Serenity—Exactly What the Doctor Ordered

A rendering of the newest residential building going up in Jamaica Plain. / Rendering courtesy of the Longwood Group.

After toiling in the trenches, Longwood workers and students need a refuge. Enter Serenity, a 195-unit apartment tower overlooking Olmsted Park, minutes from Boston’s healthcare epicenter. The site is now under construction, with topping off planned for summer. It’s a more peaceful alternative to the fast-growing Fenway area.

“Fenway is awesome, but you also have 60,000 people who come in and out every time there’s a baseball game. We’re a bit removed but just as accessible for the doctors, nurses, professors, and grad students looking for somewhere quieter,” says Anthony Nader, vice president of the Longwood Group, which is developing the project. “It’s a soothing setting with easy access to downtown.”

The building, surrounded by trees, will offer unobstructed views of Olmsted Park. The experience continues in a glass-walled lobby with 24-foot ceilings and a fireplace. On the sixth floor, which will feature a green roof, tenants can gather around the pool, another fireplace, or the barbecue deck. A gym and billiard room, plus a private third-floor courtyard slated to have Lawn on D–style amusements, promise to keep things social. Naturally, a 24-hour concierge will take care of other needs, including restaurant reservations and dry cleaning. Finished in soothing earth tones, the units themselves will come stocked with washer/dryers. Downstairs, bike storage and a Zipcar station make for easy escapes.

Parts of Serenity were designed for families, Nader says. Roughly 32 larger units in a lower-rise section overlook Olmsted Park, where three bedrooms are approximately 1,300 square feet and rent for $6,000 monthly. Tower studios are about 500 square feet and start at $2,600. But be patient: Leasing starts next spring. Serenity—soon.

105A S. Huntington Ave., Jamaica Plain, 617-274-8810 (Greystar).

BY THE NUMBERS

Longwood Medical Area

94.5

Percentage of area residents enrolled in school.

50.9

Percentage of area residents who work in the healthcare, social assistance, or educational services industries.

3.8 Million

Number of people who visit the area yearly.

2.4 Million

Number of outpatient admissions to area hospitals in one year.

107,900

Approximate number of people who commute to the area each day.

Source: the Boston Redevelopment Authority and Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization