Millennium Place hits 70 percent; occupancy date set for early fall

Originally posted by Marilyn Jackson at http://wickedlocalbostonhomes.com/

Millennium Place, the city’s newest – and most luxurious – residential development, won’t open until early fall, but that hasn’t stopped the development team from welcoming the soon-to-be owners.

To date 170 condominiums have been sold in the stunning 15-story glass and steel and brick mixed-use complex at 580 Washington St. that is at the apex of the Avery Street trian- gle. Ten years ago Millennium Partners devel- oped the two Ritz-Carlton towers between Washington and Tremont streets.

Millennium Place will feature 256 resi- dences with one, two or three bedrooms rang- ing in size from 775 to 2,360 square feet, and 14 penthouses will include many with private terraces. An underground garage will park 125 cars.

In addition, Legal Sea Foods will be leasing 5,600 square feet of retail space for a new concept restaurant, LX or Legal Crossing.

Last week the developers introduced its exclusive networking program called La Vie, first introduced in San Francisco’s Millenni- um Place. It’s an opportunity for residents to meet their new neighbors in intimate social gatherings.

The first program was a fireside chat – with a real but tiny hearth with a flame – featuring Gary Handel and Blake Middleton of Handel Associates, the New York-based international architectural firm that designed Millennium Place. It was held at blu, a restaurant within the Ritz-Carlton Hotel complex, which has a magnificent view of Millennium Place.

Handel said the firm has designed projects for Millennium Partners for 20 years, working on challenging sites that have subsequently transformed city neighborhoods. Boston is a prime example; the Millennium Place site once was part of the so-called Combat Zone.

Today the area is a flourishing, 24/7 neigh- borhood with vibrant theaters, a five-star hotel and new offices. New construction and repur- posed historic buildings have added 8,000 res- idents. And, Millennium Towers and the Burnham Building, another Millennium Part- ners’ project a short distance away, will create

more housing – both rental and ownership – plus offices and retail space at the site of the former Filene’s building.

Richard Baumert, a partner at Millennium Partners, told the gathering that La Vie is a program “exclusively for you and your friends,” designed to “educate, inform and entertain.”

Already a calendar has been created for upcoming events, including a fireside chat in the fall with Roger Berkowitz, who today heads Legal Sea Foods, and an out-and-about evening this summer not only to see a produc- tion of the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company’s “The Two Gentlemen from Verona” but also enjoy a pre-show reception and a post-show discussion with the director and cast members. VIP seating accompanied by picnic baskets will be part of the event.

La Vie will provide access to other cultural venues, whether it is music, theater, sports or travel, said Baumert.

The catchphrase promoting the residential sales of Millennium Place has been: “More than a place to live. This is a way to live.”

Indeed. La Vie translates as the life.

– Marilyn Jackson