Real Estate in Boston's Symphony Neighborhood

Whether you're already living in Boston or are moving here from another city, Boston's Symphony neighborhood is an excellent place to start your apartment search. This popular area is part of the greater East Fenway neighborhood and takes its name from Symphony Hall, which is home to the world-famous Boston Pops. This predominantly residential neighborhood is located between The Fenway and the intersection of Huntington and Massachusetts avenues. Its borders are defined by Forsyth Street to the south and Boylston Street to the north.

Real Estate in the Symphony Neighborhood

The Symphony neighborhood is known for its stately bow-front homes and brick walk-ups that were built between the late 1800s and early 1900s. The majority of properties have five to seven stories. Archetypal examples of the neighborhood's architecture are found on Gainsborough Street and the wider and more commercial thoroughfare of Westland Avenue. Closer to Huntington and Massachusetts avenues, there are some first-floor businesses and corner shops, but for the most part, these are quiet residential streets. Residents enjoy street parking, and some buildings have private garages and parking areas. Both apartments and condos are available in the Symphony neighborhood's historic properties.

Boston Symphony Condos

The median home price in the Symphony neighborhood is approximately $380,000 although many larger condos are listing for more than $675,000. Condos in the Symphony area are available in bow-front townhomes, brick walk-ups and modern five- to six-story apartment buildings. Home buyers will find that most options in the area are selling for approximately $660 per square foot.

Apartments in the Fenway-Symphony Neighborhood

The median rent in East Fenway and the Symphony neighborhood is approximately $2,500, which is slightly higher than the Boston average. Traditional studios with approximately 300 square feet of living space start around $1,600. Larger properties are renting for approximately $3,600 per month. In luxury buildings, such as Church Park, spacious studio apartments with premium amenities are renting for between $2,500 and $2,700. Upper-tier apartments may cost more than $5,000 per month. This housing segment includes penthouses with exceptional views and larger apartments with three bedrooms and a substantial amount of living space.

Church Park Apartments

In luxury buildings like Church Park, residents enjoy a variety of amenities and special services, including fitness center access, a rooftop terrace, grocery delivery, dry cleaning, car detailing and a 24-hour doorman and concierge. Plus, everyone from young professionals to retirees appreciates the convenience of on-site maintenance and management. Ample storage both in units and in dedicated areas simplifies life and makes it easy to transition from a home to an apartment. Church Park is located near the Symphony stop for the MBTA Green Line transit, so getting around Boston is easy from anywhere in the neighborhood. If you have a car, most buildings offer garage parking or dedicated parking spaces.

Make the Move

At Boston City Properties, our experienced real estate brokers are here to guide your apartment search. From creating a list of potential properties and scheduling showings to signing a lease or closing on a condo, our agents will simplify each step to make things easier for you. To start your search for properties in East Fenway and the Symphony neighborhood, call our office, or use our online property locator.

Interesting Facts about Boston’s Symphony Neighborhood Developments

The Symphony neighborhood in the city of Boston that is perfect for those looking diverse activities and culture. The area is conveniently located on the Massachusetts Avenue right at the eastern part of the neighborhood, while the Mass Pike borders the north. Louis Prang Street is on the western part and Huntington Avenue to the southern section.

The Symphony Court

There are so many exciting things about this neighborhood, especially when it comes to real estate. In fact, the community had the best-selling condo building back in May of 2014. A month before that, Millennium Place was considered the highest in sales, but the Symphony Court took over. The complex had more sales than any other building in the city.

At that time, Symphony Court already had 31 units sold with an average price of $536,500. The Court is located at 43 Westland Avenue and was thought to be one of the priciest sales in Fenway during that year. A total of 48 units were available, and they were able to break some records.

In June of the same year, most of the condo units at the Symphony Court were almost sold out despite the high prices.

One of the essential units of the Court is the #PH811, which is a penthouse duplex with three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The price was almost $3 million for a dramatic duplex that comes with a living room that spans two stories. It has a separate dining room with a spacious kitchen that boasts some custom cabinetry.

The most prominent sale was the two-bedroom, two-bathroom penthouse that measures 1,285 square feet, which went to an agreement for $1,240,000. The price is equivalent to $964 per square foot, which is a lot compared to the other properties in the neighborhood. Aside from that, the condo fee was $959.

Another penthouse was also considered as very pricey, and it went on sale for $979,000 for a two bedroom and two-bathroom unit over 1,036 square feet of space. It was priced at $944 per square foot, and the condo fee was $805.

