Serenity.
Not exactly a word you would think would fit a building that’s jammed between a main, busy street with a streetcar running on it and a major parkway with 4 lanes of traffic. Surprisingly enough, once you get inside the Serenity, you do have a sense of calmness thanks to their interior design, carefully crafted units and super friendly staff.
Located at 101 S. Huntington Ave. where Mission Hill-meets-Brookline-meets-Jamaica Plain, the 195 unit building was squeezed into what seems like an impossible space but once inside, you’d never guess.
The lobby is exquisite.
It’s towering ceilings span well over two floors and it’s tasteful decorations and appointments make you feel like you stepped into a Manhattan boutique hotel. Imagine coming home to THAT every day. The concierge opposite the double couch sitting area was bubbly and inviting and the fireplace was glowing with a welcomed warmth. Beyond there was a long high top table with counter height bar seating with a transit screen nearby for those who need to keep an eye on when the E line is passing by or when their Uber has arrived. On opposite sides you’ll find the package and mail room and leasing offices.
On the far side of the lobby, the wall of glass will lead you out to a terrace which is built on top of the 2 floor garage. The terrace offers many different seating areas to accompany a number of groups and the west side has great views of the Emerald Necklace. Surprisingly, the traffic noise from the JWay wasn’t audible which I had originally feared.
Back inside, we went to visit one of the only remaining units in the building. This was an oversized 560 sq. ft. studio offering a wall of windows on the east side, 14 feet of nicely appointed galley-style kitchen including under-mounted lights beneath the cabinets, and good storage space. Colors were nice- floors had some nice brown and dark grain coloring giving it a little flavor and baths were stark white (which I could take or leave). A little pop of color in here with your decorations will go a long way and given the palate, you could go minimal or totally extreme- it would work well either way.
We also visited the model which was a large 2bd/2ba corner unit offering TONS of windows (have I told you I’m a BIG FAN of windows? Who needs privacy anyway?!), same kitchen but with a stone-topped movable island with seating and some very neat yet not super annoying angles throughout. At the time of the walkthrough, they were in the process of dismantling the model and offering it for rent but they claimed to have a waitlist for it so don’t hold your breath while waiting for it to hit the open market.
Amenity spaces weren’t anything over the top but their decor was consistent with the lobby and the rest of the building- rich tones and thoughtful, very usable spaces. In the lounge you’ll find a few separate alcove-like spaces where you can gather with about 5 of your closest friends and feel like you’re out on the town at some swanky club. Here you’ll also find a rentable kitchen area along with a billiards table. Adjacent to the lounge is the outdoor pool which looked AWESOME, offered plenty of seating and also a TV making this a choice place to hang on a Sunday! The fitness room was ample sized, well equipped and offered a separate barre/yoga studio in the back.
The building has all but finished it’s initial lease up and you can expect availabilities to be coming up in the Spring with more in the Summer 2019. There is the one studio still available and is offered at around $2,900/mo.
Average pricing are as follows:
Studios- $2,500/mo.
1br- $2,700/mo.
2br- $3,400/mo.
3br- $4,200/mo.
Parking offered at $275/mo. and pets are welcome with your typical “pet rent” premium ($100 for dogs, $50 for cats).
In the event you or a friend would like to open up a coffee joint, art gallery or something else you can jam into about 900 sq. ft. of space, they have two of those spaces for rent currently available at the property.
The location is convenient- on the E line for those to get to downtown or walk to the D line at Brookline Village for points West. The JWay, Huntington Ave. and Route 9 can all get you places quickly via your car as well.
Give your Kingston REM rep a holler to have a look at this building or EMAIL US and we’ll keep you posted with upcoming availability in 2019!