Boston Seaport penthouse has unique design

A spectacular penthouse at the Court Square Press complex in the Seaport District is on the market for $1.999 million.

Robert Cohen of Boston Realty Advisors is the listing broker for this

2,700-square-foot condo, Unit 618, which has three bedrooms, a huge entry foyer, a large dining room, a living room, a study, a chef’s kitchen, four full baths and two deeded garage parking spaces.

In 1906 the brick building at the convergence of South Boston, the South End and the Seaport District was built for the Macallen Manufacturing Company, which made electrical products for railroads.

Sometime in the 1950s the building became the printing company, Court Square Press. By the time that Pappas Enterprises bought the property in 1999, it had been vacant for five years.

Pappas Enterprises completely rehabbed the building and added a beautiful glass façade to create 130 luxury residences. Many have exposed brick and beams from the original building, but Unit 618 is in the brand new section.

The conversion was completed in 2004 and named Court Square Press condominiums. 

The living room is open to the dining room, but its length allows for a lot of flexibility.

Next door the developer constructed a new building from the ground up using green building techniques. That building, which won a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification, has 140 condominiums and is called the Macallen.

Owners of the condominiums in Court Square and in Macallen share the amenities of the two buildings that include a bamboo forest in the courtyard of Court Square where benches provide serene spots to sit and relax and a gym filled with exercise equipment.

Amenities at the Macallen include a three-level parking garage, a landscaped terrace with benches, trees and flowers, gas grills and a heated lap pool, and an entertaining area with kitchen, bath and screening room. 

The chef’s kitchen features custom cabinetry, high-end appliances and stone and butcher block counters.

Both the lobby of Court Square Press and Unit 618 were designed by Office dA, an architectural firm comprising two Harvard Graduate School of Design professors, one of whom went on to head MIT’s School of Architecture.

As could be expected, Unit 618 is filled with innovative features.

The front door of Unit 618 opens to a huge octagonal foyer. The walls are floor-to-ceiling, door-size panels of bleached anigre wood. The hardwood flooring was laid diagonally and stained a coffee color. The foyer serves as an art gallery, but the surprise is that when certain spots on the panels are pushed, they open to reveal closets.

At the right end of the foyer is a study with built-in cabinets and bookshelves.

It also has a large walk-in closet and a full bath with a rectangular sink with fixtures coming from the wall. The shower walls are long narrow white tiles set horizontally.

The dining room is expansive, and a pass-through from the kitchen is a nice convenience.

A bedroom is beside the study. It also has bleached anigre wood on one wall. That wall separates the bedroom entry from the en suite bath. Again, the panels open to reveal storage.

The other wall of the bedroom entry has doors to more closets. The bath includes a walk-in, glass-enclosed shower with walls and floor of large squares of white tiles. Large windows at the end of the room overlook the landscaped terrace of the Macallen building.

At the opposite end of the foyer, a louvered door opens to a spacious laundry room with a deep stainless steel laundry sink and hookups for a washer and dryer. 

Through a wide doorway at the end of the foyer is the open living room and dining room. The wall at the far side has a line of large south-facing windows.

The wall at the near side is bleached anigre, presenting a uniform look to the home.

Beyond the living room is another conversation area, but it can be closed off to create another bedroom.

At the right of the living room is what looks like a continuation of the room, but it can be closed off to form another bedroom. It has built-in cabinets and shelving and a closet.

Its full bathroom has a metal vessel sink set on what looks like a piece of furniture. The shower walls are made of long, narrow, vertically placed tiles in soft shades of blue and tan.

The kitchen is phenomenal. There are all types of storage and refrigerator cabinets and drawers, including a pantry that can be rolled out.

There is a KitchenAid dishwasher and an amazing stainless steel Thermador professional range system. The gas cooktop has six burners and a large griddle. Beside it is a huge gas grill.

A wall of stainless steel creates the backsplash, and above all of it is a heavy-duty stainless steel exhaust system.

Double stainless steel wall ovens, an oversized Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer, and beautiful stone and butcher block countertops and workspace complete the room.

The interior courtyard at the Court Square Press building has abundant bamboo trees and benches for relaxation.

A walkway at the end of the dining room leads to the third bedroom. The bathroom here has a wall of small green glass tiles, teak wooden slats, and an enchanting floor of river stones. 

The bedroom beyond has large windows facing east and south and an entire wall of closets with built-ins.

DETAILS

Address: Court Square Press Building, 9 West Broadway, Unit 618, Seaport

BR/BA: Three bedrooms, four baths

Size: 2,700 +/- square feet

Age: 2004

Price: $1.999 million

Taxes: To be determined

Condo fee: $1,417 (includes gas and amenities at complex –security, swimming pool, exercise room, club room, garden area elevator.

Features of building: Beautiful soaring lobby staffed by doorman; courtyard with benches and bamboo forest that stays green year round; gym with exercise equipment shared with Macallen Building; three-level parking garage; landscaped terrace with lap pool, outdoor gas grills; club room with screening room, kitchen and bath.

Features of unit: Architect-designed penthouse with exotic woods and finishes; chef’s kitchen with top-of-the-line professional appliances; creative use of space maximizing privacy; south-facing windows; amazing storage with built-ins; four zones for central heat and air conditioning, two deeded garage parking spaces.

Close by: Restaurants, shops and Broadway MBTA station within a block, shops and restaurants in the Seaport District, South End, the Waterfront and Financial District; Carson Beach; easy access to Routes 93 and 90, Logan Airport.

Contact: Robert Cohen, Boston Realty Advisors, 745 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116. Phones: Office 617-375-7900 (office) or 617-962-0142 (cell).

Websites: www.robbcohen.com or www.bradvisors.com

This property may be seen by appointment.