Will Maisonettes Catch On in Boston? The Ink Block Gambles

Elkus Manfredi Architects
A rendering shows the entrance on Traveler Street
with the maisonette units on the ground floor.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015, by Tom Acitelli

Maisonettes, those de facto townhouses within buildings that have their own street-level front doors, are not unheard of in Boston. They're just not as common as, say, in Manhattan, where every dowager residential pile comes with one or two of the little houses (the word's literal meaning in French). So we're a tad surprised to read about the ambitions of the folks behind the Ink Block mega-project in the South End.

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In condo plan, a high style at street level

Pricey ‘little houses’ in South End to test appeal to buyers

Elkus Manfredi Architects
A rendering shows the entrance on Traveler Street
with the maisonette units on the ground floor.

By Casey Ross Globe Correspondent  May 05, 2015

As a rule of thumb, the most desirable condominiums are perched high in the sky, offering panoramic views and an elevator ride to the ground floor.

But a developer in the South End, emboldened by the city’s red-hot housing market, plans to bring the idea of luxury living down to earth. Condo buyers, meet the maisonette.

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