Amazing artist live/work townhouse

Check out our website for more information, virtual tour and images.

This town-home is part of a lively, vibrant community of professional artists. Your new neighbors include painters and sculptors, dancers and choreographers, a harpist, a comedian, and a well-known concert pianist.

The building began it’s life in 1850 as a factory, turning out rubber heels for shoes. As industry left the area, the artists began moving in. Groups like the Boston Photo Collaborative worked here for years and this unit was home to the Boston indie band Morphine.

Several years ago, the artists living here learned the owner of the building was planning on selling it for conversion to luxury condos. Fearful of losing their beloved homes the artists banded together to buy it for themselves.

It took a ton of organizing, several government grants, and the collaboration of the Mayor’s Office and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) but the artists were able to raise millions of dollars to purchase and renovate the building.

All 24 units were completely gut renovated and rebuilt to the highest safety and construction standards. The units were officially designated “live/work” so the artists could practice their crafts here.  Many were purpose-built to meet individual needs – the tall unit on the end, for example, houses a rope-climbing artist!

This unit is especially well-suited for running a creative business, since the first floor is separated from the more private living quarters.

The developer was the highly respected firm of Peter Roth.They designed a building that was respectful of the history of the place, but had all the modern amenities like energy efficient windows and state of the art Rinnai point of use heaters.

This unit received special care as it was considered the best of the building. The brick walls were parged down several feet and carefully rebuilt to hold the weight of the new top addition. The walls were made with steel studs. The first floor was dug out and concrete re-poured to a depth of two feet.

The contractors prided themselves on the solid construction -  as one declared,  “This will last another 150 years!”

The complex is a mixture of market rate units and a special kind of affordable housing restricted only to artists. The market rate units, like this one, have no financial re-sale restrictions. The affordable units may only be sold to artists who qualify through the BRA’s rigorous artist certification program and have adequate financial resources. Most hold down professional jobs, like teaching,  in addition to their art work.

Since the artists worked so hard to obtain their units, they are passionately committed to maintaining the property. The building is self-managed, so condo fees are very low. Occasionally the neighbors volunteer to rake leaves, trim bushes, clean gutters, etc. Each “work day” ends with a roving cocktail party and cookout on the board walk!

Mayor Menino Announces Jamaica Plain,

Centre and South Streets Redesign

City Will Work With Citizen’s Advisory Group to Create a More Vibrant Transportation Corridor

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that Centre and South Streets, from Jackson Square to Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, will be redesigned by the City of Boston.  To launch the redesign effort, the City has selected a citizen’s advisory group and a team of consultants and will kick-off the work with a public meeting on July 15 at Curtis Hall, 20 South Street, Jamaica Plain.

“The time is right to re-envision Centre and South Streets in Jamaica Plain,” said Mayor Menino.  “We now have the opportunity to create a more vibrant transportation corridor through Jamaica Plain, providing safer pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and vehicle connections, as well as a livelier street environment that will promote local business.  Today, I am proud to announce that we will be working hand in hand with the community to upgrade Centre and South Streets.”

The project area runs along Centre and South Streets between Forest Hills and Jackson Square, encompassing both Hyde Square and Monument Square.  Heavy through and local traffic, and the corridor’s busy intersections, currently present many conflict points for vehicles and pedestrians.  The City will redesign the corridor to improve traffic flow, simplify and improve pedestrian crossings and sidewalks, explore the addition of bike lanes, and create space for usable street furniture, landscaping and art.

The redesign is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010.  The Boston Transportation Department (BTD), in partnership with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), will lead the City’s effort to develop a consensus design.  The consulting team of McMahon and Associates has been retained to work with the City and the community.  Von Grossman & Company, a landscape architecture firm that also worked on the Dorchester Avenue Roadway Design Project, is part of the design team as well as the engineering firm of HDR Engineering.

The Centre and South Streets redesign process will work in tandem with the MBTA’s ongoing effort to improve bus service on Route 39, which runs along Centre and South Streets, through the consolidation of bus stops and the addition of new bus shelters.

BTD and the BRA have held three community meetings since November 2008 to identify key issues and to develop a scope of work for the consultant team.  The citizens’ advisory group, consisting of local business owners, residents, and representatives of neighborhood groups, has been actively involved in the process.  At the July 15 community meeting, work will begin with the consultant team to develop an overarching vision for the corridor that will guide the design process.  Additional items in the scope of work include the development of corridor-wide streetscape guidelines, the redesign of major intersections, such as Hyde Square, and a parking management strategy.

Boston Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin said, “The City will work with the community to make sure that Centre and South Streets will accommodate all modes of travel and be an asset for local residents and businesses.”