Bywater, Marigny ‘the next frontier’ for developer
Michael Bosio has been drawing homes since he was 12 years old. Now he’s 27, with two degrees from the Tulane University School of Architecture and at work on multi-unit developments in two historic New Orleans riverfront neighborhoods through the real estate design and construction firm he co-founded, MK Red.
He teamed up with his construction partner, Kyle Resmondo, initially to design and build single-family homes in Lakeview. But then some vacant property in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood caught his eye in the 2400 block of Dauphine Street, the site of the Hubig’s Pie factory, which was destroyed by fire in 2012.
Now the eight-unit Baker’s Row townhouse-style condo development is well under way at the location. MK Red has released the first unit for sale, priced at $649,000, featuring two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, 10-foot ceilings and central staircases with 30-foot glass walls.
“It brings a lot of credibility to me as an individual, having degrees from Tulane.”
Michael Bosio, co-founder, MK Red
The exterior blends with the historical context of the neighborhood, but inside, “the modern details start to become more apparent,” Bosio said. “Between my partner and I we do some pretty cool construction work.” They are aided by two other Tulane architecture alumni—designer/graphic coordinator Efren Lopez and mentor John Dalton, licensed architect on MK Red projects.
Bosio, a graduate of the school’s master of sustainable real estate development program, says his Tulane experience has given him “a lot of confidence and a lot of credibility, too. I’m mindful of representing Tulane as well.”
He keeps his Tulane connection by teaching as an adjunct instructor in the school’s real estate minor summer institute.
A new development project is on his horizon as well. MK Red has purchased property at 3200 Chartres St. in Bywater for a 16-unit, 35,000 square-foot, mixed-use development with condos, retail spaces and parking.
He hopes to start construction this fall next to the Piety Bridge leading to the new Crescent Park, a 1.4-mile, 20-acre urban linear park connecting the community to the riverfront.
“It’s the next frontier for MK Red,” Bosio said.
