Audubon Park incorporates sleek design
Just east of Audubon Circle, off Beacon Street, in West Fenway, a new $35-million condominium development stands at 16 Miner St., where a taxicab garage had existed for decades.
It’s a six-story, 65,000-square-foot building of precast brick, glass and silver metal cladding with 53 residences – studios, one- and two-bedroom units.
Some of the brickwork is patterned to add eye appeal and interrupt the mass of the façade. A two-level garage that wraps around a tunnel for the Green-D Line provides 34 parking spaces.
A wide, gently curved wood pergola atop a paved walkway in front of the glass entry to Audubon Park frames the expansive lobby, where a contemporary concierge station is angled perpendicularly to two stainless steel elevators. Paneled interior walls of oak veneer and a stone floor complete the space.
“It has an Asian fusion design,” says Robert Fox, the developer who built the nearby Mountfort Place complex of 37 condos in 2005.
The Architectural Team of Chelsea designed the 16 Miner St. project, and Columbia Construction of North Reading is the general contractor. Fred Alibrandi and Ely Pierce of Otis & Ahearn Real Estate are marketing these residences, which range in price from the $400,000s to the $800,000s.
“These are the lowest prices for new, ground-up construction around,” says Fox. “These are not rehabbed lofts.” Similar condos in the Back Bay or Brookline would be over $1 million, he says.
There are more than nine different floor plans, and every corner has unobstructed views, says Fox. In fact, the corner casement windows meet each other to provide a more expansive view.
The condos boast high-end finishes with a nod to the environment. The flooring features wide-plank, carbonized bamboo, and the kitchen cabinets are built of rubberwood. Both bamboo and rubberwood are renewable.
What’s attractive about the rubberwood, a burnt sienna that contrasts with the lighter floors, is the rich grain of the wood.
“It has the grain of mahogany and the hue of cherry,” says Fox. The minimal hardware is polished nickel.
And, the Bosch appliances are top-of-the-line, including glass-topped electric ranges, self-cleaning convection ovens, microwaves and full-size, front-loaded stacked washer/dryers.
The kitchens have rubberwood cabinets and bamboo flooring, both environmentally sustainable.
The Fisher & Paykel refrigerators have bottom freezers. Granite counters with a matching 12-inch backsplash come in three colors – Baltic brown and Carioca gold, which have a polished finish, and Absolute black, which has a honed finish. Many of the kitchens have granite peninsulas that can double as a breakfast bar.
The custom-milled woodwork throughout is sleek to further the contemporary aesthetic of these homes. The bedrooms will be carpeted and will coordinate with the stone, Alibrandi says. (Last week’s tour preceded the staging of several units, under the direction of Teresa Fox of Creative Motifs, and workers were completing punch lists for the condos that were going to close within days.)
The white-painted baths feature marble-topped vanities and ceramic-tiled floors in complimenting colors. For example, the Carrara marble vanity contrasts with Asian black floor tiles and light gray tub surrounds in the units with Absolute black granite in the kitchens.
Botticino Classico marble, Egyptian beige floor tiles and almond wall tiles are in the baths of condos with Carioca gold granite in the kitchens – the most prevalent palette – while Rosa Aurora marble, Indian red floor tiles and blush surround tiles are in the homes with Baltic brown granite counters in the kitchen.
Homes with two baths have an oversized walk-in shower in one bath and a combination tub/shower in the other. An interesting detail is that the rod for the shower curtain is placed high above the tub’s edge and is elliptical, providing more showering space.
The same gentle curve is repeated in the Juliet balconies found in many of the condos.
“A lot of thought was put into the design” of the building and the units, says Fox. “All the condos are oriented toward the light and the view.
“Ninety percent of the units in the Fenway area are one-bedrooms in existing buildings.”
These units are in a stand-alone building, and many have more than one exposure. They have CAT-5 wiring with connections for telephone and cable in each room.
There is a single-source of heat and cooling, all contained on the roof of the building in an elaborate system of gas burners that work consecutively not only to heat the living space but also provide hot water at a moment’s notice. Eliminating the necessity for a hot water tank in each unit creates more living space or another closet, Alibrandi points out. The heat and hot water costs are included in the condo fees.
“We’re at an advantageous point in the market,” says Fox, “because there is nothing else like this around.” This property has an international, contemporary flair, what you might find in New York, he says. Its proximity to two MBTA Green Lines – C and D – and to the Longwood Academic and Medical Area are absolute pluses.
In fact, among the buyers are people who are working in the medical field as well as in the financial services industry, life sciences or in academia. “These units represent a lot of value.”
DETAILS
Address: Audubon Park, 16 Miner St., Fenway
Age: 2007-2008
Price: Ranging from the $400,000s to $800,000
BR/BA: Studios, one- and two-bedroom units with one or two baths
Size: 664 to 1,090 square feet
Taxes and fees: To be determined. Condo fees include heat and hot water.
Features of building: Brand new building of brick, glass and silver metal cladding; two elevators with 3500-pound capacity in concierge-staffed lobby; pet-friendly building.
Features of units: New construction with bamboo floors in living spaces, carpets in bedrooms, stainless steel kitchens with granite counters, rubberwood cabinetry, marble vanities in baths; in-unit washer/dryers; forced hot air heating and central air systems by gas, CAT-5 wiring, with an Intercom system; each room has a telephone and cable jack. Individual storage on lower level; Deeded garage parking available for purchase for $65,000.
Close by: Fenway, Back Bay and Brookline shops and restaurants; the Fenway Cultural District, several colleges and universities; Longwood Academic and Medical Area; the Emerald Necklace park system; close to MBTA Green C and D Lines; easy access to Riverway, Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive, Mass. Pike.
Contact: Fred Alibrandi or Ely Pierce, Otis & Ahearn Real Estate, 200 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617-267-3500 (office), 617-266-0551 (dedicated line for Audubon Park). Web sites: www.audubonparksales.com or www.otisahearn.com
