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The gift of an historic house across the street from Coburn Hall on UML South could some provide a home for one of many University entities looking for more space on campus.
The 103-year-old house was given to the University by Lowell native Paul Desmarais and his wife, Linda, as a tribute to Paul’s late aunt, Berthe Desmarais, a Lowell high school teacher who lived there most of her life. Fittingly, the lifelong educator’s bedroom window overlooked Coburn Hall, the original home of the Normal School.
“We wanted to give the house to the University as a legacy for the family, and also to set an example to other people in the neighborhood,” says Desmarais. He was also reluctant to see the house sectioned into smaller apartment units, which may have happened if he sold it to a private developer.
He and his family now live near Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., where he sees similar houses used for college purposes, such as alumni association offices.
Chancellor Marty Meehan says he is grateful for the generosity of the Desmarais family, and hopeful that other families in the same situation also might think of the University.
“Paul and Linda’s gift is very welcome as we continue to build our new vision for this campus. Our urban setting gives us limited room to grow,” says Meehan. “We are in the middle developing a master plan to address the many space needs on campus, and this property will be an important addition to the mix.”
Although he didn’t grow up in the house, Paul remembers visiting Berthe and his grandparents for holidays. The family owned the house for 60 years and it was passed down to Paul about 10 years ago. The four-bedroom house, which was built in 1905 and sits on about a quarter of an acre of land, is valued at $275,000.