Architect Plays Nice In Boston's South End

A new building in Boston's historic rowhouse laden south end neighborhood looks ahead without disrespecting its traditional context.

1 minute read

February 4, 2007, 1:00 PM PST

By Mike Lydon

"Without limits, play is meaningless. Without a court and a net, you can't play tennis. How would you know when you'd made a good shot?

It's the same in architecture. Case in point: the modest but fascinating new dwelling at 424 Massachusetts Avenue in the South End.

Here the "firm limits" are the rules of the South End Landmark District Commission, which the architect was required to respect. And "play" describes the inventive things he did within these rules.

The architect is Doug Dolezal of Boston. His building looks, at first glance, like two townhouses. But it's actually a single building, five stories with an elevator, with parking in the basement. There are 10 condos, two per floor. The site had been a vacant lot for half a century."

FULL STORY: Fitting in with the South End neighbors

Sunday, January 28, 2007 in The Boston Globe

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