Well, bless our souls. A few weeks ago we ran down four current listings across the Hub that were carved from the remains of churches—capacious, soaring monuments to immortality that are now places to toss smelly gym bags and piles of snail mail. Now comes the good word that the former Blessed Sacrament Church off Hyde Square in Jamaica Plain will likely become at least 32 condos priced from $269,000 all the way to $725,000. The plans are not that big a surprise—talk of a conversion of the 85-year-old church goes back to when it closed in 2004—but the idea of luxury condos will surely not sit well with some.
See, the church was supposed to be a bastion of affordable housing. But the upkeep of the building and the surrounding campus—as well as the challenge of building out an oddly shaped building (the 85-foot-high central space of the old church would, for instance, become an entry atrium for the condo building)—has meant a slow pivot to largely market-rate condos that, for JP, verge on luxury prices. Still, some affordable housing is not out of the question, it's just not required anymore by the city due to changes in ownership; but the Boston Landmarks Commission will need to take a fresh gander at the new luxury plans. God, development in Boston can get complicated.
· Church to Become High-End Condos [Gazette]
· Religious Conversions: Four Hub Chances to Wake Up in Church [Curbed Boston]