75+ Years at 420 Commercial Street
Where a Shell gas station became a third-generation family real estate company — and never left the neighborhood. Serving renters across Boston's North End and surrounding neighborhoods.
Boston's North End — Where Our Apartments Are Located
We manage apartments in Boston's North End, specializing in no broker fee rentals for professionals relocating to the city.
75 Years of Community
Before this address was an office, it was a Shell gas station — the place two families first put down roots in Boston's North End back in 1950. One building became another, and what started as a single corner of Commercial Street grew into a third-generation, family-run company managing North End apartments grounded in long-term care and a deep connection to the neighborhood.
DJ Realty Management was built by Dennis Lauria and Joseph Carregal, who together grew the company from that corner of Commercial Street into the portfolio it is today. When Dennis passed in 2014, his daughter Nicole Griffith stepped in as co-owner alongside Joseph — keeping the company in family hands and honoring what he built. Nicole's husband and Joseph's son have since joined the team, carrying the tradition into its next chapter.
Eight Decades in the North End
420 Commercial Street opens as a Shell gas station, becoming a fixture of the North End community and the address our company would call home for decades to come.
The business grows alongside the neighborhood. Additional properties along Commercial Street come under family management.
The families formalize their real estate management operation, expanding into residential rentals across the North End.
DJ Realty Management today — third-generation ownership, 150+ apartments across the North End and surrounding neighborhoods, still at 420 Commercial Street.
The Shell Gas Station (1940–2009)
Long before property management, 420 Commercial Street was a working gas station serving the North End neighborhood. For decades it was a fixture of the block — pumping gas, doing repairs, and building relationships with the people who lived and worked in the surrounding area.
When the gas station closed in 2009, the location didn't change hands. It became what it is today: the home office of the same family, now managing the buildings they own across the North End.
Our office still sits at 420 Commercial Street, above a neighborhood fitness studio. Being right here — where it all began — matters. We're not a distant management company. We're local, hands-on, and present for our tenants whenever they need us.
We take pride in owning and personally managing every property in our portfolio — mostly in the North End, with additional buildings in Revere, Winchester, Stoneham, and Wakefield. Every lease is a long-term relationship, not a transaction.
Interested in renting in the North End? We manage apartments across the neighborhood with no broker fees.
Explore Available North End Apartments →
The Sign Still Hangs
One of our favorite details: the original "Lubrication" sign from the building's gas station days still hangs on the facade at 420 Commercial Street. Most owners would have taken it down. We didn't.
It's a reminder that the best buildings don't erase where they came from — they carry their history forward. For renters, it's a signal: the people managing your apartment think in decades, not quarters.
Why Choose DJ Realty Management
75+ years of ownership in one neighborhood creates advantages you won't find at a large brokerage.
75+ Years of Presence
Three generations of the same family managing properties in the same neighborhood since 1950. That's continuity most landlords can't claim.
Direct Ownership
We own every property we manage. You're dealing directly with the owner — not a management company hired by someone else.
24/7 Support
Maintenance emergencies don't wait for business hours. Tenants have access to emergency support around the clock.
Community Connection
We're based in the North End, not in a suburban office park. Our team shops, eats, and lives in the same neighborhood as our tenants.
Quality Properties
Our North End apartments are in renovated historic brick buildings — maintained and updated by our own team, led by our in-house construction supervisor.
Boston Values
No broker fees on our listings. Transparent lease terms. Direct answers. We operate the way a neighborhood landlord should — not the way a corporate brokerage does.
Meet Our Team
DJ Realty Management is a family business in the truest sense — built by one generation, carried forward by the next.
Dennis Lauria
Founder & Owner
In memoriam · 1951–2014
Joseph Carregal
Founder & Owner
Nicole Griffith
Owner
Adam Griffith
Construction Supervisor
John Carregal
Manager
Best rental experience I've had in Boston. Everything was handled directly — no middlemen, no runaround. I signed my lease from out of state and moved in without a single issue.
— North End Tenant, relocated from New York
Ready to Find Your Next Home?
We manage apartments across Boston's North End and surrounding neighborhoods. No broker fees, no runaround — just direct access to the people who own the buildings.
