GentriWatch: More Luxury Condos (and Doggie Daycare) in Chelsea

Plus, Downtown Crossing's newest luxury boutique hotel.

Welcome to GentriWatch, where we look for signs of gentrification happening around the city.


Another wave of luxury housing has reached the North Shore.

“One North of Boston” at 150 Heart Street in Chelsea has begun leasing its 222-unit second phase, opening this spring. The 230-unit first phase opened in 2013.

“Chelsea has emerged as a lively and exciting community that offers the best access to Boston without the Boston rents,” said Damian Szary of Gate Residential, the project’s developer, in a release. “One North brings a premier urban lifestyle into Chelsea, so residents can enjoy an urban experience that wasn’t previously available outside the higher priced downtown Boston neighborhoods.”

Comprising One North’s “highly amenitized living experience” are an indoor basketball court, on-site doggie daycare, a chef’s kitchen and luxury suite, yoga and spin studios, two media rooms, two outdoor pools, Italian cabinets, and quartz countertops.

Nearly 23 percent of Chelsea’s residents live below the poverty line; among those 18 and younger, that number jumps to 32 percent—more than double the average rate for Massachusetts. The medium household income is $48,725, according to Census data.

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Mayor Marty Walsh was in attendance for Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting at the Godfrey, Downtown Crossing‘s newest luxury boutique hotel. Located at 505 Washington Street, the Godfrey is right around the corner from jm Curley and Stoddard’s.

The Godfrey, owned by Oxford Hotels and Resorts, donated $25,000 to The Wang YMCA of Chinatown, Boston Asian: Y.E.S., Kwong Kow Chinese School Afterschool Program, and Asian American Civic Association Work Force Development, reports Boston.com’s Charlotte Wilder.

“With plenty of natural light and a vibrant energy all their own, our rooms and suites are among the most chic and authentic in the city,” the hotel boasts on its website. “Authentic” is a curious choice, given the hotel’s location in the old Combat Zone.

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A condo in rapidly gentrifying Union Square could set the record for a Somerville home sale.

Fashioned from an 1858 Gothic Revival church, 1 Sumner Street’s four-bedroom, 4,598-square-foot Unit No. 5 spans three levels and includes two levels of wine storage accessible via rolling ladder, reports Curbed’s Tom Acitelli. Also included is a two-car garage.

The price tag? A paltry $2,950,000.

Notice something changing in your neighborhood? Let me know: kclauss@bostonmagazine.com, @KyleClauss.