35 Riverwalk Way: What It Is Like to Live on the Merrimack River in Lowell

35 Riverwalk Way is one of the two anchor addresses of Renaissance on the River, Lowell’s landmark mill conversion on the banks of the Merrimack. The building dates to 1890, and the conversion kept everything that makes these mills special: soaring wood ceilings, exposed beams, oversized windows, and river views that newer construction simply cannot fake.

The Lofts

The homes at 35 Riverwalk Way are loft condos, mostly one and two bedroom layouts in the roughly 620 to 1,480 square foot range. Expect polished concrete or wood floors, open concept living areas, and kitchens built for real cooking, with stainless appliances standard. Being directly on the river means many units wake up to water views, and the Riverwalk path runs right behind the building, so the morning walk starts at your door.

That range of sizes is the building’s quiet advantage. A single buyer can start with an efficient one bedroom loft, and a couple who needs a work-from-home den can find a two bedroom with room to spread out, all inside the same historic walls.

The Community and the Fee

Renaissance on the River is a full 153-unit community, shared with 52 Lawrence Drive, which means more inventory turns over here than in Lowell’s smaller boutique mill buildings. Buyers get more chances to land a unit, though the best river-view lofts still draw competition. The amenity list is built for everyday life: a fitness center, a club room, a game and movie room, elevator access with intercom entry, outdoor park space, and the riverside walking path. The condo fee covers a lot of daily living, heat, hot water, water, sewer, and air conditioning in most units, plus deeded parking.

The River Out the Window

It is worth saying plainly what riverfront living changes. The Merrimack is wide here, and it moves. Lofts on the river side of the building get that view in every season: open water in spring, green banks in summer, color in the fall, ice and light in the winter. The Riverwalk behind the building turns the view into a routine, a place to run, walk the dog, or clear your head after work. City life and river life rarely come in the same package at this size. At 35 Riverwalk Way, they do.

Minutes to Everything in Lowell

Location is the other half of the story. You are minutes from downtown Lowell, the Tsongas Center, LeLacheur Park, UMass Lowell, and the commuter rail into Boston, with the Lowell Connector and major highways close by. It is the rare building where you can walk to a show, a ballgame, or the train, then come home to the quiet of the river. Living in Lowell puts you in a city with real urban texture: mill history, a national historical park, live music, and minor league baseball. 35 Riverwalk Way sits at the center of the riverfront version of all of it.

Our team knows these lofts firsthand. Doherty Properties has marketed homes at 35 Riverwalk Way, including Unit R306, a 1,199 square foot, one bedroom, one bath condo-loft that shows exactly what this building does well: wood ceilings and beams overhead, an open kitchen built for real cooking, and the river community all around it.

One detail every seller here should know before listing: a sale at 35 Riverwalk Way carries the same 1 percent historic preservation fee payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the rest of Renaissance on the River, so factor it into your numbers early. Doherty Properties follows Renaissance on the River closely. Browse the other buildings we cover in Lowell and the Merrimack Valley or call us at (978) 746-0124 to ask about current availability at 35 Riverwalk Way.

Nobody sells more of these lofts than Chris Doherty. He personally sells 100+ homes a year across Greater Lowell, with 3,000+ career transactions, and Doherty Properties, the company he leads, has handled over $1 billion in real estate transactions.

Doherty Properties, 4 Courthouse Lane, Suite 2, Chelmsford, MA 01824. (978) 746-0124.