Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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photography by Derek Szabo in the heart of the city Cindy and Paul K raemer were looking for the full city expe- rience after selling their home in Sudbury in 2013. It was a big change. Cindy, who runs an event-planning business, and Paul, a consultant, had spent decades living in Sudbury and raising two children there. But they found their dream condo in a t wo -bedroom unit on t he 17t h f loor of t he W Boston, with views of the Charles R iver, the State House, and the South End. The W's location, in the heart of Boston's Theater District, ca n't be beat , Cindy says. The development boom t hat is transforming Boston keeps adding new amenities and attrac- t ions to t he a rea, w it h a Roche Bros. a nd a W hole Foods Market having recently opened nearby. "We wanted to be in the city and take advantage of all the things taking place in the city," she explains. "We overlook the Wang Theatre and the Wilbur. You can call over to see if you can get some last- minute tickets, and you're in." T he high-r ise ha s at t racted ma ny empt y nesters since it opened in 2010, with 15 to 17 percent of the units occupied by older couples w it h college-age or adult children, notes Dinny Her ron, senior v ice president of Ot is & A hea r n, a sales, marketing, and research firm. Maybe the biggest challenge so far for the K raemers has been adjusting to considerably less living space. The couple went from 5,600 square feet and five bedrooms in Sudbury to less than 2,000 square feet at the W Boston. The space can get tight at times—especially when they're both working from home. Fortunately, the W has a number of common areas that provide a comfortable space where residents can work and make phone calls. The couple also worked with designer Eric Roseff (17 Saxton St., 617-282-9725; ericroseffdesigns.com) to maximize their new space, using furniture to divide it into different areas. The guest bedroom can also be closed off into a private suite, handy when the Kraemers' college-age son is in town. Says Cindy, "We made it so someone can watch a game in one area and someone can read in another, and they're not on top of each other." 110 Stuart St., 617-669-4414; wbostoncondominiums.com a hub for community The 60 -stor y Millennium Tower, currently taking shape in Downtown Crossing, may be best known for its $37.5 million penthouse, the most expensive condo ever listed on the Boston ma rket. But Millennium Pa r t ners—which has a long t rack record of successful condo projects in Boston, starting with The Residences at The R itz- Carlton Towers in the Theater Dist r ict—ma kes a sa les pitch t hat goes beyond t he t y pica l emphasis on g reat views and posh living. The approach is proving attractive to empty nesters, who have bought approx- imately 25 percent of the building's units. Like its other projects, Millennium's newest tower offers a complete lifestyle for its buyers, with a range of features that are especially attractive to empty nesters, says Richard Baumert, a partner at Millennium Partners. At the core of the 442-unit tower, slated to open in August 2016, will be a social hub that should prove a powerful lure to those seeking to start new lives in the cit y. The planned 23,000 -square-foot clubhouse is the largest that Millennium Partners has ever built, featuring everything from a private restaurant to a Pilates studio and a spa. continued on page 114 The W Boston offers sweeping views of the Charles River and the South End. At Your Service Condos with a side of luxury hotel amenities. "The profle of the empty nester is more complex than it used to be fve or 10 years ago," says David Crowley, director of sales and marketing at Raveis Marketing Group. "When it comes to the ultraluxury, high-end buyer, they want luxury and hotel-type services, such as 24-hour room service." Empty nesters seeking an upscale condo with hotel- style services in Boston now have several choices. Over on the waterfront, there's Rowes Wharf (10 Rowes Wharf, 617- 330-7730; bhh.com), where condo residents can tap the services of the Boston Harbor Hotel. The Four Seasons (200 Boylston St., 617-338-4400; fourseasons.com/boston) has been offering hotel services to its condo residents since the late 1980s, while the new 60-story Four Seasons Tower taking shape over at the Christian Science Plaza plans to offer a similar service- rich package. In midtown, the W Boston Hotel Residences has a sizable contingent of empty nesters in its 123 condos, all of which enjoy the full range of hotel services provided by the W. Perks of living in the hotel/condo tower include room service whenever you want it, a 24/7 concierge, valet parking, and a doorman. 112 bostoncommon-magazine.com haute property