Peter Roth
Peter Roth
Title: Founder and President, New Atlantic Development
Age: 59
Experience: 31 years
The SoWa (south of Washington Street) section of South End is the latest in a constellation of neighborhoods on the fringes of downtown Boston that have become magnets for developers. In its current Girard project at 600 Harrison Ave., Peter Roth’s New Atlantic Development is turning a former church parking lot into a 160-unit apartment complex scheduled to open Oct. 1. New Atlantic Development has a history of creative problem-solving, having previously partnered with organizations such as Madison Park Development Corp. on restoration of Hibernian Hall in Roxbury, and creation of the region’s first affordable assisted-living facility at 25 Ruggles St. As board chairman of the Boston Preservation Alliance, Roth also is active in efforts to preserve such local landmarks as the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square and the Northern Avenue Bridge.
Q: How did you hear about the Harrison Avenue property’s availability?
A: It was an introduction among friends, through brokers in the South End. We are always looking for projects. John Ranco, a broker, said he’d like to introduce me to the parish priest at the Cathedral of the South End as he’d been looking at some real estate and how to solve his financial problems. That was seven years ago. We sat down with Father Kevin (O’Leary) who was thinking about creative ways to plug the gap. He said, “I’ve got this parking lot. What would you think about turning that into an income stream?” We sat down and thought about that for about a year and came up with a proposal that made sense, and began to sell it upstream at the Archdiocese. They put the project out for competitive bids, but we prevailed.
Q: What were the major site constraints?
A: The primary one was the site was a little too small. The land controlled by the Archdiocese was a little too narrow. The challenge was to work with the St. Helena’s House property so we could expand the cathedral parcel to be a little bit more efficient for a multifamily building. That was a big deal. St. Helena’s was financed through HUD and we were leasing a portion of the collateral under their mortgage. It took some time and effort, but the city and Archdiocese were interested in seeing this happen so we were able to figure that out. We tapped the Brownfields tax credit to offset the remediation expenses. It’s a very long, skinny site: over 400 feet long and less than 60 feet wide. We envisioned a very clean, contemporary building in a historic context, which is the industrial edge of the South End.
Q: What would you say was the tipping point in the South End development scene?
A: Certainly all the activity further north, which was triggered by the (Boston Redevelopment Authority’s) Albany-Harrison Corridor Study. That planning leadership by the BRA really resulted in the opportunity for folks to build a little more density and higher, and that certainly paved the way for the Ink Block and the Flower Exchange and Troy Boston.
Q: What’s the story behind the Girard name?
A: We were really looking at the opportunity of the South End context. We designed a contemporary building and those themes led us to explore a modern design, looking back to the mid-century modern masters and thinking about art and design and color and patterns and diversity, which is another hallmark of the South End. All of those led us to Alexander Girard, the famous and well-regarded textile and graphic designer.
We like the colorful folk art thread. We selected furnishings throughout the common areas that are designed by modern masters. We have rotating art in public areas, with contemporary Boston artists’ work in 13 viewing spaces. Living at Girard will really elevate your sense of being connected to design culture.
Q: How optimistic are you that Related Beal, the new owners of 660 Beacon St., will retain the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square?
A: It’s something we’ve been working on pretty hard. The effort to protect that with landmark status is something our board is pretty excited about. Who can think of Kenmore Square without the Citgo sign? We’ve got a lot of support and I think we’re going to make some headway there.
Roth’s Top Five Most Underrated Travel Locations:
- Stroget – Copenhagen’s greatest shopping street
- Santa Fe, and the Anasazi sites in northern New Mexico
- Ravello, Italy on the Amalfi Coast
- Buck’s Harbor, Maine
- Provence, France
