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Meet Tess Guinn, Development Manager for Anthem House

Get to know TESS GUINN! Tess is a Development Manager for The Bozzuto Group, a residential real estate company that creates extraordinary experiences of home and community. The Bozzuto Group is one of three partners building and developing Anthem House, the newest apartment community in Locust Point, along with WAR HORSE CITIES and Solstice Partners. We spoke with Tess and got the inside scoop on all things Anthem House and what some of her favorite spots in Baltimore are. Take a look!

1. What do you do for a living? Tell us more about your role at Anthem House. I am a Development Manager with Bozzuto Development. I manage the day-to-day at Anthem House right here in the Locust Point area of Baltimore. I provide direction to my construction team and consultants, whether it be the architect, interior designer, or access control guy. I am involved in everything, down to the very nitty gritty stuff. It is especially exciting right now because I am also providing more high-level direction as it relates to things like the artwork we are going to have in Anthem House. Overall, I have a pretty broad role. I am also involved in the financing of the project, so I sort of bring all of the different aspects of the project together.
2. What does a typical day at work for you look like? Day-to-day can certainly vary quite a bit. These days, because we are getting ready to open Anthem House, I am on site most days of the week. I am walking the building and making sure that the apartments look beautiful, and am providing direction to my construction team if there are any conflicts in design or if there are any issues that need to be resolved within the field. I am also working very closely with our marketing team at Bozzuto Management to make sure we are ready to roll once our doors open later this month for leasing to start.
3. Do you have a favorite part of the job? My favorite part is watching the building come up and seeing it all come together. I get really excited when we start going vertical out of the dirt, at the beginning of the project, and then I get really excited with all the finishes and furniture are delivered. The life cycles of these projects are very long, you spend a couple years in design and then a couple years in construction, so it is so nice to see it all come together.
4. Tell us about Anthem House and what sets it apart from other Baltimore apartment buildings. Anthem House is a really unique project. One, the location of it is really phenomenal. It’s a stones throw from the Harbor itself, so you have amazing views of the Inner Harbor and Harbor East. You also have great accessibility to 95, which I think will have a lot of appeal to people. And being in Locust Point, which is a true neighborhood, is really special in itself. I feel like it is a gem within Baltimore. The project has been designed to really blur the lines between the Locust Point neighborhood and the private residences of Anthem House. The first floor of the project has a great restaurateur that will integrate his space with our lobby. There will be coffee offerings throughout the day and in the evening they will switch over to more so focus on craft brews with light food offerings. Once our Leasing Office shuts down for the evening, the intent is that those patrons can flow throughout the entire Anthem House lobby, so there is this melting pot of the residents within Anthem House and the greater community. Even the design of the building itself is unique. We have courtyards on both the Harbor facing side and Fort Avenue facing side, so it provides a little architectural relief for the neighborhood overall. You will actually be able to see green space as a pedestrian. It is just a really well thought out space. We have a rather large offering of amenities with this project as well. We have an acre of courtyard space and a fitness center that we partnered with FX Studios to program. They designed all of the Under Armour gyms, so it really will be a top-notch gym. The amenities we have put together are really just amazing and I don’t think there is anything quite like it in the City.
5. What amenity do you think renters will enjoy most? The gym is amazing, but I am so excited because we finally finished our pool. It has spectacular views of Baltimore, so literally you will be on your lounger looking out across the Harbor. I don’t think you can experience that elsewhere within the City really, so I think that will be a really unique experience for renters.
6. What Baltimore neighborhood, outside of Locust Point, is your favorite and why? Mt. Vernon is probably my favorite neighborhood, outside of Locust Point. It is just so beautiful and has so much character. There are great restaurants and bars and it really feels like a well-established neighborhood, much like Locust Point does.
7. What's your go-to Baltimore restaurant? My favorite restaurant is in Locust Point. It is called 1157 Bar and Kitchen. It is a bit of a hidden gem in that it is very understated from the outside, so you could very easily just drive past it and not know it is there. But once you’re actually in there it is very intimate, beautifully designed, and the food and the cocktails are amazing.
8. Favorite spot to grab a drink in Baltimore? These days I am spending time at The Wine Market. One, because of its close proximity to Anthem House, but also because they have a great wine selection. I am a sucker for a nice glass of red wine and think it is so fun that they have a wine shop within the restaurant, so that if I find a wine that I love I can buy it on my way out!
9. And finally, finish this sentence: When I’m not at work, I’m…Either on horseback or enjoying a nice glass of red wine with my husband.