Special to the Times
There’s a new, under-the-radar office building in Beacon Hill that is turning heads. 10 Derne Street, located in the heart of Beacon Hill and looking directly into the State House garden, was recently purchased and meticulously renovated by a family development firm: Derne Street Capital.
The building has a storied history: at one point it served as the original headquarters of the Yale Club of Boston and you can still see the original iron work forming a discreet YC on the exterior of the building.That YC now forms the basis of the building’s logo.
The partners at Derne Street Capital – Justin and Tyler Griffin and their cousin Lou Tamposi – are part of a third-generation real estate family, and now, they’re looking to make their own mark on the industry. Lou and Tyler have spent the better part of the last decade at large real estate finance and development firms, while Justin has worked at the intersection of business and politics, in consulting and marketing capacities.
“In the wake of the pandemic, the office experience has changed,” said Tamposi. “Folks want the comfort of their home, and the professionalism and privacy of a family office. Our goal is to strike that balance.”
“We’re looking to provide a home-away-from-home office experience for our tenants, and we were very deliberate about designing the space accordingly,” said Justin Griffin.
The partners worked closely with their designer, Jeff Delvey, who happens to be a tenant in the building, and Beacon Hill architectural firm Judge Skelton Smith, who themselves reside just a block away. “From the start, we wanted the project to feel very Beacon Hill, like you were stepping into a townhouse, not an office,” Delvy told me.
Beyond office space, the building hosts quarterly, bespoke events for the building’s tenants and a select network of friends and family. I attended the most recent one featuring Jeff Parrott – owner and creator of the brand J. Earl & Sons, a proprietor of vintage barware, and Brand Director of Blade & Bow Bourbon – which featured cocktails made and mixed by Parrot himself in the building’s private courtyard. It also featured Parrot’s collection of fine barware for sale to tenants and members attending the event. The event was catered by the Tip Tap Room and Crane River Cheese Club, another Beacon Hill staple.
For more information on 10 Derne Street, please visit 10Derne.com.