Lawrence, Massachusetts, was hanging on by a thread before Sal Lupoli set his sights on the city. Just a short trip north of Boston, Lawrence didn’t have much going for it after the 1930s when the textile industry folded and left dozens of large-scale mills to fall into disrepair and blight.

The buildings, typically five to seven stories with 15-foot-high ceilings and large windows, were more or less skyscrapers laid out horizontally. Without massive industry to occupy them, they had no practical use for the people of Lawrence.