BOSTON, MA – Quarterra Multifamily, a subsidiary of Lennar Corporation and a vertically integrated multifamily apartment builder, developer, and asset manager, announced the start of construction at Harper, a mid-rise community in the Boston neighborhood of Allston, known as the city’s hub for public art and music.
Harper brings 265 apartment homes to Allston, which is named after American painter and poet Washington Allston. Fittingly, Allston is renowned for its collection of murals and unique music venues. The neighborhood historically attracted a large student demographic, due to its location at the center of Boston’s top universities, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston College, Tufts University and Boston University. In recent years, however, the area has also become home to a diverse population of young professionals, lured by the public art and burgeoning music scene.
“Allston is perfectly positioned amid Boston’s unparalleled academic institutions. But the neighborhood has really taken on its own identity over the years,” said Dan Lee, Quarterra’s Division President for New England. “Harper residents will have easy access to everything those first-class university systems have to offer but will also be at the heart of an incredibly active and eclectic arts and entertainment scene. We’re excited to introduce a Quarterra community to this already thriving neighborhood and contribute to the vibe that makes Allston such an enviable place to live.”
Situated at 40 Rugg Road, Harper will truly be at the center of it all. Harper is also just a stone’s throw away from several sports venues: historic Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox; Warrior Ice Arena, practice facility for the Boston Bruins; Auerbach Center, practice facility for the Boston Celtics; and the Track at New Balance multisport complex. Other local cultural opportunities include the Museum of Fine Arts, the Honan-Allston Branch of the Boston Public Library and the annual Allston Village Street Fair. Residents will also enjoy nearby Magazine Beach, Ringer Playground, Artesani Wading Pool and Spray Deck, Arsenal Community Park and Skate Park, Penniman Road Play Area, and Mansfield Street Dog Park.
Harper is within walking distance of Allston’s retail, dining and nightlife district along Harvard Avenue and Cambridge Street. The Allston Yards mixed-use development, with 50,000 square feet of retail and a new, 67,000 flagship Stop & Shop grocery store, is only a quarter mile away. Less than half mile away, the mixed-use Boston Landing development features 25 shops and restaurants. Major employers in the Boston Landing campus include the New Balance headquarters, WGBH-TV, Proteostasis Therapeutics, Roche Diagnostics and Mass Innovation Labs. Harper is also a short commute from Longwood Medical Area and the athenahealth headquarters.
The Boston Landing MBTA Commuter Rail station is in close proximity to the community, providing direct access to Boston’s Yawkey (Longwood), Back Bay and South Station along the Framingham/Worcester line. The train accesses most entertainment and commercial hubs – including Fenway and the financial district – in less than 15 minutes. Additionally, Harper is located half a mile from the Harvard Avenue Station of the MBTA Green light rail station. The community will also have excellent highway connectivity, with the Mass Pike (I-90) just a quarter mile down Cambridge Street, and Boston’s other major thoroughfares just minutes away.
At Harper, residents will choose from studio, one- and two-bedroom apartment homes, ranging from 450 to 1,120 square feet, including eight designated artist studio units. Homes will be appointed with stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, wood-inspired flooring throughout, keyless entries, under-cabinet lighting and movable islands in select floor plans.
The community, which has been designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, will be highlighted by two rooftop decks, 11,000 square feet of landscaped green space, interactive streetscapes and 2,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Harper residents will have access to a club room with a fireplace lounge, a fitness studio with flex space, co-working spaces with a private conference room, an artist studio, dog run and pet spa, bike storage rooms and a fully automated parking garage.