I previously posted a 5-star review of the Devonshire apartments but have downgraded my review to 4 stars due to my slightly unpleasant experience after moving out. While I still think that the quality of living at the Devonshire is excellent you need to be aware that it will not be easy to sublease or find someone to take over your lease if you have to move before the end of your lease term. Because the Devonshire always has vacant apartments, the staff does not have much incentive to support you in finding a prospective tenant. Prior to my move I received a verbal confirmation that the lease terms would essentially remain the same if I could present someone to take over my lease, however, when I did introduce possible tenants they either decided to go with one of the other apartments they were presented or were quoted a significantly higher rent than my previous rent, contradictory to what I was given verbally. To actually post my apartment as available on their website I had to call/ email to remind them. During my lease time I had also successfully referred a friend who now lives at the Devonshire for which they reward you with a $500.- credit but I did not receive this credit by the promised deadline and also had to send multiple reminders. Lastly, in dealing with the unpleasantness of the lease issues I was referred to a staff person whose tone was rather harsh and condescending. If they had simply honestly stated that the rent would go up for the next tenant and I could have advertised it accordingly and they had been courteous in the process I would have taken the loss without the unpleasant aftertaste of the experience. I do recommend that you try to communicate with John or Janice instead when possible. Otherwise I still have to say that I enjoyed living at the Devonshire very much. I thought that you get a lot of luxury at a much better price point than some of the newer luxury buildings downtown. The location is great, within walking distance to lots of restaurants, Beacon Hill, the Common, MGH, Quincy Market. I had a sunrise view of the ocean and airport. On the 42nd floor there is a gym that has all the equipment I needed, yoga and other exercise classes, a massage service (excellent, btw), a sauna, and a large pool and lounge with panoramic views of the city. It was an oasis for me coming home in the evenings. There is also a study room, a pool table and other common areas to hang out. Devonshire organizes get-togethers for their tenants regularly with catering. They have a guest suite to rent out to friends or family of tenants and former tenants of the Devonshire can rent it if they come back to visit. If you need something repaired, you just post it online and they fix it on the next business day. Compared to some of the newer luxury buildings in town these apartments are a bit older and not as modern, but very well maintained, most of them have carpet and a few have hardwood floors. I had experienced modern luxury building living for 3 or 4x the rent (with actually none of the amenities that the Devonshire has), and would always prefer the Devonshire over that. read more

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. read more

Best location in Boston. When you add in the convenience it's worth the price you pay. The apartments could be updated popcorn ceilings, and no ceiling lights give you a flashback to the 80's and the carpet could be better. However if you want great service and you work near by you can't beat it. Considering Apts in Charlestown are almost as much go with here you won't be disappointed. Plus utilities are included and electric ran $40 a month. Parking get a discount at the government center garage to about $270/month not bad. read more

I've lived at the Devonshire for a few years. The building itself is nice, some of the apartments have amazing views, the location is good if you want to live downtown, and the concierge and maintenance staff are superb. However, the leasing office and overall building management are unethical and downright horrible. In this past year alone, they lied to me about doing a construction project right before I renewed my lease. Then, when the project began later that year one of the doormen came by and asked, "could we come in to your apartment to look at the HVAC." Next thing I knew, there were 20+ people in my apartment, all of my furniture had been moved, they pull holes in my walls to pull out the HVAC system (but the holes were so big you could walk into the other rooms through them -- so much for privacy in our bedrooms). I wouldn't have allowed them in if I knew this is how the project was going to be. After that, they'd have people who up in my apartment at 8am. Didn't seem to matter to them whether my wife and I were ready for them to enter or we were stark naked in the shower. At it's best, it was a bad way to start the day. At it's worst ....well, you can imagine what it's like to walk out of the shower to find handfuls of people in your apartment. Comfortable and safe are not the words we'd use to describe it. Ohhh, and did I mention they turned off our heat in the middle of this last winter before this project started without any warning? It must have been in the 40's or 50's in my apartment when I woke up that morning. We turned space heaters on but their electric outlets would only enable a few to be on at any one time without the electricity going out so we couldn't ever get the apartment back into the '70s until after the project was over. A few other data points I've come across from other residents: * Several people moved into hotels for a month or two (on their own dime) while the project was going on in their apartments. In retrospect, they were the smart ones. * At least one attorney in the building talked with other residents about filing a class action lawsuit. Personally, I didn't want to go down that road, but was glad to see someone sticking up for our rights. Don't know where that's at these days. * When asking people who were in the first set of units how bad it was, the most memorable response I heard was, "It's F*cked." I didn't know how true that was until later. So, be careful living here. For $4k+ per month, it's just not worth the risk in my opinion. The Devonshire is a nice building and the staff is generally great. The location works really well if you don't mind the surrounding area being a bit slow at night from Sunday through Thursday (it's in the finance district afterall). However, the leasing office and general management are ethically challenged and don't care about the tenants here. This completely ruined my experience here and many others that I know in the building. And, while their HVAC project should be done in the next year, make sure you get everything in writing from them or else they'll take advantage of you as they did me. If you do choose to live at the Devonshire, bring a rabbit's foot (I must have forgot mine). read more

I highly recommend the Devonshire. We rented there for over five years and found the location perfect, with easy access to public transportation, historical and culture sites, great restaurants and easy walking distance to all Boston attractions. The building is professionally run, very clean, good security and a dedicated staff to make your stay enjoyable. read more

