Devonshire Apartments

I have lived in the Dev for 5 years and I absolutely love the building. The location is perfect. You are in the middle of multiple T lines, lots of shopping and great restaurants. The building has a great community atmosphere. The Sky Club views are unbeatable! The leasing office is extremely helpful with any assistance needed. Overall I think the Dev is an excellent place to live in Boston and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great high rise.

Great place, great location, very friendly and helpful staff, and management is very responsive (unlike some other places, I’ve heard).
In response to some of the other reviews: We’ve had no problems with noise from other apartments. Never heard a single footstep from the floor above (probably because it’s carpetted.) It’s true that we can hear sirens and occasionally people yelling from the street, even though we’re on the 34^th floor. The windows are actually openable, which I assume is the cause. It hasn’t been much of a problem. Yes, the HVAC upgrade was quite annoying. But apparently it was necessary work, and I don’t know if they could have handled it any differently. They made available a workspace for people who worked from home, and turned one of the apartments into a playroom for people who have kids at home.
It’s a great location, especially now that a grocery store has moved into the area. The area is quite safe, but I imagine it could be a bit scary late at night for a woman walking alone.
It’s expensive, so in terms of quality for the price, maybe more like 4 stars. But in terms of overall quality, I think it’s great.

The Devonshire had the potential to be great, but it is an absolute disgrace!
Unbeknownst to potential tenants, and without informing us when we signed our initial leases, the management decided to do an upgrade of the HVAC unit across the building. This entailed entering residents apartments for at least 35 days from 8AM-​5AM, across 10 different phases. So they are in your apartment for 5 weeks straight and since it was done in a phase manner the total construction time for the whole building is 6 months+.
And the work is still going on.
The construction workers share the same elevators as the residents as they don’t have a separate elevator provision.
Visualize a construction zone — that’s what the Devonshire is these days.
They are offering ½ month rent as compensation, but that is scant consolation. Basically the apartments are uninhabitable. What does ½ a month rent get you when you don’t have your apartment to yourself from 8 – 5?
Stay far away from this building. Residents are leaving in droves.
If they continue to treat residents like they are, a few law suits may follow.
P.S — if there was a Zero stars option on Unilocal,I would give them that.

When we moved in the building everything initially «seemed» great, we knew it was expensive but thought it would be worth it, We soon found out it is not at all a great place to live if you don’t like constant noise.
The windows are not properly fit (for ex. snow came in during this past winter) the walls are papier macher thin such that you can hear the conversations in the next apartment. You will hear car alarms, sirens, ambulances and drunk ppl fighting at 2 or 3 AM even on the high floors when you should hear NO street noise but because of shoddy construction it sounds like you are next to the sirens.
Just when you thought it could not get worse, the building management decided to redo the carpeting, The halls looked like a homeless shelter for weeks, then they did HVAC improvements — with constant banging, then decided to replace the AC/​Heating units.
The management will put you out for days/​or even weeks on end, and your apt is barely inhabitable (because all the furniture is clustered into one area and the floors are covered in plastic — so no entertaining and God forbid you are ill, you cannot stay home and take a sick day, because while they are working on your apartment you must be out of the unit.
For this unfathomable inconvenience you are supposedly getting 50% off the days they are WORKING IN your unit (not the days that they just don’t bother to show up but it remains a disaster).
Only half the elevators work and if you live below the 20^th floor, be prepared to wait to get an elevator that is available and not taken up with the workmen moving HVAC supplies. There;s a freight elevator, but no one uses it. They do not care if they inconvenience you and they will. for this you will get the occasional «bribe» a nice party, a free breakfast served or event but in no way does it make up for how you have to deal with so much noise and inconvenience!
Re more noise: The fire alarm has gone off five times mid evening or late evening for no reason at all in the past seven months. And the list goes on. management, while friendly and nice have no power to help you. The owners could not care less about turning off the power without any advanced warning (they cut power to floors that were NOT notified ahead of time) and when contacted to complain about spoiled food, there was no response from the management. That was about five months ago.
You would have to be an idiot to pay over 4K a month for this treatment and no sleep. because the street noise (even on the high floors) and noise from neighbors has made living here torturous. I would really warn you NOT to come to this building, I am not renewing my grossly over priced lease. Caveat Emptor.

We’ve lived here three different times. First, we had a one bedroom when my wife was working at a startup in Boston, and then another one bedroom when I was consulting in Boston.
Finally, we decided to make the move from rural NH into the city, so got a two bedroom apartment. It is perfect for our needs. We’ve been able to give up our car — there’s a ZipCar location across the street. South Station is a quick walk and I can get to the airport easily, both of which are great since I travel frequently for work.
The staff at the concierge desk are extremely helpful. For example, I had to take my father-​in-​law to the doctor once and was having more difficulty finding a cab than I had guessed. One of the concierges — Sheamus — RAN down the street around the corner up to a nearby hotel to get us a cab. Amazing!
The rest of the staff are also wonderful. When anything needs to be fixed, it is addressed quickly and effectively.
It is a very quick bike ride to the Charles River Esplanade and a short walk to the harbor. The views on our floor are very nice — we look over the Common, Public Garden and the Charles River.
We’re quite happy here and expect we’ll be here for many more years.