Unit 404 was also an expensive sale over at the Court, which had one bedroom and two full baths over a 1,334 square foot of space. It asked for $799,000 or below $600 per square foot. Next pricey sale was Unit 601 that had one bedroom and one bathroom and measured 845 square feet. This unit traded for almost $80,000 or $685 per square foot. Finally, there was Unit 501, a one bedroom and one bathroom condo over 847 square feet, which went to contract for $569,000.

Symphony Court had a humble beginning as an old garage. It has a great location, which is at 43 Westland Avenue and is right next to the Symphony Hall. The condominium building had expanded from 48 units to 82 homes just last year. The addition of the apartments is still under construction, which is now taking place at 44 Burbank Street. These structures will feature a total of 34 homes and will be exquisitely designed to match modern living.

The condo building is just a few steps from the attractions of the city, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum, and of course the Symphony Hall. The location is quite convenient for the residents because it is not only where they can find cultural entertainment but also restaurants, shopping malls, and nightlife. Additionally, the site is easily accessible through public transport with the Green and Orange line stops.

The units at the Court are quite sophisticated as they highlight the careful design. One can see from the styles of the rooms and spaces that there are high ceilings, massive windows, and well-appointed floor plans. Amenities of the building include a 24-hour attendant, fitness center, community terrace, club room, and bike storage among others.

Most of the rooms feature recessed lighting, top of the line laundries, private outdoor spaces, and five-inch plank with platinum maple floors all throughout the units. The kitchens come with counter lighting, flat-panel cabinets that have been customized for each, quartz countertops, and sinks. As for the master bathrooms, there are fixtures from top brands, porcelain tiles, honed marble floors for the shower area, and wood veneer vanity.

The Court is in the heart of the Cultural District of the city. The building itself has been completely renovated from being a brick and limestone construction when it was built back in 1910. A brand new building at 44 Burbank Street is still under construction and will be completed in two phases. There will be 82 condos that come with ground floor parking.

There are two elevators in the building, storage units to be purchased, and the main lobby that has been designed with style in mind. The whole area is smoke-free, and all pets are welcome with some limitations.

Symphony Hall

Aside from the Court, another spot that is much talked about in the neighborhood is this Hall, which has become a premier venue, mostly for weddings. It is where the Boston Symphony Orchestra resides, and from time to time, it is available for rent. During the period of the lease, the venue can be filled with the music of the orchestra.

Rentals can vary depending on requirements of the production. However, the standard prices are $5,400 from Monday to Thursday, $5,700 from Friday to Sunday, and $6,800 if you will rent during the holidays.

Those who will rent the venue will enjoy a 2.5-hour performance of the famed Boston Symphony Orchestra, which is half of the total duration of the lease. Renting will include an additional stage, a manager who will take care of the music and other needs, and heating or air conditioning. There will be concert lighting as well as an HVAC technician and electrician on site.

50 Symphony Road is now under Construction

The residential building that will provide 20 units for those who would like to live in the neighborhood has started its construction phase. The structure spans 28,278 square feet in a 6,000 square feet land. Located at 50 1 Road, the proposal of the project talked about constructing 20 condo units with 11 parking spaces off the street. The letter of intent was submitted to the city authorities in 2013, and after which, it was approved by the board.

Also according to the proposal, there will be three units included onsite, which will be available as affordable. There will also be a bike storage area for the residents to purchase.

The developers of the project aim to use the building as an opportunity to improve the aesthetic, economic, and social conditions of the neighborhood. The project was described in the letter of intent to have for sale condo units in a five-story building. There will be basement parking complete with 11 spots for the residents. Three onsite areas will be deemed affordable at 80 to 100% of the area median income (AMI).

Two units will consist of one bedroom, which will take 10% of the building’s entire measurement as they average 650 to 725 square feet. Four more places, roughly 20% of the area, will have one bedroom along with a study averaging 890 square feet. Finally, 14 of the units will have two bedrooms, which will encompass 70% of the whole building as they average 910 square feet to 1,085 square feet of space.

The proposed design of the building was due to the inspiration of the townhouses in the community. They use square, angular bay, or bow windows, which defines the difference of the street compared to the other parts of the neighborhood. The planned double bow front style captured the look of the Symphony Road area.

The surroundings also influenced the material palette. It uses a stone base level with a metal top level and a brick middle level to provide a clear label to the massing of the building. There are now ornamental windows and metal panels for the penthouse and the back façade. This design allows the building to have light massing while blending to the sky.

