Chelsea condo conversion turns church into 10 luxury lofts

The bones of the building at 204 Spencer Avenue in Chelsea date from the mid-1880s, and the property housed a Baptist church for roughly a century.

It then stood vacant until this year, when Roback Real Estate and Jems Financial commenced converting the building near the intersection of Webster and Spencer avenues into 10 luxury loft condos ranging from studios to 3-BRs.

Dubbed the Thomas Martin Lofts after the site’s original builder, they are now on sale through Jeff Bowen for prices that run from $325,000 to $525,000.

Such prices would be relative steals a few miles to the south in downtown Boston. In Chelsea, the tags are in keeping with the city’s allure as a less expensive option for buying (though who knows how long that’ll last?).

• Chelsea house prices running nearly even with Dorchester on average [Curbed Boston]