Property value worries neighbors as another Southie staple is up for sale

BOSTON — Another beloved, longtime South Boston staple is saying good bye.

The Carmelite Sisters announced Wednesday Marian Manor, a nursing home and convent on Dorchester Street, is up for sale.

Marian Manor has been an institution here in Southie for more than half a century and those from the area say news of the sale is indicative of how the neighborhood is changing.

"I've never known it without this place, its always been here," Rachel Danilowicz, a lifelong Southie resident, said. "My grandmother was in there, my aunt was in there, they both passed in there."

Marian Manor is one of the few places that's stood the test of time.

The Carmelite Sisters told staff on Monday they were putting it up on the market. The property itself is massive -- especially for tightly packed South Boston. It was built on the site of the old Carney Hospital in the 50s and has a total of seven buildings right off Dorchester Street, in the heart of South Boston.

"It's prime real estate for anybody, it's Southie. All the real estates going through the roof," Ron Doolienin, another Southie lifer, explained.

The past several years have brought major development and big changes to Southie, with condos and apartments going up one after another.

"Everything that was is just gone," said Doolienin. "It's knocked over and it becomes condos. The developers come in and they just take everything over."

The Carmelite Sisters released a statement about the decision to sell that reads in part, "because its buildings are in need of extensive, expensive upgrades, the organization hopes to partner with an experienced developer so that a modern, efficient nursing facility can be constructed on-site or at a nearby location in South Boston or Dorchester."

However, a spokesperson for the Carmelite Sisters told Boston 25 over the phone that's just what they're hoping for. Whether or not that happens is going to be up to whoever buys it. While the real estate value was a big factor in the decision to sell, the condition of the building and changes in healthcare reimbursement were also considerations for the sisters.

While longtime Southie residents like Danilowicz are sad to see the memories go. Her biggest concern now is where everyone who lives in the building will end up.

"I feel bad for all of the loved ones that are going to be replaced. To where? I don't know," said Danilowicz. "It's just sad. It is sad."

Marian Manor is still accepting new patients and running normally.

A spokesperson says it's not clear when all of that might change.

Cox Media Group