251 Heath Street
Owner/Developer: Commonwealth Ventures, LLC
Architect: Elkus Manfredi Architects, David Manfredi, Principal in Charge
General Contractor: Consigli Construction
Preservation Consultant: Candace Jenkins

Designed in 1891, the richly ornamented Queen Anne style American Brewery complex is an outstanding survivor of the two dozen breweries that once thrived in the Mission Hill neighborhood. The breweries were placed along the Stony Brook Valley due to the proximity to an aquifer and nearby artesian wells. While many of Boston’s breweries did not last through the hard years of Prohibition, the commanding presence of American Brewery survived on Heath Street for over one hundred years.  The project, designed by David Manfredi of Elkus Manfredi Architects and developed by Commonwealth Ventures LLC, transformed the brewery head house, brew house, and cold storage buildings into loft-style condominium residences. The project team restored the fine granite, brick and terracotta exterior with careful attention to detail. The striking tower at the corner of the complex was cleaned and restored. The twin archways that once allowed horse-drawn wagons carting water and barley in and the finished lager out were retained.  New fenestration was added to the cold storage buildings and a newly constructed building completes the complex – bringing the total number of residences to 79 – and restores the historic industrial courtyard. Here, the simple brick and metal contemporary building relates positively to the historic fabric of the original American Brewery, while still claiming its own distinct identity within the complex.

Courtesy of Bruce T. Martin