I lived here for four years. 2006 – 2010. The rent was a bit steep on the 39^th floor $ 3.2k for two bedroom/​two bath. We later moved to a two bedroom/​two bath, on the 11^th floor when they had an opening and rent dropped to $ 2.8k. Beautiful lush carpeting, modern bathrooms and very modern kitchen, although no gas stoves (if u love to cook this sucks). Typical for fire safety regulations in an apt housing this large.
It wasn’t a massive difference in apartment size or quality but we lost the amazing views you expect from 40 stories high as opposed to 12. But $ 400 is still $ 400. The concierge was always friendly and curteous. The location was so convenient and literally central to anywhere you would want to be. Walks to Newbury street, fanuiel hall, south end, north end, the trains all run within a block or two, beautiful parks nearby and all the restaurants, bars, lounges, shops, salons etc you could possibly ask for. Im sure the rent has gone up a little since, but trust me, there is no place I would have rather lived in Boston. I miss the Devonshire all the way from New York.

Love it. Been here for 5 years now. If the location /​environs work for you, probably the best.
When you factor in all the hidden costs in addition to rent you see in many of the other apartment buildings in the Boston area (e.g. building fee, sewage, water, electricity, gas, heat, a/​c electricity, etc etc) and compare it to the Devonshire, the Devonshire is a better bang for the buck.
Also the building management is phenomenal.

What a great place to live in Boston! Rent can be a little steep, but it comes with so many upsides — concierge and maintenance that respond to service requests promptly, close proximity to several T lines, and a great gym on the top floor with outstanding views of Boston. The building seems to attract a good cadre of young professionals which makes the noise level on the quieter side.
Very happy here — would recommend to anyone!

I recently graduated college and moved to Boston from Washington, DC with my boyfriend. We both LOVE living at the Devonshire! First of all, we really feel like we won the lottery with our apartment… we live on one of the highest levels and enjoy views of the Charles River, State House and TD Garden — and got it at a great price (the same as another unit we looked at on one of the lower floors… with a view of a parking lot).
The concierge staff are great and will help you with almost anything. Also, the maintenance staff are excellent. Within the first two weeks of moving in, I discovered that my garbage disposal was clogged and my oven was not working properly. After submitting a complaint, both the garbage disposal and oven were fully replaced within 24 hours.
Other «positives» for me are: extremely close to the blue/​orange/​green/​red T lines, valet dry cleaning service (drop it off in the lobby, they bring it to your door), not many young children/​toddlers since all of the apartments are 1 and 2 bedroom (no late night baby noise!), re-​carpeting and re-​painting of apartments before each new tenant moves in, package delivery to the concierge (you pick it up at your convenience), 3 parking spaces for 15 minute unloading (great for groceries) and obviously the great location (easy walk to Faneuil Hall, North End, Beacon Hill, Downtown Crossing and Chinatown). Even though the surrounding area is fairly quiet on the weekends, I actually find this to be a very positive thing. It’s nice to be able to drive your car to the building to drop off groceries and not be in constant fear of hitting pedestrians! Also, although the monthly parking rate is very high, the nearby Government Center Garage offers a discounted rate for Devonshire residents which is fairly reasonable for the area and its less than a 10 minute walk to that garage.
The only downsides I see are as follows: I am somewhat unhappy with the policy for using the «Sky Club» (the fitness center and pool located on the top floor). While I have no problem with the $ 70/​month fee, I am disappointed that you cannot cancel your membership (without enduring a fee) until the end of your lease. I travel very frequently for my job (sometimes Monday-​Friday), and some months are worse than others. I wish that I could use the Sky Club in months where my travel would be light, and temporarily cancel my membership in those months in which I would be traveling significantly.
Additionally, I wish that the building was fully non-​smoking, as I have periodically smelled smoke in the hallway and even in my apartment (must be coming through the vents).

