0 Pop-up Retail Lands in Dewey Square

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

Looking for some coffee to get your day started? Well, if you make the pilgrimage from South Station to the Financial District through Dewey Square, a lone vibrant dome could be your new best friend. Nespresso is the latest to venture into the pop-up retailing experience in Boston.

From the BBJ:

“Nespresso is hoping that one sip of the caffeinated beverages under the brownish-yellow dome in Dewey Square — the former site of Occupy Boston — will encourage coffee lovers to spend $299 for the VertuoLine coffee-espresso maker machine. Buyer beware: The cost to operate can run another $50 for a milk frother and between $6 – $9 for a box of coffee pods.”

Additional information on the pop-up retail shop from Nespresso in Dewey Square is provided on the Boston Business Journal’s post.

0 Amazon Adds Office Space in Kendall Square

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Wil Catlin

101 main street office space in east Cambridge

101 Main Street in Kendall Square

Since Amazon now charges sales tax, it looks like they’re taking on another expense and adding additional office space at 101 Main Street in East Cambridge. East Cambridge no longer caters to the emerging small business; now landlords are focused on large corporate tenants like Google and Microsoft.

An article on Xconomy.com adds some context around Amazon’s expanding footprint in Cambridge:

“Amazon recently added about 11,000 square feet to its existing offices in Cambridge’s Kendall Square neighborhood, right next to the prime recruiting grounds at MIT…It’s a popular spot for West Coast technology giants to set up shop as they race to hire talented employees, especially outside the highly competitive San Francisco Bay Area. Google and Microsoft have significant offices in the same area of Cambridge, and Facebook has added an engineering outpost of its own. Apple also previously established a smaller office, with a focus on speech technology.”

Xconomy’s article on Amazon’s additional space in Cambridge is available, here.

Click through if you want to view additional property details on the listing page for 101 Main Street in Kendall Square.

0 Boston Late-Night Task Force Lacks Startup Representation

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BetaBoston

Do you work late for a startup? Are you looking to be heard with respect to the cities plans to address a more vibrant late-night culture? Call Mayor Walsh at City Hall and be heard.

From BetaBoston:

“There isn’t a single representative from the sorts of small but promising companies that are streaming into Boston neighborhoods — such as the Seaport, the Leather District, and the Financial District — and that would be among the biggest beneficiaries, from a recruiting perspective, of Boston having better night-life….The task force thus may not actually represent the the interests of many of those located in the neighborhoods most likely to be the testing ground for the new late-night initiatives.”

The full article is available, here.

0 888 Boylston Street to Join Back Bay Skyline

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

The skyline of Back Bay will see its newest member come out of the ground starting late this summer.

888 Boylston Street is Boston Properties final component of the Prudential Center that consists of: 800 Boylston Street (Prudential Tower), 101 Huntington Avenue, 111 Huntington Avenue along with the Shops at Prudential. This site is 23 acres that sits between Boylston Street and Huntington Avenue. It consists today of 2.6 million square feet of Class A office space, and 550 square feet of retail space, combined with underground parking for 3,660 cars.

Curious how Back Bay has changed over the years? Take a look at this aerial view of Copley Square taken from a plane in 1957, courtesy of BostonStreetCars.com:

Credit: BostonStreetCars.com

0 AtSite Lands Innovation District Office in Boston

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

The Innovation District continues to grow and has become a destination location for 1st timers opening offices in Boston. AtSite’s president and CEO says is all, “Boston’s Innovation hub is the perfect setting for our building performance solutions.”

The announcement from AtSite is featured on digitaljournal.com:

“The Boston location is in a neighborhood known for its creativity and collaboration and draws a steady stream of entrepreneurs. ‘WeWork’s biggest draw for AtSite is the emphasis on an innovative use of shared resources, in a forward leaning and collaborative way,’ said Lisa West, AtSite VP of Marketing. ‘We are really excited to be in Boston, and having our offices operated with an inspiring design aesthetic and a great location is a real win for us.'”

The full article can be found on digital journal, here.

0 Improvements Marked for Downtown Crossing T-station

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Herald

The growth of our city is at a pace not seen in years; tower cranes, cement trucks and the endless parade of tradespeople. What about below our city streets; are we building infrastructure to support this influx? This Boston Herald article about the Downtown Crossing T-Station caught my eye and merits some airtime.

A quote from T spokesman Joe Pesaturo, in the Boston Herald, piece focuses on the renovations at downtown crossing:

“The MBTA recently solicited bids for a sewer relocation project under the former Filene’s building. It is a first step in a multiphase project involving the Downtown Crossing station that will include access and aesthetic improvements.”

The full article is available on the Boston Herald’s website.

0 Boston Commercial Real Estate: Rife with Office Space Renovations

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Office building at 230 Congress Street

Landlords in Boston continue to make considerable upgrades to their buildings as part of the ongoing courting process for new tenants. Beacon Capital has continuously made improvements to its Boston assets such as 1 Financial Center, and the newly acquired 230 Congress Street.

Another recent renovation is 177 Huntington Ave., following the departure of Wayfair. A Banker and Tradesman article notes some of the buildings modifications:

“To reposition 177 Huntington for new tenants, Beacon installed new art and signs and LED news strips in the elevator bays. On Monday, Varano Group will open a Caffe Strega breakfast and lunch cafe in the lobby. The owners wanted a name-brand restaurant operator to set the lobby apart, Gratton said.”

0 Starbucks Opens Waterfront Retail Location at Boston’s Fan Pier

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Starbucks has crossed the Fort Point Channel into the Seaport with its new location at Fan Pier.

Credit: fanpierboston.com

From the WSJ’s Market Watch:

“Lease agreements have been reached with each of the new tenants to occupy more than 21,450 square feet of existing space on the lobby level of Fifty Northern Avenue, one of two build-to-suit towers – along with Eleven Fan Pier Boulevard – housing Vertex Pharmaceutical’s global headquarters…Starbucks Coffee Company’s Fan Pier location will occupy 2,100 square feet of street floor space, which is expected to open in the summer of 2014.”

0 Two Summer Street Office Buildings Sold

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Wil Catlin

321 Summer St. in Boston (click to view additional property details)

More trades in the Seaport’s red hot office Market. The Seaport Class B office lease rates are hovering just around $40 PSF in the first year.

Drawing national coverage, the Wall Street Journal reported on the recent Seaport transactions of 281 Summer Street and 321 Summer Street in Boston, MA. The Journal notes, “the two building portfolio is in Boston’s Seaport District and totals 243,000 square feet of office and retail space. Newly renovated, the properties are well-located in the heart of Boston’s Fort Port Channel neighborhood.”

The WSJ article on the Boston Seaport is available, here.

You can view additional details on both of the Summer Street buildings on our property listing pages:

321 Summer Street, Boston Seaport

281 Summer Street, Boston Seaport

0 Etymology of MA Company Names

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Wil Catlin

What’s in a name? My firms name came from the idea to say what we do in our name, we act as real estate advisors to our clients and are headquartered in Boston.

What’s your company’s story?

The Boston Business Journal put together an article indicating how nine Mass. tech companies got their names. Included in the list are Akamai Technologies, Aereo, Brightcove, Content Raven, FeedHenry, Jess, Meet Ken, Rapid7, Verivo Software , and Wayfair.

You can read the MA branding stories on the BBJ.