairs to the upper and lower levels. The company is also building laundry and utility rooms on each floor. The renovation designs are being undertaken by Providence-based Durkee, Brown, Viveiros & Werenfels Architects.
“As this is an old building undergoing a complete renovation, it may pose some challenges,” said Bufftree Building Company Project Manager Stanley P. Cieplik. “The architects have done a great job on the design, and in the end, this will be an incredible facility for our veterans as well as a beautiful addition to the neighborhood.”
The facility will be named the Sean Brooke House after a 21-year-old serviceman killed in Hawaii as the result of a motor vehicle accident in 2005. Before that Brooke, from Minnesota, had served in Iraq and connected with the New Bedford Vet Center, a support group for military members. Group members had come to know Brooke through letters and care packages they sent him while he was overseas. Brooke never actually visited Massachusetts.
Welcome Home Veterans Housing joined with Caritas Communities, a nonprofit organization that has developed similar housing in the Boston area, to obtain grants and other donations to fund the project.