How thrilling would it be to be one of the 730 lucky students at
the Boston Conservatory studying music less than a block away from
historic Fenway Park! This idea may soon come to fruition as on
January 17th of 2012, the Conservatory announced its $5.1 million
purchase of a one-story warehouse located at 132 Ipswich
Street.
Directly across from Jillian’s, this large corner building is
most notable for housing the Shrut & Asch Leather Company since
1982. A 70-year old business, owner Howard Shrut who owns the
building through a family trust, has taken the initiative to now
move his leather business to Woburn, Massachusetts. Shrut indicated
that there has always been great interest in the property from
developers with an array of ideas for the plot, including the
Redsox who wished to expand their assets around Americas Most
Beloved Ballpark.
One can see why this property was a prized possession to have,
one that is zoned for up to eight-storys that would certainly be
able to overlook the stadium if built. However, the Boston
Conservatory has decided to either redevelop the whole site or put
the existing building through a complete renovation. What is in the
plans for the Conservatory is to have additional classroom and
practice spaces due to their three expiring studio spaces in the
city coming in 2016. There was the simple need for expansion from
their current 12-building occupancy spread throughout the area.
Also, there lies the possibility of adding housing for dorms for
the students at the new Ipswich Street address, and what a way to
live out your college years in a location like that!
Thus far, there have been no set dates or plans released as to
what the Conservatory is going to officially do or when they plan
on doing it. Regardless, this is absolutely an exciting
announcement, and whatever should happen we are more than confident
that the sites improvements will only enhance the Fenway area.
More Information: Boston Herald