Groom Construction has completed construction of a Fisherman’s Watch this summer, a $22 million collection of luxury condos on the site of the former Middle School.
“It’s probably (Swampscott’s) biggest luxury condo development in the past decade,” said Gino Cresta, the town public works director.
Fisherman’s Watch’s 28 units sold out within six months of delivery. They include a variety of 2-3-bedroom residences with unique layouts. They range from 1,400 to 2,500 square feet featuring single-level garden units and two-story penthouses.
The units started at $680,000, with the most expensive units selling for around $1.3 million.
Groom began demolition of the old high school building in 2018. According to Cresta, the building was beyond remediation and that it’s demolition would have cost the town $1.5 million.
The Greenwood Avenue building was used as the high school first, and then the middle school.
“We had a building that was no longer functional,” said Cresta. “And this is a huge improvement.”
The five-story building is situated on Greenwood Avenue at the highest point in Swampscott, with views of the town, along with Nahant, and the Boston skyline. On-site amenities include a rooftop club room, fitness room, private terraces, gardens, and garage parking.
The project was designed by Groom Construction along with Grazado Velleco Architects with interior finishes by John Day of LDa Architecture & Interiors.
The designer’s stepped the building from the road on several levels to visually reduce the mass of the building. The interior design integrated natural materials such as ship-lap, wood trim and marble along-side modern finishes to keep with the town’s marine history.
“We have been working on Fisherman’s Watch with this team for many years,” said Tom Groom, the Principal and Developer.
“ We are thrilled to see this project become a reality and proud to be involved in creating housing in the Swampscott community.”
Groom Construction Co, Inc., based in Salem, has built a national reputation over the past 40 years, completing a wide variety of residential, multi-unit, mixed use, affordable housing, and commercial projects spanning the academic, medical, corporate office, retail and banking sectors.
This construction speaks to a larger trend of luxury condo development in Swampscott, Tom Groom said. Another Swampscott luxury condo project, White Court, is also set to be completed in the near future, with units selling for between $2 and $2.5 million.
