In early October of 1986, renovations began at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a Jesuit church in Boston’s South End. Neighbors subsequently learned of the intensity of the interior overhaul only after hearing the construction and seeing newspaper advertisements for the auction of church furniture. An outcry of residents and parishioners precipitated, according to contemporaneous reports from the New York Times and The Heights; these advocates promptly obtained a temporary injunction from the City of Boston against any further demolition of the church at the hands of the Jesuits. The Times report included two pictures, the first of which documented the “helter-skelter” appearance of church pews strewn in a pile, “looking like they’re going to the junkyard.” The architect for the Landmarks Commission described the smashed chandeliers that had been heedlessly unhinged from the ceiling. The interior walls of the Renaissance Revival structure, meanwhile, were decorated with “spray-painted X’s,” in anticipation of further unpermitted demolition.
Today, Immaculate Conception Church is once more undergoing a radical transformation, albeit one closely monitored by the preservationist establishment, and presided over by private developers. The contours of the former church will soon be filled by “The Cosmopolitan,” billed as a “higher standard of luxury” for the South End and marketed by an agent as a “hybrid of luxury apartment homes for lease and triplex penthouse condominiums for sale.” The Natick-based development corporation spearheading the redevelopment, the Bodwell Pines Corporation, expects to allow its first rental tenants to move in come November, and the condominium owners about a month later.
In the ever-evolving landscape of real estate development, the transformation of iconic landmarks into modern living spaces is a testament to the adaptability of urban spaces. Just as Immaculate Conception Church is reborn as “The Cosmopolitan,” blending luxury apartments and penthouse condominiums, prospective homebuyers are presented with a myriad of choices in today’s market.
In the realm of real estate, the quest for a home that resonates with one’s spiritual values and beliefs is a journey of significance. Just as the transformation of iconic landmarks speaks to the adaptability of urban spaces, so too does the search for a dwelling that embodies the essence of Christian living. Whether it’s a converted church with stained glass windows illuminating sacred spaces or a modern abode designed to foster community and hospitality, the choices are as diverse as the facets of faith itself. With the aid of knowledgeable agents and platforms like EZ Home Search, navigating this journey becomes less daunting. Explore listings online for a detailed break down here of properties that cater to your specific needs and preferences. Each listing offers more than just a physical space; it presents an opportunity to cultivate a home where spiritual growth and fulfillment can flourish.
Amidst this urban evolution, home builders in Sydney embrace a parallel ethos of revitalization. In the vibrant tapestry of Australia’s largest city, the concept of knock down rebuild Sydney emerges as a beacon of transformation. Like craftsmen sculpting new realities from old foundations, they embody the spirit of renewal, reshaping neighborhoods with a fusion of tradition and innovation. Just as The Cosmopolitan breathes new life into historical architecture, these builders breathe fresh possibilities into the Sydney skyline, forging a future where luxury meets legacy.
Left unmentioned in these accounts, however, is perhaps the most important contribution tied to the architecturally significant building: the establishment of Boston College.
Humble Beginnings
If you were to roam Boston College’s campus today asking students to describe the University’s founding, you might be hard-pressed to find an answer at all, let alone an identification of the South End campus as its original home.
The late University Historian Fr. Charles Donovan, S.J., identifies just such a moment when describing the inauguration of construction on Immaculate Conception Church, attended only by Bishop Fitzpatrick, Fr. John McElroy, S.J., and a few other Jesuits, as the “laying of the cornerstone of Boston College” on April 27, 1858. The construction of the church and the academic buildings next door was thought to be so integrated a process, he reasons, that “no thought was given to a separate cornerstone laying for the college.” Indeed, the smallness of their numbers might have had something to do with the ever-increasing anti-Catholic sentiment in Boston at the time, as the insurgent Know-Nothing Movement gained steam in the halls of power and the founding priests experienced difficulties negotiating with occasionally hostile state authorities.
From the Digital Commonwealth collection
Nevertheless, the early Jesuits of BC adeptly deployed their limited funds in the construction of the imposing, New Hampshire granite edifice. Architect Patrick Keely, to whom an impressive portfolio of mostly east coast churches, including the Holy Cross Cathedral, can be attributed, employed a rare use of Renaissance Revival architecture in its rendering. Generally considered the first prominent American Catholic architect, he used a number of stylistic features in the church’s design—repeating Ionic pilasters, a central Palladian window, and window tracery—as well as a projecting front pavilion that creates a unique double-pedimented effect to the front elevation. In a neighborhood filled with mid-19th century red brick row houses and mansard roofs, Immaculate Conception undoubtedly stood out.
