In the early 1970s, Fontaine shipped up to Boston where we built the Joseph P. Healey Library at University of Massachusetts Boston.
Designed by Harry Weese & Associates of Chicago, this impressive eleven-story library remains the tallest building on UMass Boston’s Columbia Point campus, offering sweeping views of Dorchester Bay.
More than fifty years later, students are still climbing those stairs, finding a study spot, and making the library the heart of campus life.
Photos Courtesy of the UMass Boston Archives
#FlashbackFriday #FontaineBuilds #UMassBoston #BostonConstruction #HigherEdConstruction MassachusettsConstruction ConstructionHistory UniversityConstruction BostonHarbor DorchesterBay BuiltToLast
Seeing existing conditions clearly changes everything.
Steve Gelinas, our Director of VDC and Construction Technology, shares how bringing LiDAR scanning in-house is helping us capture real-world conditions, coordinate more effectively, and solve challenges before construction begins.
Fewer surprises. Fewer change orders. More efficient builds.
#FontaineBuilds #VDC #ConstructionTechnology #LiDAR #LaserScanning #BIM #VirtualDesignConstruction #ConstructionInnovation #Preconstruction #BuildingSmarter #ConstructionManagement #AEC #DigitalConstruction #Coordination #Constructability #BuildingTheFuture #CommercialConstruction #PublicConstruction #MassachusettsConstruction
This week was an exciting one as we celebrated National Safety Stand-Down Week! While safety is a priority every day, this time gave us a valuable opportunity to engage directly with our team members and subcontractors about the critical importance of safety in everything we do.
Across our jobsites, crews signed pledge boards committing to work safer together, Safety Week t-shirts were distributed, and select workers received prizes in recognition of their efforts. As the week comes to a close, we want to thank everyone on our jobsites for the role they play in building a safer future.
#FontaineBuilds #SafetyWeek2026 #ConstructionSafety #SafetyFirst #NationalSafetyStandDownWeek
At Fontaine, safety is more than a priority, it’s part of the culture we bring to every jobsite, every day. That’s what makes #SafetyWeek2026 so important. It gives us an opportunity to connect with our project teams and continue reinforcing the importance of creating safe, healthy jobsites for everyone.
As Fontaine Director of Safety Mark Bisson shared: “This week offers us a chance to engage with our employees, subcontractors, and partners, emphasizing the critical importance of prioritizing safety every single day. We use this time as an opportunity to not only reflect on our current safety practices but also to commit ourselves to continuous improvement. Together, we’re shaping a culture where safety is more than a priority, it’s a core value we live by.”
#FontaineBuilds #SafetyWeek2026 #ConstructionSafety #SafetyFirst #NationalSafetyStandDownWeek
To kick off #SafetyWeek2026, we’re proud to reaffirm our commitment to the highest standards of safety in the construction industry. As part of that commitment, this morning we asked workers across all of our jobsites to sign a pledge to work safer, and everyone who took the pledge walked away with a Fontaine Safety Week t-shirt.
National Safety Stand-Down Week offers us a chance to emphasize the critical importance of prioritizing safety every single day. We use this time as an opportunity to not only reflect on our current safety practices, but also to commit ourselves to continuous improvement. Together, we're shaping a culture where safety is more than a priority, it's a core value we live by.
#FontaineBuilds #SafetyWeek2026 #ConstructionSafety #SafetyFirst #NationalSafetyStandDownWeek
From 1964 to 1979, the Fontaine team was busy cooking up Big Boy restaurants across Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, completing five locations in total: one in Chicopee, Longmeadow, and West Hartford, and two in the City of Springfield.
At its peak in the 1970s and 80s, the Big Boy brand grew to more than 1,000 locations nationwide, becoming a familiar name along highways and main streets across the country. The locations Fontaine built were part of that successful run, serving as go-to spots for families across our region.
Some projects serve communities in the classroom. Others served burgers and milkshakes.
#FlashbackFriday #FontaineBuilds #Throwback #BigBoys #FastFood #ConstructionHistory
Yesterday, we celebrated the groundbreaking of Greylock Elementary School, marking an exciting milestone for our team and for the North Adams community.
We were honored to celebrate alongside some of the project’s youngest neighbors. Students from a daycare that borders the site often gather along the fence to watch the trucks in action, and yesterday they were invited to dig in and help break ground. It was a reminder that this project is more than just a construction site. It’s part of the neighborhood and is being built for the community growing up around it.
