Ink Block sits atop the old Boston Herald site, at 300 Harrison Avenue, in the South End. A vast six-acre mixed-used complex, comprised of three apartment buildings, a luxury condo structure, and a ground-level flagship Whole Foods, this highly-anticipated development serves as yet another reminder that the look and feel of the city is changing dramatically.
Depsite Ink Block’s new-school urban vibe, the project’s Newton-based developer, National Development, made sure to pay homage to the traits of – for lack of better words – “Old Boston”; specifically, Ink Block tips its cap to the Herald.
The open ground-floor lobby of INK 1 – the pricier, more upscale apartment building my tour starts on – is seemingly nonsensical. To the right of the front desk an oversized lamp hangs, suspended over two purple stools; the lobby’s centerpiece is a refurbished orange boxcar; there’s an open kitchen – that’s perfect for hosting a cooking class – in the back right; and National Development’s managing partner, Ted Tye, sits at the corner of a long, polished wooden table, which stretches from the back wall into the middle of the room.
“We want [the lobby] to feel like the Boston Herald newsroom,” Tye says, explaining the lobby’s almost-pulpish fixtures – color-pixalated walls, oversized lamps, and an Audrey Hepburn poster, created using old Herald press clippings.
“We wanted to make it urban and edgy,” Tye says, explaining the eclectic Ink Block lobby. “We want residents to experience something they wouldn’t find anywhere else.”
The apartments spread out across three buildings range in cost from $2,529 to $2,804 for studios, $3,234 to $4,304 for one-bed units, $4,104 to $4,704 for two-bed units, and $5,404-$5,804 for three-bed units.
With Ink 3 and Sepia slated for later openings, Ink Block property manager Jessica Ryan tours me through a 715-square-foot one bedroom in Ink 1, and a 590-square-foot Ink 2 studio. Their floor plans and high ceilings make them feel more spacious than their measurements, and each offers sweeping views of the Boston skyline.
“Residents are moving to Ink Block because we offer an unparalleled urban lifestyle,” Ryan says. “From generously sized units, the South End location, the elite service package, the rooftop pool sitting on top of a flagship Whole Foods, to the artfully designed common spaces and beyond – the living experience at Ink Block offers a very different combination of vibrancy and convenience.”
Conveniences like laundry, dry-cleaning, shoe repairs and alterations, completed for residents within 24 hours, thanks to Ink Block’s partnership with NimNim.
To appeal to dog lovers, Ink Block has teammed up with Baroo to offer a host of pet services, including: a 30-minute Walk or Run, in-home pet sitting, cleaning and brushing, and medication administration.
“Ink Block provides a lifestyle of convenience and uniqueness that I have been searching for in Boston,” says MIT grad and Ink Block resident, Predag Djuranovic. ”The location, eclectic art, 24-hour dry cleaning…Mr. Ted Tye built a place that simply has everything you could possibly need at your finger tips. Not sure why anyone wouldn’t want to live here.”