I am a 25 – 30 year old who lives in the Devonshire building, so given a recent post by a very angry Unilocaler, I thought I would venture an opinion on the building from a younger standpoint.
The building is very centrally located, has a great staff, has a small but very convenient gym and a newly renovated pool.
The units are ever-​so-​slightly dated (no hardwoods or stainless steel, except in the penthouses) but very clean and many have great full views of Boston or the Harbor or (like mine) peek-​a-​boo views of things like the state house dome. Plus, in comparison to other buildings in the area (Archstone in particular) the cost per square foot is much better at the Devonshire.
The population of the building includes younger folks, mostly grad students and young professionals, as well as some young families and middle-​aged to older adults.
Perhaps it is just my floor, but it is very quiet and the only time I have ever seen a problem was when the small party of a middle aged man was too loud and the doorman came up to ask them to quiet down!
This is also a hub of young professionals who, contrary to a previous poster’s statement, pay their own way without cramming people into the apartment. I, for instance, share with my fiancé. This is especially true of young lawyers, who relish living close to work after working hard all day!
All in all, I like the Devonshire and would recommend it!

One of my favorite places that I lived in Boston. Maybe in part because I lived there with Ankita D? In any case it is a cushy lifestyle. Smack in the middle of downtown the orange, green, red and blue lines are all easily accessible. At night things can be a bit drab as the financial district shuts down at night — but it was never far to Faneuil Hall, Theater District, etc. to find open restaurants and things to do.
Among my favorite memories is working out on the top floor viewing the beautiful scenery of Boston from my treadmill.
Of course you get what you pay for, which means you pay a lot. However, if you’re not looking to buy but can afford a mortgage-​like payment for a bit, I say go for it and live it up. Glad that I did.

I love living here. We moved here after living in a terrible apartment where the landlord wouldn’t fix anything (there was a leak in the ceiling we complained about all year, until they suddenly got very interested in replacing the tile — but not fixing the leak — when prospective tenants were checking out the place), so we especially appreciate the prompt service here.
Clogged toilet? Fixed within an hour. Stopped-​up drain? Ditto. Maintenance problems are addressed quickly.
The upstairs gym is great and can save you money since you won’t need a separate gym membership. Having a concierge to pick up packages really helps too.
It’s worth cutting back on other expenses in order to live here. And you might save money by living here: We cook at home more because the kitchen is so nice; we don’t take taxis any more since we are right by all the different subway lines; and we pay nothing to commute to work since we can walk there (financial district). Being able to come home during work if you need something is a huge plus too.
I recommend it! And the concierge people are nice.
Only complaint: I just think it’s a bit weird that the concierge are minorities and women at night and on the weekends and men during weekday days. Does that not send a weird message?

The Devonshire Apartments are pretty nice and super convenient for those who work downtown. My walk to work is 10 minutes or so. The rent is a bit steep (for me at least), and I am constantly on the fence about moving a bit out of the city versus staying here.
We recently had our fridge die. My wife filled out a maintenance request at 11PM the night before stating that someone could come after 8:45 am the next day. At 8:45 am the next day, they came for a look and a short bit later, they wheeled a replacement fridge in. (Not a new one, but virtually the same as the one we had). This is our second positive maintenance request — the first my wife sent a message right before leaving for work thinking once she got home in the afternoon, someone might come by. 2 minutes after filling it out, someone knocked on our door. That has been one of the good things of living in a high-​rise building versus somewhere else.
Pros: Close to every major public transportation line, including getting ot the airport via the blue line, silver line or cab. Close to anything you would want to do downtown. Close to work. The view from upstairs is great, but the health club is expensive.
Cons: Grocery stores are difficult without a car. Closest Shaw’s is in the Pru, Whole Foods about a ½ mile away. Peapod works well in the winter. Overall, it hasn’t been bad, but I suspect I am one of the few Devonshire residents who rides his bike or takes the subway to get groceries. It gets old and I miss having a car. Parking here (I think) is around $ 230 – 40 or more per month… I really don’t know since we were already planning on selling our car.

This place is nice. I don’t live here, but I have a friend who does, so I was able to see how spacious the studio was. Very nice kitchen and bathroom. I waited at the front entrance for a little while too, which is also very nice and upscale — there was a seating area and a newspaper for me to read. I will probably never live here though because 1) I don’t have the money for it, 2) I’m not particularly picky about the conditions I live in, just as long as I’m in a safe area, and 3) I would probably end up almost never going to Cambridge, Brookline, or any other places right outside of Boston because everything would be a little too conveniently close. Again though, nice looking place if you care about your living arrangements and like the convenience of being in the middle of Boston.

I LOVE living at «The Dev», as it is affectionatley known among my neighbors and friends. Yes, rent is a little steep and my view consists of some boring dude’s office, but I live 2 blocks away from work and 1 block away from EVERY major T line. South Station is a 10 minute walk, as is common. We are a hop, skip, and a jump away from Faneuil Hall too!
The management of the building is super responsive to maintenance needs and the concierge guys and girls are very vigilant but also very friendly. The upper floors of teh building have some fantstic views of downtown boston and the harbor, but the views do come with a rent premium.
I’d highly recommend this building to anyone studying or working in and aroudn the financial district.