Baker Square, at 1241 Adams Street in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester, is a condominium community with 175 residences in the former Walter Baker Chocolate factory, converted to condominiums in the 1980s on the banks of the Neponset River.
Walter Baker & Co. traces its roots to 1765, when Dr. James Baker financed the country's first chocolate factory in this area with chocolate maker John Hannan. Under Henry L. Pierce in the late 1800s the company grew into a national brand, known for its "La Belle Chocolatiere" trademark. General Foods acquired the business in 1927, and production left Lower Mills in 1965. The brick mill buildings are part of the Dorchester/Milton Lower Mills Industrial District on the National Register of Historic Places, and in the 1980s several of them were converted to residential condominiums.
The 175 homes are one- and two-bedroom lofts of roughly 600 to 2,600 square feet, some with dens and some on two levels, set on floors one through six. Many keep the factory's character, with exposed brick, posts and beams, 12-foot ceilings, and oversized industrial windows, and some look out over the river.
Residents have a heated indoor lap pool, a whirlpool, a sauna, a fitness center, bike storage, and a function room. Outside, a patio overlooking the Baker Dam has a fire pit and grills. On-site parking is available.
The Milton stop on the Mattapan trolley line is steps away, and Milton Village sits just across the river in Milton. A grocery store, pharmacy, post office, and restaurants are close by in Lower Mills. Elsewhere in Dorchester, DNA Lofts offers another collection of converted industrial condominiums.
Baker Square keeps one of Boston's oldest industrial landmarks in everyday residential use.
Baker Square, at 1241 Adams Street in the Lower Mills section of Dorchester, is a condominium community with 175 residences in the former Walter Baker Chocolate factory, converted to condominiums in the 1980s on the banks of the Neponset River.
Walter Baker & Co. traces its roots to 1765, when Dr. James Baker financed the country's first chocolate factory in this area with chocolate maker John Hannan. Under Henry L. Pierce in the late 1800s the company grew into a national brand, known for its "La Belle Chocolatiere" trademark. General Foods acquired the business in 1927, and production left Lower Mills in 1965. The brick mill buildings are part of the Dorchester/Milton Lower Mills Industrial District on the National Register of Historic Places, and in the 1980s several of them were converted to residential condominiums.
The 175 homes are one- and two-bedroom lofts of roughly 600 to 2,600 square feet, some with dens and some on two levels, set on floors one through six. Many keep the factory's character, with exposed brick, posts and beams, 12-foot ceilings, and oversized industrial windows, and some look out over the river.
Residents have a heated indoor lap pool, a whirlpool, a sauna, a fitness center, bike storage, and a function room. Outside, a patio overlooking the Baker Dam has a fire pit and grills. On-site parking is available.
The Milton stop on the Mattapan trolley line is steps away, and Milton Village sits just across the river in Milton. A grocery store, pharmacy, post office, and restaurants are close by in Lower Mills. Elsewhere in Dorchester, DNA Lofts offers another collection of converted industrial condominiums.
Baker Square keeps one of Boston's oldest industrial landmarks in everyday residential use.
