1515 Commonwealth Wins BPDA Approval

Last week, RODE won the approval of the BPDA for 1515 Commonwealth, which adds 253 units of housing and public-use green space to Brighton, while celebrating the site’s historic role in the construction of Boston.

The project consists of two buildings, one containing rental units and the other condominiums, with a mix of studios and one- to three- bedroom units. The block sit on a single story podium base that contains expansive lobbies, parking garage, and bicycle storage, all under a green roof with roof terraces. Residents also enjoy upper level decks overlooking the city from the project’s prominent hill.

Formerly the highest point in Boston, during the 1800s and early 1900s granite from the quarry was cut and carted downhill to growing Boston’s clad townhouses, civic buildings, and sidewalks, flattening the site for development. In the tradition of urban residences within parks, the new building infuses nature into urban density with public-use landscapes along its sidewalk edge, and a path that joins them to the adjacent Overlook Park. The landscaping preserves exposed granite ledges while layering new plantings, pavings, and decks on quarried geometry. The building design is referential to both the site history as well as the surrounding residential context, using angles and a stacked window language within a shifting vertical facade with the qualities of stone.

Just as the quarry catalyzed Boston’s expansion and development by mining its geological history, so these new residences will support the city’s growth with a building that draws on its remarkable past.

1515 Commonwealth is tentatively slated for completion in 2023.