Lofty Downtown Options

photographs courtesy of Tina Bacci, RESIS Real Estate Sales Integration Solutions

The South End’s Ink Block has a Whole Foods, and Downtown Crossing’s Millennium Tower will house a Roche Bros. But the upcoming Forecaster 121 condo building might have the most exciting amenity of all: It’s just two blocks from the Boston Public Market, which launches this summer. And with a prime location and affordable prices, its forecast looks bright indeed.

The 80-unit, 10-story, loft-style development occupies the circa-1910 warehouse of the Forecaster raincoat company. Many original details, including high ceilings and exposed brick walls, haven’t been changed, though Pizzuti Development (yes, that Pizzuti) added four residential floors in the redesign.

When the new occupants start moving in early next year, the building will serve as the anchor of the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood, an unheralded half-mile sliver between TD Garden and the North End. Once cast in perpetual shadow by the elevated highway, the area is really starting to shine. Boston Public Market aside, there’s the nearby Lovejoy Wharf, future home to Converse and proposed retail; it’s also within strolling distance of Beacon Hill, the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and TD Garden—the site of more future housing and a grocery store.

“This neighborhood went from almost no residential units 15 years ago to soon becoming one of the densest neighborhoods in the city,” says Tina Bacci, a RESIS principal and marketing consultant for the project.

Forecaster 121 is also unique because it’s mainly owner-occupied in an area filled with new rentals. One-­bedrooms start at $430,000, making the building a wise investment for middle-income buyers eager to profit on city real estate. Many units have terraces, walk-in closets, and multiple baths.

There’s also a 24-hour concierge, a fitness center, and a parking garage. But in the Big Dig’s old neighborhood, you probably won’t need a car.

Bulfinch Triangle, by the Numbers

Architect Charles Bulfinch wanted the neighborhood to be a mixed-use commercial and residential area. He’s finally getting his wish.

photograph via wikimedia commons

1830s
The decade during which the neighborhood was created with landfill from parts of Beacon Hill and Copps Hill.

1983
The year the triangle was designated a National Register Historic District.

16,000
Approximate population.

1,117
Number of businesses in the neighborhood.

30+
Number of permanent, year-round vendors at the Boston Public Market.