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 20th 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. read more

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). read more

The Devonshire is a GREAT place to live and we hated to relocate away after four years of a carefree lifestyle. The location is unbeatable, the building is extremely well maintained and the staff is top notch. Management is very responsive and they have met all of our requests over the years. The doorpersons like John, Margaret and Eric are excellent. Even though there are a lot of newer "glitzier" buildings downtown, I don't think they compare to the quality and value the Devonshire offers. The 42nd floor gym, indoor pool and sauna are a real bonus especially when the weather is miserable. I can't say enough about this place other than we would move in again if we ever found ourselves back in Boston. Thank you Ed and John D.! read more

Can't beat the location, and as crazy as it sounds when describing a luxury high-rise apartment building, you'd have a hard time beating the price when comparing to similar alternatives. You'll find plenty of walk-ups in "hotter" neighborhoods charging the same rent for less space and zero amenities. The value is great, though to get the full experience you'll shell out extra - Sky Club (gym, pool, sauna, spa, and billiards lounge) requires a monthly membership fee - and on-site parking is valet-only for another monthly fee. Of course, the flip-side is that this means the gym never gets too busy, and you don't need to wait for parking... The units themselves are pretty standard, though I'd say we found the closet space for our 1BR to be better than most or all comps. And the views are pretty unbeatable - especially for floors 20+. The grand lobby is impressive, and management is always putting on community events like swanky catered holiday parties by the rooftop top, and local restaurants offering snacks in the lobby before and after work. Finally, I can't say enough great things about the staff - the folks in the leasing office, the maintenance crew, the gym attendants, and of course the doormen and women - they are all terrific and make the Devonshire a pleasure to call home. read more

I dont live there either because the price is a bit high but I do have a friend who lives there. The Devonshire has some great views of the city, you can see all the way to the Charles River. Obviously the location is great, you can walk everywhere because it's right in Gov't Center and I like the Sky Club, although it costs an additional $70/month (which is the same as joining a gym so I don't really understand the point in charging so much?). The only downside is that there is no laundry in the unit, rather it's on each floor and you have to pay for it, which for this price you'd think you'd get it free in the unit. They also don't run nearly as many specials as the Archstone Boston Common which is down the street on Washington St. However if you go thru http://mycityapartment.com, here's a link to the Devonshire so you can see it: http://mycityapartment.com/SearchApartments/Details.aspx?ListingId=933775&MLSID=0, you can still save yourself $500...Tell them Mike G. sent you! read more

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. read more

Devonshire Apartments 1 Devonshire Pl # 2509, Boston, MA 02109 100% Manage This Property? Write Review Use ApartmentSearch.com and collect up to $200 IN REWARDS with participating properties! PrevNext Back to Reviews 07/07/15 0 User Responses Rossall123 - Resident Lived Here: 2009 - 2015 I recommend this property Overall:Noise:Maintenance:Safety:Neighborhood:Grounds:Office Staff: The Devonshire is the finest apartment rental building I have ever experienced - anywhere in the world. And I have lived in many countries during my lifetime. I moved into this building six years ago and I do not think I have opened the main door to go in or out more than a handful of times. From the concierge to the service to house keeping and to management I say HATS OFF for a JOB WELL DONE! The location of this building could not be better. People often say that there is little to do or few places to go after 6pm in the Financial District, but this could not be further from the truth. It is a vibrant, safe and exciting place to live. Myriad restaurants and bars and shops to suit every taste and budget. The rental rates are a little higher than many buildings but if quality, location and service counts for anything than it is money well spent. If these things do not matter to you than go rent somewhere else where the building management usually could care less about you as long as the rent is paid each month. I have seen a few complaints here about the recent HVAC work as well as the recent refurbishment of the hallways. True, it was inconvenient, but the work had to be done as the building is roughly 30 years old. But they keep it up. And whilst inconvenient, the result has been well worth it. Excellent air conditioning and heating system now. I have never heard a negative word about The Dev from anyone with a modicum of taste and I would not hesitate to recommend the building. I don't think I shall ever move! read more

I've lived at the Devonshire with my husband and two kids for over 7 years and it's amazing! Despite being in Downtown Boston it feels like we have our own community here and it's such a welcoming environment. The management team has treated us like family from the beginning and the level of service is quite incredible. Sadly we are moving out of state and soon will no longer be calling The Devonshire our home. If you are looking for a great place to live (full service with amazing amenities) this is your place! read more

I have lived in the building for over 18 months. The place is impeccably run. The staff, from the rental office to maintenance as well as concierge and doormen are very pleasant and always helpful. This is a full service building and as such they take care of packages (including returns!) and can schedule taxis if you need to go somewhere. The building is very safe, always well illuminated, and always someone on staff to help. Tenants range from executives to families. I've never heard any noise from anyone at any time. There is a garage below that connects directly to the lobby for tenants and the rate is [for Boston] very reasonable. The garage is open 24 hours. Another great benefit is the location which has changed dramatically in the last year. Great restaurants, shops and access to the T, the Common and Faneuil hall as well as the North End. On Fridays and Saturdays there's even a great farmers market less than 5 minute walk away. The apartment I have has excellent light and an amazing view. If you're looking to rent a place, you must consider this building. read more