Symphony Court, located at 41 Westland Ave., is a luxury housing development by Catamount Management located in the city's Fenway district. The recently completed project has been received well by the market, highlighted by the popular real estate blog, Curbed Boston, naming it, "Boston's Best-Selling Condo Building" this April.
Creation of the 7-story condominium building required heavy renovation and restoration of the existing 6-story brick and concrete parking garage. The transformation and repurposing of this existing parking structure into high-end residential use had many challenges requiring multiple layers of planning and execution.
Catamount's early establishment of the project team was a key factor for success, which included Berkeley Building Company (BBC), Hammond Real Estate, and SMMA as the designer. The team worked together to ensure that design, construction, and sales interests would all play key roles in the evolution of Symphony Court.
The building includes 48 one and two-bedroom units including four penthouses with views of downtown Boston, Cambridge, and the Fenway. It features grand living spaces, 11 foot high ceilings, 9 foot windows, onsite parking, common club room, roof terrace, and fitness area.
One of the salient features is the introduction of a light-well created by removing a section of the existing structure. This allows for light to pour into the central units and provides a view from balconies of the western horizon. The design retained the existing masonry façade although the window openings were reconfigured to accommodate new tilt/turn windows. The brick was repointed, cleaned and sealed and the precast on the ground floor was repaired and painted to restore it to its original appearance.
During construction, BBC led an effective "good neighbor" program, communicating regularly with adjacent residents and businesses to minimize disruption. Tactics used included restricting working hours, implementing noise mitigation strategies, and ensuring public safety compliance.
The building is schedule to receive LEED Silver Certification by the United States Green Building Council within the next four months.
The project team included:
General Contractor: Berkeley Building Company
Architect / Engineer: Symmes Maini & McKee Associates
ACT: Deyo Construction LLC
Painting Contractor: W.T Kenney Co., Inc.
Environmental/Geo-technical: Sanborn Head & Associates
Plumbing/HVAC: Superior Plumbing