On the Market: A Greenhouse-Like Loft in a Converted Mill Building

Want to live on a canal without moving to Venice? These Lowell digs boast exposed brick, huge windows, and a rare roof deck.


Photo by Logan Seale

200 Market St. #31-A, Lowell
Price: $395,000
Size: 1,544 square feet
Bedrooms: 2
Baths: 2

It may sound unlikely given its brick, tile, and hardwood interior, but before it was the sleek loft it is today, this unit was part of a carpet-making factory. The Canal Place mill was built in 1828, and nearly 45 years later, it housed 500 looms, employing more than 2,000 people. At the turn of the century, the complex saw a change in ownership, but kept up carpet production until 1916, when the mill finally closed. Briefly used for military production during WWI, the old brick buildings were left vacant until the 1980s, when they were converted into the stylish lofts that stake out Market Street today.

With two floors and a balcony lined by north-facing windows, this condo feels like a giant greenhouse in the middle of a city. And, as the current owner attests, plants thrive in these sunny quarters. The first floor embraces tile flooring, which starts in the entryway with its glass bookshelves built into exposed brick walls, and runs through the kitchen and dining area, where a small breakfast bar looks out at downtown Lowell.

One bedroom and bath live on the first floor, and a metal staircase winds upstairs to another bedroom with a walk-in closet, and a bathroom with a round Japanese soaking tub. A small room, currently used as a meditation space, also sits on the second floor; exposed brick takes up one wall and a giant window takes up another. The third-floor loft looks down into the spacious living room of the level below, and out the long bank of windows at the city outside. Use the walkway as an indoor garden, a narrow workspace, or your own urban observatory. One end of the balcony extends into a nook roomy enough for a desk and a double bed. Plus, there’s a door that allows for access to a private roof deck—one of ten residential rooftop decks in the city.

From there, you can see everything from City Hall to the Lower Pawtucket Canal lit by the sunset. If you’ve always dreamt of living on a canal but can’t make it to Venice, this industrial yet cozy loft might just do it for you.

For information, contact Paul Dubuque, First Team Realty, LLC., yourfirstteam.com.

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo by Logan Seale

Photo provided

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