Downtown loft has exposed brick, beams
The Beach Street Lofts at 111 Beach St. in the Leather District are a newer part of the city’s residential fabric.
Five years ago a developer converted the building into 44 residential lofts, reserving the first floor and ground level for commercial space.
Mary Kelleher of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty just listed one of the residential condos, Unit 3E, at $779,000.
Constructed at the turn of the last century, this five-story Classical Revival brick and stone building lies just off South Street.
It first housed the American Tool and Machine Company and in later years served as a retail store on the street level, with offices and storerooms of leather goods on the upper floors.
In 1983, the Leather District, defined as the area between Atlantic Avenue and Kneeland, Lincoln and Essex streets, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and 111 Beach lies within its 110 acres.
The façade on the first floor is glass and granite, combining a contemporary sensibility with the historic red brick of the rest of the building.
The recessed entrance repeats the granite, and the high double glass doors open into a large lobby with an elevator.
Unit 3E is a corner unit at the back of the building.
The entry door into the loft opens into an organized, compact space that holds a coat closet on the left.
The living area is expansive and filled with light.
Around a corner is a laundry closet with a stacked washer and dryer, and next to it is a built-in ironing board, concealed like a Murphy bed.
Opposite the coat closet is a full bath with a black granite-topped vanity and a lighter-colored granite floor.
The tub is set into a granite deck that matches the flooring; the surround, enclosed by glass, is granite too.
The light from the tall windows pulls you into the main living space, which is completely open and flexible.
Exposed red brick walls, wood beams, silver metal ducts and thick columns of yellow southern pine add charm to this loft, which has gleaming maple and birch flooring and a ceiling height that ranges from 10 to 12 feet.
In one corner is a long piece of furniture that serves as a bookcase and desk.
But before you can sit on a living room sofa and relax after a long workday, you will pass through a dining area, outfitted with a table for eight.
Above the table are two large suspended lights, which the owner added.
A large dining area opposite the kitchen boasts two new light fixtures.
At the right is an alcove that could easily be set up as a home office but currently is being used as a second bedroom.
Next to it is a compact kitchen with cove lighting that brightens the space.
The kitchen is designed in an efficient, three-point arrangement, which allows the chef to move from the range to the refrigerator to the sink.
Stainless steel appliances include a G.E. Profile Series refrigerator, dishwasher, electric cooktop, microwave/convection oven and trash compactor.
Granite counters rim the entire space, and abundant maple Beckermann cabinetry that has a warm, honey-colored stain features self-closing drawers.
The living room is filled with light with four windows on the long side of the room and two on the short side.
The owner added custom-made plantation shutters to filter the light and provide privacy.
The master bedroom is quite open too in a unique fashion.
The compact kitchen includes stainless steel appliances, granite counters and maple cabinetry.
Between the living room and bedroom are Japanese sliding doors that can close off the room, and between the bedroom and dining area is a wall of anodized metal that holds a metal door, plus a garage door.
The garage door, which has eight wide lights, was saved from demolition during the loft construction. A dot-com company had brought it to the building to separate its offices.
The bed with a high headboard is placed against the two bedroom windows, which also have plantation shutters.
It is opposite the garage door, and Kelleher said a velvet drape could be added to close off the bedroom.
Next to the sleeping area is a large walk-in closet with a shuttered window that has been customized with maple shelving and hangars designed by California Closets.
It provides abundant storage space for your wardrobe.
Opposite it is the en suite bath, which is similarly appointed with a combination soaking tub/shower with a light gray granite surround and a maple vanity with a black granite top.
The floor is granite.
The master bedroom has three doorways, including a multi-light garage door.
Despite the proximity to the hustle and bustle of Downtown, this loft is quiet, in part because of the way the lofts have been built off a jogged corridor, which reduces the sound.
A small exercise room or gym in the building is available for residents’ use.
Other amenities include large storage space in the basement, 200-amp electrical service and broadband Internet wireless service. The building has a digital satellite TV system.
This loft has a prime location. It’s an easy walk to the Financial District, Downtown Crossing, Chinatown or the Theatre District or to South Station to catch the Acella high-speed train to New York.
DETAILS
Address: Beach Street Lofts, 111 Beach St., Unit 3E, Leather District
BR/BA: One-plus bedrooms, two baths
Size: 1,675 +/- square feet
Age: Circa 1897; 2004-2005
Price: $779,000
Taxes: $5,756 (with residential exemption)
Condo fee: $410 per month
Features of building: Professionally managed building with 44 residential units, completely gutted and renovated five years ago; residents’ gym; forced hot air heating system and central air conditioning; pet-friendly.
Features of unit: High ceilings, exposed brick and beams, hardwood floors; chef’s kitchen with stainless steel appliances and maple cabinets and granite counters; in-unit laundry; baths of granite.
Close by: Chinatown, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Downtown Crossing, the Financial District, New England Medical Center, South Station; easy access to MBTA Red and Orange Lines, Amtrak, Route 93 and Mass. Turnpike.
Contact: Mary Kelleher, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, 556 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118. Phones: 617-426-6900 (office), 857-362-1825 (direct) or 617-821-8875 (cell). Web site: www.gibsonsothebys.com.
An open house will be held at this property Sunday, June 21, from noon to 1 p.m.
