0 Back Bay Continues to Lure Institutional Investors

christian science plaze on huntington aveThe Back Bay office markets continues to attract strong institutional investors.  Beacon Capital has paid $295.00 PSF for a 99 year ground lease for the tower at Christian Science Plaza.

The Boston Business Journal reports that an affiliate of Boston-based Beacon Capital Partners signed a 99-year ground lease to oversee the iconic tower in Christian Science Plaza.

Further details on the commercial lease are available on the Boston Business Journal’s web site.

0 Growing Demand for Boston and Cambridge Office Markets

office space at 1 kendall square in cambridge maThe Boston Office market continues to push rents up as the vacancy rates drops.

A recent office market overview by Newmark Grubb Knight Frank noted, “the paradigm is shifting in many submarkets from a tenant-favored market to a landlord-favored market.”

Read the complete report at Banker & Tradesman.

0 Zipcar Snaps Up Former Thomson Reuters Office Space

office_space_fortpoint_bostonThe Seaport continues to attract tenants with vacancy just below 5 percent.  Zipcar will be expanding its footprint by taking 45,000 square feet that Thompson will be vacating.

Banker & Tradesman staff writer, Jim Cronin, reports that “Zipcar will likely fill about 45,000 square feet of space that Thomson Reuters is expected to vacate at Thomson Place in Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood in 2014.”

Click through to Banker & Tradesman for the complete report.

0 Silicon Valley Investor Set to Develop in Boston, Cambridge

boston and cambridge offices house many technology firmsThe Seaport continues its reach with DivcoWest’s investment of $105 million for four buildings off Congress Street.  Market vacancy is less than 5 percent while rents have just reached the $40 PSF mark.

Casey Ross, of The Boston Globe reports, “DivcoWest made its name in Silicon Valley, buying and developing properties that house some of the nation’s most prominent technology firms, including Apple Inc. and cellphone maker Motorola…Now it is trying to replicate that tech success in the Boston area by snapping up properties in the Seaport District and East Cambridge.”

Jump over to The Boston Globe to read the complete story.

0 A Brief History of Boston’s North End

office space for lease in north end bostonBoston’s North End has a unique flavor that is distinctly Italian. “Little Italy” features narrow cobblestone street, small boutiques, fabulous restaurants, and delicious pastry shoppes. On the weekends, tourists and locals alike flood the streets. The North End is a neighborhood with a history as rich as the filling of a cannoli.

1600s
•    Boston’s oldest neighborhood was established in the mid-1600’s. By 1646, the area had a population large enough to call for it’s own church, the North Meeting House.
•    The original residents of the North End were Puritans, as well as slaves from New Guinea.
•    During the 17th century, the North End was home to Boston’s first food markets, as well as mills that converted food to storable grains and wood for construction of homes and ships.

1700s
•    Old North Church is constructed in 1723 – the oldest church building in Boston proper.
•    Merchants & Robust Economy – The 18th century brought bustling trade for merchants in ship building. A bustling economy fueled by shipbuilding and trade. Imports, including sugar, fruits, coffee, tea, and wool. in turn these ships brought merchants importation of worldly goods such as sugar, fruits, coffee, tea, wool, etc. essential items for everyday existence. The artisans of the time were expanding their skills in gold and silver-smithing, copper production, and iron and steel bell casting.
•    These merchants settled in the North End in the late 1700s, building mansions and developing the area into a desirable residential neighborhood.

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0 Digital Lumens Moving to Innovation District

office space on congress street bostonThe Innovation continues to attract tenants, but with prices pushing $40 PSF some are seeking the value play with the 15 percent vacancy rate of the Financial District.

Kyle Alspach, VC Editor at the Boston Business Journal, reports the “LED lighting system firm Digital Lumens announced Wednesday that it has relocated to a 16,000-square-foot office at 374 Congress St. The office is double the size of the firm’s previous office at 110 Canal St., near the TD Garden.”

Read the complete report on the Boston Business Journal.