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South End Church Conversion: New Plans Call for Dozens of Condos, Parking Spaces

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Two earlier proposals fell through

There are new plans to convert the old Church of the Immaculate Conception at 771 Harrison Avenue in the South End into residences.

Recall that developer GTI Properties, the folks who built up the neighborhood's SoWa arts district, had mulled two different plans for the property, which includes an adjoining building and internal courtyard and which shuttered in 2007, when it was being used as the Jesuit Urban Center. GTI did not move forward with either project and recently sold the property for $12,300,000.

Enter Natick developer Ronald Simons, the new owner. He plans to convert the church, the building, and the courtyard into 63 condos and a 48-space parking garage (with 25 more spaces designated at a nearby carpark). The condos would range from studios to 3-BRs. Simons calls the development the Cosmopolitan.

The 157-year-old church's Italian Renaissance Revival exterior would remain "substantially intact" under Simons' plans, per Donna Goodison at the Herald. Major tweaks would include new roof terraces and skylights, and a tempered glass canopy at the adjoining building's entrance.

Everything's very speculative right now (Simons just filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority), but, if the project does move forward, it would join a slew of Boston church conversions and a lot of development activity in the South End in particular. Stay tuned.