A New Start
It was exactly this architectural distinctiveness that the Bodwell Pines team had seen as excellent potential for upscale redevelopment. By 2016, they completed a proposal that began with deconsecration of the church, followed by a renovation that would transform the interior space into 63 condominium apartments. The planned interior would consist of seven stacked floors of four three-bedroom, 15 two-bedroom, and 32 one-bedroom apartments, as well as 12 multi-story, luxury townhouses, all contained within the original granite shell. The original development application stipulated the donation of all “religious artifacts” to the Archdiocese of Boston, and some early renderings even showed the building without the exterior Jesus and Mary statues.
The concept also fit neatly within the condominium association that included the adjoining brick buildings that had once held Boston College, the high school, and the accompanying Jesuit residences. After years of vacillation as the project progressed, the majority of the units (all except the townhouses) have now been rebranded as luxury apartments, with the rents starting at $3,600 monthly for a one-bedroom and topping out at $9,000 for the larger, higher-end rentals.
The church once again found itself under the watchful eye of the South End Landmark District when developers began implementing major exterior changes in 2018. While assenting to minor repairs and replacements of the front stairs and some doorways necessary for adherence to city codes, the Commission rejected outright the development team’s request to strip the exterior windows of their wooden tracery (wispy, ornamental window subdividers) in a unanimous decision.
Ron Simons, the principal owner, argued that the reduction in light through the sole exterior windows would disincentivize tenants from moving in: “I wake up at night in a deep sweat thinking it’s going to be an unsuccessful building. If these units don’t sell, I will go broke. It’s really, very little light.”
No such fear is evident in the words of Susan Piracini, the broker handling the sale of the twelve condominium townhouses; in her interactions with prospective clients, she observes that “people are really interested in the history of the building.” In an age of all-too uniform construction materials, as well as steep demand for new real estate in the South End, she argues, “you’re not in just a vanilla box” at The Cosmopolitan.
Intended Obsolescence
Donovan writes that even University President Fr. Thomas Gasson, S.J., amidst the preparation for the Chestnut Hill relocation, “seemed to doubt that a new college and the old institution could be maintained simultaneously.” Perhaps the association between Immaculate Conception Church and Boston College was unfeasible for the long term, but the University, as well as the local Jesuit communities, would continue at least a limited connection to the site for decades to come.
“Like many of us as individuals,” notes James O’Toole, current University Historian, “at some point it had to move away from home if it was going to continue to grow. It would have been impossible for us to become the university we are today if we were confined to a single city block.”
As the church had been managed by the New England Province of the Society of Jesus in the intervening decades, and never incorporated as a parish, its 2007 closing and subsequent offering up for sale was attributed simply to limited funds, according to Fr. Thomas Regan, S.J., the provincial at the time. Known by then as the Jesuit Urban Center (a period worthy of a narrative in its own right), the closure left a disappointed congregation, including a sizeable gay community, to whom the Jesuits had ministered.
Over-Churched
Standing below that great, granite edifice, the temple-like projecting pavilion, I am left feeling as if the current scenario seemed unavoidable. It is not the first church conversion in
Boston, and, unfortunately, it will be far from the last.
Its front steps lie just blocks from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, leading many to conclude that the area was ‘over-churched’ from the very beginning. However unwelcoming the concept may seem to a young, optimistic Catholic like me, geographic factors like the spacing of churches directly affects the viability of fostering a congregation.
However architecturally significant a church may be, these structures exist within the built environment, and they can bear real scars when exposed to trauma, physical or otherwise. Immaculate Conception Church bore the weight of a young Boston College, but it would feel the weight of controversy in many more pivotal moments throughout the century, including the arrival of the Historic Preservation Movement in Boston’s South End, and, later, the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. Damage most recently resulted from years of abandonment while waiting for a helping hand from the private sector.
There is an irony in the widespread sense of relief resulting from the impending completion of the apartment conversion. The Jesuits of 1986, so thoroughly rebuked by the community at large, including their own churchgoers, sought only to accomplish nearly the same goal—the church’s conversion into offices and residential units.
As I look up to the dentilled double pediment, splashed with a fresh coat of matte gray paint (so goes the reigning contemporary style), I feel unexpectedly comforted. Mary still looks out from her niche, and Jesus, with arms outstretched, continues to preside atop the gable’s peak.
Harrison Street goes on, bustling as ever. Tenants come and go from their apartments next door, their present lives rooted where Boston College students once took courses. I am left, finally, feeling content that, in 2020, Immaculate Conception has been given a new lease on life, even if I couldn’t afford the lease myself.
Architectural renderings courtesy of Susan Piracini, Managing Director of The Piracini Group and the sales broker representing The Cosmopolitan.
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I’m sad to see the church no longer ministering to the neighborhood, but I’m glad that the building’s exterior remains. This rehabilitation preserves the exterior of the building, so that it continues to contribute to the South End. This history is important to the neighborhood, Boston College, and the city as a whole. Great project, and good article!
Thanks for this interesting article.