Dr. Babak Movahedi and his wife, Sarah, in front of 30 E. Main St., Westborough, which they own and had restored.
WESTBOROUGH – A few years ago, the only occupants at 30 E. Main St. were the birds and squirrels that found their way through the third-floor windows.
The house – a Greek Revival dating back to 1825 – had been vacant for years, and it was close to being torn down.
About 100 yards from the site, Dr. Babak Movahedi had just finished a two-year restoration project at his home on Spring Street.
“It was really a mess, but much of the character and charm was preserved,” said Movahedi, who has lived in Westborough since 2012.
He and his wife, Sarah, then began looking at 30 Main St.
Michael Fitzpatrick shows one of the historical connections of 30 E. Main St., Westborough. The sign may read 1855, but Fitzpatrick said that according to records the house dates from 1825.
“Every time we looked at it, we could see it had beauty and charm,” he said.
There were also the junk cars and dumpster that occupied the yard, not to mention the wildlife inside.
“It had been declared unsuitable for human habitation,” said Movahedi. “It was falling apart.”
One of the town’s realtors then approached him and asked if he wanted to buy the house. Knowing it would be a “much, much bigger project,” he bought the property from William Adrian in 2022.
The previous year, Adrian had been granted a special permit to convert the structure into three units. Work began to rehab the house, but it halted when the contractor disappeared. Movahedi tried obtaining a new contractor, without luck.
He then approached Michael Fitzpatrick, a furniture maker with a background in historic house rehabilitation. Movahedi knew of Fitzpatrick from his work on a house on Church Street.
“He has a good understanding, an eye for detail. He also knows how to navigate through all the challenges,” said Movahedi.
“I told him I was really in this pickle, with no contractor,” said Movahedi. “And he said, ‘Maybe I can help.’”
Fitzpatrick moved to Westborough in 2012. He has been interested in historic restoration since childhood, when he was living on his grandfather’s farm in Suffern, New York.
“One of the barns had been turned into a house,” he recalled.
Fitzpatrick attended the University of New Hampshire and Boston University’s School of Engineering. Along the way, he began rebuilding homes in Boston. He then set up shop in Marblehead, making custom cabinets, furniture and more.
In 2004, Fitzpatrick attended the two-year course at the North Bennet Street School, a facility renowned for its curriculum in furniture making. Upon graduation, he opened a shop in Boston to make furniture pieces.
He earned his engineering degree in 2019, and a master’s degree in teaching physics in 2020. Fitzpatrick taught at Boston Latin Academy during his student teaching year.
After being vacant for years, 30 E. Main St. in Westborough has been restored, and it is ready for a new generation of tenants.
Fitzpatrick took on the project, which began with a complete gutting of the structure.
He said the key to rehabbing an older home is making sure the basement is “bone dry” and equipped with radon detectors and pumps.
Much of the house’s décor, like the windows and one of the staircases, has been replicated. There are some original details, including the granite steps; the front door and entry staircase; and the flooring on the third floor.
In between the basement and the top floor will be three rental apartment units with the latest amenities, including lighting, washer/dryer units, wine coolers, kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures.
The property also features solar panels and three electric vehicle charging stations.
Fitzpatrick considers his work “a labor of love,” and “an act of philanthropy.”
“These houses, in such disrepair, require so much effort and money to bring back to their original glory,” he said. “Even if the houses were free, the resources required often exceed the final value and will take some time to recover. I look at saving the history and restoring old beauties like these as being partially philanthropic. The houses go from being wrecks that are about to be torn down and transform to beautiful period examples that will stand for hundreds of years if properly maintained.”
“They don’t build them like that anymore,” said Movahedi. “That building was worth saving. Everyone in Westborough can enjoy it for the next 100 years.”
Pending final inspections, the units will be placed on the market within a few weeks, said Fitzpatrick. The broker will be Mary Wood of Lamacchia Realty.
