Feel the love Boston! Lovejoy Wharf, that is. One of the city’s most highly anticipated developments is breathing new life into the North Station area.
The waterfront project includes the rehabilitation of a condemned 9-story building on 160 North Washington Street and a 14-story building on 131 Beverly Street. The project will offer 175 luxury condominium residences, 187,000-square-feet of office space for Converse Global Headquarters, and 45,000-square-feet of ground-level retail space, including a 300-seat cafe-style restaurant.
The residential units, likely a mix of studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedrooms, will overlook stunning water and city views, as well as beloved landmarks, including the Zakim Bridge, Greenway, and TD Garden. The location provides easy access to public transportation and highways, as well as close proximity to restaurants, shops, and (arguably the most important) the home of two of our beloved sports teams— encapsulating the passions of the true Bostonian in one square block.
Converse’s perch atop Lovejoy Wharf is a salute to the adjacent mecca of basketball. The luminous Converse sign compliments the sea of green attire feverishly marching into the Garden and for Lovejoy Wharf, “green” means “no” to on-site parking. In a bold move for Boston, Boston based developer Related Beal received unanimous assent from the Boston Redevelopment Authority for the parking-less project, a first for our rapidly growing hub.
Boston is no stranger to firsts; the first public park, the first chocolate factory, the first public college, and, quite appropriately, the first Chuck Taylor manufactured out of the Converse factory in Malden, Massachusetts. Stroll down to the new 3,500-square-foot Converse store in Lovejoy Wharf and create your own customizable ‘Chucks’ at Converse’s “Blank Canvas” workshop. In honor of the alliance of new and old in our historic city, much like Beal’s vision for Lovejoy Wharf, Converse is featuring the classic Chuck Taylor with a red stripe across the bottom—a tribute to the Freedom Trail. A green and bronze pair with a local map of Boston in the footbed, mirrors the illuminated sign proudly displayed a top the new home of the footwear giant. This is Boston; ever evolving, and doing so with style.
If the parking-less friendly development is a slam dunk, we have the Bostonians who introduced the nation’s very first subway system at Park Street station on September 1,1897 to thank. “I think we’re brave enough and bold enough to say that this is what we believe a busy thriving urban area should look like,” says Bruce Beal, Sr., chairman of Related Beal. “We’re quite excited to offer a product which presents the Boston of tomorrow.”
Some residents living mere blocks away from Lovejoy Wharf in the North End echo Related Beal’s sentiments. “Young, working professionals are playing by our own rules. We want to simplify and streamline our lives and take advantage of anything that improves our fitness and our minds,” said Tania Green, Lovejoy Wharf neighbor and CEO/Founder of the start-up PMS Bites. “With all of the amazing transportation options available in the North End, owning a car, dealing with maintenance and storage is more of a burden than a luxury. The orange line, green line and commuter rail are steps away, Hubway is a great way to get in exercise and make it to your destination, and when a car is necessary, Uber, Zipcar, and Enterprise Carshare are at our fingertips.” In one of the most walkable and bikable cities in the country, why overpay for two white lines when you can have city life luxuries and none of the hassle?
Convenience is the word. Today you pay a premium for luxury living in the city’s center. You pay to have modern transportation conveniences like Uber, the public transit, and connectivity in the form of easily navigable sidewalks and bike paths. The number of registered vehicles has dropped. The secret to thriving in this brave new world? Balance. Brave, bold balance.
Beal’s vision of “the Boston of tomorrow” may be the answer. Bostonians are now more and more likely to lace up their Chuck Taylors rather than to fill up their gas tanks to get to where they’re going. At the end of the day, no matter what the obstacle, we always come together. We’re Bostonians after all. †
Danielle D’Ambrosio, Esq.
Vice President | Carucci Group
Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty
Direct: 781.420.9876
[email protected]
www.danielledambrosio.com
