Melrose, MA – Construction is underway for Alta Stone Place, a 212-unit renovated mill and podium-style apartment complex developed by Wood Partner. The project is being built on the site of the former Boston Rubber Shoe Company factors.
Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype, Inc, of Boston is the project architect and Pro Con Inc of Manchester, N.H. is the general contractor for the $32 million residential project.
The 92 apartment homes within the renovated building will feature 10-foot plus ceilings with exposed wood beams, brick exterior walls, oversized wood mill windows, U-shaped kitchens, walk-in closets, oversized tubs and side-by-side washers and dryers. Other unit finishes include granite countertops and clean steel appliances in kitchens; cultured marble bath vanities and oversized tubs with tile surrounds in bathrooms. The community will include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units with sizes ranging from 552 to 1,450-s/f. More than 285 parking spaces are planned and the clubhouse amenities will feature a fitness center, great room with kitchenette, game/pub room, media room, cyber café/business center, conference room and outdoor heated pool.
The project involves the redevelopment and renovation of the existing four-story brick and wood-beam mill building, as well as the construction of two new four-story wood frame buildings over a podium garage and an additional three story building containing a new 6,500sf clubhouse .Foundation work for two of the new buildings is expected to begin in October.Pro Con Inc began construction in June 2011 and expects the first units to be completed in spring 2012. The entire project is estimated to take 17 months to complete.
The site will remain a tribute to Elisha Converse, who started the Boston Rubber Shoe Company in 1853. The mill’s landmark 100-year-old eight-story brick smokestack will be the centerpiece of a new landscaped garden area. Many original features and style of the mill building will be retained and enhanced in the renovation, including copper gutters and downspouts.