Four Boston College female sophomores are in high spirits today after signing a year-round lease beginning next September in Brighton's highly-desired Cleveland Circle neighborhood.
The apartment, located on the corner of Beacon Street and Chestnut Hill Ave., is just a few feet from popular BC hangouts such as Mary Ann's, Roggie's, Eagle's Deli, and CitySide Bar and Grille. For as many years as locals can remember, the unit has been a mainstay on the BC party circuit.
"Junior year is going to be amazing," said Stephanie Wilnson, LSOE '06. "We've got a prime location and will party every night!"
Her parents, however, do not share Wilnson's enthusiasm.
"Well, I'm not sure why we're letting her do this," said father Michael Wilnson. "The unit is basically two very large cardboard boxes duct-taped together. Fifteen hundred dollars a month is a little too steep for something like that."
The elder Wilnson said he didn't even know if it was legal to rent out a cardboard box. "But when I called the Health Department, they told me that it had passed inspection."
The box is equipped with a fire extinguisher and rear exit, city officials said.
Wilnson's father talked to the realtors who represent the property's owner, Bill Steadman.
According to Wilnson, the conversation included phrases such as "time of their life," "unforgettable experience," and "You're renting a cardboard box to my daughter" ... "No Mr. Wilnson, two. There are two boxes. Taped together."
"If you want the Cleveland Circle lifestyle," said realtor Jimmy Smith, "you've got to make sacrifices. Sure, it's not the most impressive apartment we have, but it's worth every penny in terms of proximity to Pino's [pizzeria]. Location, location, location. That's the rule around here."
"We can make this place pretty," said roommate Jenn Halloway, A&S '06. "Some curtains, maybe a futon, and my cute prints of Paris that I bought at the poster fair last year will really spruce this place up."
Wilnson and Halloway's other roommates, Cindy Clennel and Mindy Fennel, both A&S '06, are similarly optimistic about their living quarters next year.
"Oh my God, these guys we knew freshman year lived there," said Fennel, "and they were just crazy every night. It'll be a blast."
"I think it's just awesome that, if we want a slice from Presto's, we're like, right there," Clennel added.
While excited, the students are aware of the drawbacks of living in a box.
"We're going to have to make some sacrifices," said Clennel. "Like bunking our beds to save space. Or huddling together under one big blanket. Actually, I don't think we can all fit side-by-side. So I guess we'll have to sleep one on top of the other."
"I'm a little concerned about the accessibility to our apartment," Fennel said.
"Namely, the doors are just the open ends on either side of the box. When we looked at the place with the realtor, there was a cat peeing inside. We can't have that. I hope that no one robs us."
The property's landlord, Steadman, said that he is happy to rent out his property to Boston College females.
"They're always very respectful of their apartments. They keep the place clean and don't do too much damage," said Steadman. "I've put a lot of money into that box. The fire extinguisher, for instance, cost $35 at K-Mart. Blue Light Special ... yup."
Steadman has recently come under fire from several neighborhood housing groups, claiming that his apartment conditions and rental prices are unfairly driving up market prices and conditions in the area.
The cardboard box property is a reflection of the housing crunch that the Allston-Brighton community is facing, "thanks to those damn college kids," a neighborhood advocate said.
"There used to be a time when you could rent a studio cardboard box in this neighborhood for 300 [dollars] a month," she said. "Now, they [area landlords] just jack up the price every year because they know some kid's going to need a place to live."
"I hope they enjoy themselves in their fancy two-box apartment next year," she continued. "They can think about me, across town in my little run-down one-boxer. Hell, mine isn't even corrugated."
Pat Lally is a staff columnist for The Heights. His column appears weekly in this space.
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