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10 Worcester Business Journal | November 2, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor W hen Becker College closed in 2021, the future of its Worcester property hold- ings was more than just a real estate question. Scattered through the Elm Park neighborhood were stately houses the college had converted into dor- mitories, offices and academic build- ings. Sold one at a time to the highest bidders, they could have become crowded student rentals or faced an uncertain future under owners with little connection to the area. Instead, Worcester developer Russ Haims bought 27 Becker parcels for $10 million. Five years later, the acquisition has paid off financially, he said, but his proudest return is visible along William, Sever, Cedar and Roxbury streets: Former institutional build- ings are homes again, many of them single-family. "It brought the neighborhood to where it should be or could have been," Haims said. Back to their roots Haims, founder and president of Worcester-based Hampton Proper- ties, was not new to Elm Park. His company, which has specialized in re- storing historic Worcester properties since 1985, already owned buildings in the neighborhood when Becker's financial struggles forced the college to close. e October 2021 acquisition in- cluded 24 buildings and three parking lots and returned more than $15 mil- lion in assessed value to Worcester's tax rolls. For Haims, concentrating so much of the former campus under one owner offered a chance to control what happened next. Several properties began as large single-family houses before Becker converted them for institutional use. Haims removed office improvements, restored residential features and sold the properties to buyers who intend- ed to live in them. He added deed restrictions requiring some to remain single-family homes, limiting the potential for future owners to divide them into lodging houses or crowded rentals. at selectivity meant rejecting some higher offers, Haims said. Developer's $10M gamble pays off for Elm Park Five years aer Becker's closure, Russ Haims' real estate investments bear fruit in neighborhood Russ Haims, founder and president of Worcester-based Hampton Properties PHOTOS | EDD COTE