Roxbury luxury condo a standout
A walk to 51 Hutchings St. earlier this week was proof that change is here for this section of Roxbury.
As sunlight poked through the clouds, sparkling on the granite steps leading to this renovated red brick home, much of Hutchings also seemed to shine. Construction trucks lined the road filled with stately, century-old Colonial and Classical Revivals. A worker on a nearby property looked up at 51 — now converted to two luxury condos — and his eyes studied the handsome facade.
It’s a striking sight: There’s the enclosed white porch entrance adorned with pilasters, sidelights and transom lights; windows flanked by mint green shutters; and the low-pitched hipped roof covered in slate and decorated with white modillions along the cornice.
When asked if he was renovating 51, the construction worker said, “No.” Then added, “But if I had the money, that’s the place I would buy.”
Priced at a little over a million dollars each, the two similarly designed condos here probably stand out both in cost — a million feels pricey for this area — and looks. But they offer a lot: big rooms, high-end fixtures, deeded garage and driveway parking, patios and porches, classic and contemporary architecture, and well over 3,000 square feet of living space.
The Herald toured unit No. 2, the upper level condo, as well as unit No. 1, to be completed soon.
Both units enter from a grand lobby stairwell, restored along with its original wainscoting and trim.
Unit No. 2, listed for $1.2 million, is on the second and third floors. It’s spacious, with two master bedrooms, two other bedrooms and three full bathrooms — including a massive master bath on the third floor that measures nearly 180 square feet and has a white stand-alone tub, glass and tile shower, double vanity and Italian marble floors.
The common areas here make you quickly forget you’re in a condo. Anchored by a double-sided fireplace, the sprawling living, dining and kitchen area, and the attached sunroom, feel expansive. Fitted with white quartz countertops and a gray quartz island with builtin six-burner range, the kitchen is as slick and cool as the rest of the hall. Glass bubble lights hang over the island, and the fridge is hidden behind modern cabinetry.
Setting it off from the living area, the stairs to the top floor are obscured behind a vertical white wood screen.
Upstairs is the main master bedroom that takes up the entire floor and has a skylight with a remotecontrol shade.
“It’s very high-tech,” said Solmon Chowdhury of Shanti Acquisitions LLC, the developer of the energy-efficient home, showing off the Nest control panel that lets the owner control dual-zone heating, cooling and lights from afar.
The stake in the area’s revival is personal for the company, implied Chowdhury’s wife, Rokeya: “We’re local business owners ... and we live here.”