With construction now underway, progress is picking up on site. The first sections of the foundation are ready, with initial materials delivered and early inspections complete, setting the stage for concrete placement this week. At the same time, demolition is moving along with major debris and topsoil haul-out as the site continues to take shape.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Fontaine team, alongside Colliers Project Leaders and TSKP Studio Architects, continue building a new school that will serve the students of North Adams for years to come.
#FontaineBuilds #Groundbreaking #K12Construction #PublicConstruction #NorthAdams #MassachusettsConstruction #Berkshires
We're proud to share that our recently completed Tyngsborough Middle School has achieved the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification!
With its 112,000 square feet of sustainable learning space, Tyngsborough Middle School reflects our ongoing commitment to environmentally responsible construction—earning LEED Gold for its performance in energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor environmental quality, and overall environmental impact.
This milestone was made possible through strong partnership and shared vision with the Town of Tyngsborough, Tyngsborough Public Schools, LeftField Project Management & JCJ Architecture. Together, we can build a more sustainable future!
#FontaineBuilds #LEEDGold #GreenBuilding #SustainableConstruction #K12Construction #PublicConstruction #MassachusettsConstruction #BuildingPerformance
Did you know that in 1964, Fontaine built the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority House at the University of Massachusetts Amherst? Completed for $250,000, the two-story building was home to 70 AXO sisters and quickly became a pillar of Greek life on campus.
More than 60 years later, the house is still standing at 38 Nutting Avenue and is now home to the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi. Different letters on the door—but the same structure that’s been part of campus life for generations. At Fontaine, our projects are built to last… even through six decades of college parties.
#FlashbackFriday #FontaineBuilds #UMassAmherst #GreekLife #BuiltToLast #CampusLife #CollegeMemories #Throwback #ConstructionHistory
Last week, the Fontaine team was honored to take part in the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s Story of a Building event, showcasing our award-winning Doherty Memorial High School project in the City of Worcester. The event brought together school district representatives from across the state to tour the new school and learn more about the construction process and what made this project so successful.
Fontaine’s Liz Wambui joined Christina Bazelmans from LPA|A to share the story behind Doherty’s Living Lab initiative—grounded in the idea that, as the largest school project in the city’s history, this was more than a new school. It was a major investment in the community and an asset to its taxpayers. The project became a real-time learning environment for students, colleges, and community organizations to explore architecture, construction, and project management.
Built by the diverse community it represents, the project logged over 400,000 workforce hours by people of color, women, and city residents, and directed more than $50 million to minority- and women-owned businesses. Throughout construction, students engaged through site tours, internships, and classroom activities—and during the event, two Doherty students shared how these experiences opened their eyes to new possibilities in the AEC industry.
#FontaineBuilds #MSBA #StoryOfABuilding #WorcesterMA #K12Construction #CommunityImpact #LivingLab
The theme of #EarthDay2026 is "Our Power, Our Planet", which places a spotlight on renewable energy and the infrastructure that makes it possible. In celebration of this, we want to take a moment to highlight the work happening right down the road from our Springfield office at our PVTA Cottage Street Electrification Phase 2 Project.
Centered around Pioneer Valley Transit Authority’s transition to a battery-electric bus fleet, this project marks a major step toward a more sustainable future. Work includes installation of a state-of-the-art overhead Heliox charging system for high-efficiency, rapid charging, along with infrastructure to support a new electric bus fleet—bringing together advanced technology and forward-thinking transit planning.
Projects like this don’t just modernize facilities, they lay the groundwork for cleaner air, reduced emissions, and more sustainable public transportation systems for the communities we serve. At Fontaine, we’re proud to be part of a project that aligns with a bigger mission and honored to continue setting a new green standard for the construction industry.
#EarthDay #OurPowerOurPlanet #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #ElectricVehicles #PublicTransit #Construction #Infrastructure #PVTA
Did you know that in 1968, Fontaine constructed the Steiger’s department store at the Eastfield Mall?
Designed by Chamberlain & Thomas of Longmeadow, MA and built for approximately $1.4 million, the store became a central part of what would grow into one of Springfield’s go-to shopping destinations for decades.
As retail evolved, so did the space, transitioning from Steiger’s to Filene’s in 1994, and later to Macy’s, before the mall closed in 2023 to make way for redevelopment as Springfield Crossing.
From past to present, projects like this are a reminder of how the spaces we construct continue to change with the needs of the communities where we build, work, and live.
#FontaineBuilds #FlashbackFriday #SpringfieldMA #WesternMass #MassachusettsConstruction #Steigers #EastfieldMall