The primary access to the building is from the Road itself for accessibility reasons. There will be vehicular access on the back façade, which is on Public Alley 810. An elevator service has stops on all the levels of the building. The first-floor residents are about six feet beyond the grade, which gives them privacy when their units are viewed from the streets. The high floor design is consistent with the existing levels of the other townhouses in the area.

Meanwhile, the west façade of the building has outdoor balconies that overlook the Community Gardens of the neighborhood. There is a tower at the corner of the building to serve as an architectural bookend aspect to correspond with the current turret at the other end of the Road.

The construction of the building is expected to take 12 to 18 months. It was just in May 2013 when the authorities accepted the proposal. The luxury residential developer has purchased the development site to start the construction of a 20-unit condo building. The purchase amounted to $4.2 million, but the sale amounted to $30 million for every acre. Before that, the seller acquired the development site for $3 million and over $21.4 million per acre back in June 2011.

The approval to begin construction was in 2013 after the project proved that it would have no significant impacts on the surrounding areas and properties. In fact, the construction materials, staging delivery, parking for the construction workers, and equipment have their accommodation on the development site.

The project also did not require high-impact changes or upgrades to its infrastructure. As part of the plan, the new units of the residential building will also have parking spaces that can accommodate up to 11 vehicles. These slots will help mitigate the traffic and parking complaints that may arise due to the addition of the residents in the area. The parking garage is directly accessible through the Public Alley 810, and the site will have continued redevelopments. These enhancements are to help the walkway for the pedestrians and the curb cut, which then ensures proper safety of the public and appropriate design of the building and its elements.

It is also a part of the project to be close to public transportation, which includes the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority or MBTA stations of the Green Line (Symphony and Hynes Convention Center) and the Orange Line (Massachusetts Avenue). It is also near the MBTA bus lines 1, 9, CT1, 55, and 170 among others. This closeness will help in alleviating the potential impact on traffic and parking. Public transportation, without a doubt, is precisely abundant for the new residents of the building.

Additionally, the developers have thought about the provisions of bike racks, which would be equivalent to 1:1 ratio for the storage space for the units. It will promote the use of a sustainable transportation method, along with the availability to use multiple car-sharing sites, which are just half a mile away from the condo building. The convenient location has a positive effect where the residents’ dependency on traditional transportation, which is the use of an automobile, is significantly reduced.

Aside from the mentioned benefits, the location of the project is within a short walking distance to different neighborhoods in the city, including Back Bay, South End, and Copley. There are also public amenities around the area, such as restaurants, parks, and the like.

More Properties in the Neighborhood

Aside from the Court units, there are other properties in the community that have captured the interest of those looking for a place to live in or rent. One is the Pierce Boston, which is the newest skyscraper in the neighborhood that features residential units. There are available spaces for rent, including the luxury #PH28-4D unit, which has a price tag of $4,704,300. It comes with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms in a 2,344 square foot area. It is positioned right at the top of the tower, offering panoramic views from all angles.

The penthouse set the price record in the neighborhood as it asked for more than $2,000 per square foot. The precise amount it was proposing was a record high for the area, mainly if measured against the homes listed on the multiple listing services of the region. Only a few houses in Boston can find a buyer if they are demanding more than $2,000 per square foot.

Currently, Penthouse 28-5C remains the record-breaker, but it is also a penthouse unit at the Pierce. The closing of this expensive PH was $4,843,900. The pricey demands of the homes, however, are quite understandable given that the tower is a desirable place to stay. It has 30 stories and rises 340 feet and is due to become one of the tallest buildings in the western part of the state.

The residents at 28-4D have two garaged spaces included in its price tag, along with the building’s amenities. These amenities are a swimming pool at the rooftop of the units, a fitness center, 24/7 concierge service, lounge, and a fitness center.

The luxury apartments in the skyscraper offer what it is like to experience lavish city living, but they do not require the lessee to be committed, such as with renting a condo. There are a total of 10 penthouses in Pierce Boston, and most of them have their private balconies. There are also professional grade kitchen appliances, quality bath finishes, and massive walk-in closets. The floor to ceiling windows offers not only stellar views but also promotes natural light in the living space.

Aside from Pierce Boston, the Symphony Plaza Towers that covers both the eastern and western sides of the street also shows how significant the developments are in the neighborhood. The towers are just near the Hall where the Orchestra resides. They are also just half a mile from the Boston Medical Center and one mile away from the Northeastern University and the Fenway Park that the Boston Red Sox call their home. The building is also a few blocks away from the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.

The Towers support the experience of living in downtown Boston area where you can find abundant history and easy access to public transportation. The East building is a smoke-free living space with studio units, as well as one to two bedroom apartments.

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