"That's our goal," executive secretary Mark Erlich tells GlobeSt.com following Nercc's $5.8-million purchase of 750 Dorchester Ave., an option the group favored over continuing to lease space. The association hopes to expand the property's footprint, and is in the process of identifying an architect to develop a design. "It's going to take awhile," he says of opening the new facility, pledging to first meet with city officials and community members to hammer out the details.

The training center at 371-385 Market St. is on the edge of Boston's bustling Brighton Center retail district and just up the street from one of the emerging inner suburbs office enclaves that today houses the New Balance Shoe headquarters and a glitzy new studio for public television giant WGBH. The Market Street property, which totals approximately one acre, has been owned by Nercc since 1989 and has an assessed value of nearly $2 million. Selling is one option, says Erlich, but he stresses that no decision has been made on Nercc's strategy for the site.

Nercc acquired 750 Dorchester Ave. from a Wayland-based investment group, Tyott Co. The property is located just off the Southeast Expressway, offering access to Interstate 93 for Nercc's geographically diverse membership. The association represents more than 24,000 carpenters and affiliated trades workers in all six New England states.