Bay State College Dorms to Convert to Residential Condos

By Beth Treffeisen

Another set of row houses in the Back Bay are set to be converted back to residential condos.

What are currently home to college dorms at 260 – 262 Commonwealth Ave., were recently sold on March 9 for $14 million in a joint venture between the upscale developers Chevron Partners and the Paris-based developer Fulton.

According to Marcel D. Safar from Chevron Partners, he said that the units will likely be converted to condos, “but we just got the building and don’t know exactly how it’s going to go.”

Curbed Boston said that the venture that will be dubbed Maison Commonwealth plans on converting the buildings into a five-story luxury condominiums with on-site parking.

Bay State College does continue to lease three residence halls in the Back Bay as part of the school’s long range facilities plan to continue a more efficient operation that ensures their students maintain a high quality and low cost education.

Although they have been leasing 260 – 262 Commonwealth Ave. from Commonwealth Realty Trust, they do not own the building.

In the last few years Bay State College has been subletting those dorms to Berklee College of Music and haven’t been using them for Bay State students for quite some time, according Chip Bergstrom spokesperson from Bay State College.

The school’s lease runs out this upcoming July.

The red brick double-set row houses date back to 1880 as two of five continuous houses designed by architect Samuel D. Kelley as residential homes.

In May of 1960, Chamberlayne School and Chamberlayne Junior College purchased 260 and 262 Commonwealth and received permission to convert them from a lodging house into a dormitory.

In the mid-1970’s Chamberlayne went bankrupt and sold many of its properties. Both properties are four-stories and have five units each.

The condo conversion is expected to be completed by spring 2019.

This will be Chevron Partners second Maison-branded development in the area. This project will follow the Maison Vernon Condominiums located at 41 Mt Vernon St.

The seven-unit conversion of the century old building in Beacon Hill is expected to open this summer.

“Maison Vernon makes everyday living a work of art,” sports the full-service luxury-building brochure. “Maison Vernon represents a European love affair with Boston. The Parisian-Bostonian team strives to create a quintessentially Bostonian balance of American modernity that respects its European roots.”

Other Chevron Partners projects include 10 Winthrop Square, Sears Crescent Building, the Granite Point Capital and restoration of old office spaces.

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