Household names
Joseph Trichilo developed two residential buildings in East Boston and named each one after his children.
As he got the permits to start construction on the first development, Trichilo’s wife told him she was pregnant with their first child. They named him Vincenzo, sometimes using the nickname “Chenzo” or “Enzo.” Now, a nineunit condo building, The Enzo sits in the Harbor View section of East Boston bearing the name of their son.
“We were talking, and it’s like, that would be a cool name for the building,” Trichilo said. “I wanted to leave a little something behind.”
When the property diagonally across the street became available, Trichilo bought it. As they were preparing to start construction, he and his wife welcomed their daughter, Mila.
“And again, I’m like how cool and unique would that be?” Trichilo said, holding his 1year-old daughter in his lap. Now, a six-unit building across the street from The Enzo is named for her.
In a city experiencing rampant development, luxury residences on every corner bear names that seek to craft a narrative. It’s not a particularly new concept: Some of the world’s most famous apartment buildings are instantly identifiable thanks to their names, like The Dakota in Manhattan or Habitat 67 in Montreal. But as more buildings creep their way into the Boston skyline, developers are hungry for creative names that attract potential tenants without sounding desperate for relevancy.
Consider Serenity in Jamaica Plain, or Ebo in East Boston, which received plenty of criticism from the neighborhood for its hipper-than-thou acronym. Then there’s Mosaic on the Riverway in Mission Hill, The Mezz in South
Boston, The Brynx in Jamaica Plain, The Victor by Windsor in the West End, and The Harlo in Fenway. The Faretra, a nine-unit building in East Boston, has the same name as the long narrow case one carries their arrows in, and The Ceinture in South Boston, whose name is defined as a belt for the sash or the waist but sounds eerily similar to centaur, the half-horse, half-human creatures depicted in Greek mythology.
“Developers need to stop naming buildings.
Looked at a project in East Boston over the weekend, and the developer named it after his Dog,” one person tweeted last year.
Many development names are rooted in the property’s history. The Procopio Companies is building a multifamily development in Wilmington set to be named The Alice, after Alice Murray. She, and then her daughters, operated a blacksmith shop there until 1954. Center & Stone, a 201-unit, two-building multifamily and retail development in Quincy Center, was named for both the city that surrounds it and the stone façade of the former
Masonic Temple, which is part of the restoration. La Victoire in Bay Village is named for Our Lady of Victories Church, which previously occupied the space.
But when it comes to determining what names should be emblazoned on the side of a structure, the process is anything but simple. Krista Bourque, creative director at the design and consulting firm Stantec, said “It’s a bit like naming a baby — by committee.”
Rather than starting with a name, Bourque said, the team focuses on the bigger picture, like what kind of vibe and experience will be most appealing to prospective residents. It’s ideally going to be someone’s home for several years, and they want it to feel special. She estimates they start with a list of around 60 names for each property, more than half of which will be eliminated for copyright or trademark reasons. Ones that are off-putting in a foreign language are eliminated. Referenc
ing a blend of mood boards, brand messaging, and visual concepts, they narrow it down to a list of 10 to 12 names and present them to the developer and management company as a part of a larger brand strategy. They follow a simple format: easy to say, easy to spell, easy to remember.
A building’s neighborhood also plays a tremendous role, Bourque said. For example, in the Back Bay, developers often want the prestige of directly referencing a building’s street address. That’s why you’ll find buildings like One Dalton and The Arlington.
Of course, some names aren’t based on actual words. For Revio in Revere Beach, Bourque wanted a name that referenced the location and leaned into a relaxed-yet-luxurious beach vibe.
“Sometimes we just make up words that we think sound like what we want them to do,” she said, adding that fake words come with the bonus of not having to compete with anybody else for them. Ultimately, Bourque said, naming a property is an attempt to “carve out a unique identity.”
At Redgate Real Estate, Linda Swain, executive vice president of marketing, follows three key steps.
First, its team considers the unique features of the property.
“Are we striving for an industrial vibe?” Swain said. “Are we striving for a serene vibe?”
Second, they consider the target market, and third, they assess “the competitive set,” or the logos, names, overall brand, and distinguishing features of those properties relative to the one they’re naming.
In a digital age, a building’s web address also must be considered, as well as the temporary signage that will likely be emblazoned with the web address as drivers cruise by. For example, Redgate is currently developing Gibson Point in Revere, and chose “www.livegibsonpoint” as the web address.
“You need a simple and easy-to-remember, easy-to-write, easy-to-read URL,” said Swain, noting that many are already taken.
As for Trichilo, he likes the idea of his grandkids driving down the road in East Boston and seeing something he built. He’s acquired a property around the corner, too, and just got approval for an eight-unit building.
“I tell my wife, imagine if we have a third child,” he said with a laugh. “She’s like, ‘Don’t say it!’”