0 Iconic Boston Landmark Seeks new Landlord

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Are you looking to be the landlord of the Citgo Sign in Fenway? Now is your time.

In all, the nine buildings total 334,000 square feet of commercial space across one-and-a-half acres along Beacon Street, Commonwealth Avenue, and Deerfield Street. Their tenants include the Barnes & Noble that serves as BU’s campus bookstore, a Bertucci’s restaurant, Cornwall’s pub, and other tenants. Then there’s the famous sign on top…The electric triangle is not technically part of the sale; it’s owned by a billboard company that leases air rights from BU. It would be up to the new owner whether to continue that lease, Nicksa said. But he notes that the iconic sign is part of the value of the property.

“We’re not going to presume anything at this point,” he said. “But there’s real value there. It’s one of the unique attributes of the property.”

0 Nissan Promo Showcases Self-Parking Office Chairs

Posted on February 24, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Technology has changed our lives in ways many of us could not have imagined. The influx of this has required us to have a constant demand of charging systems and adapters. Nissan’s self-parking office chairs are a great example of cool technology, but I can’t imagine charging offices chairs along with my phone.

Ubergizmo posted the video (below) displaying the Nissan technology in which “simply by clapping hands together, office chairs will be able to self-park at their respective desks. This helps create a neat and tidy look, something that offices don’t typically look like at the end of the day when everyone is done with work and just can’t wait to rush back home for their dinner…According to Nissan, these are modified Okamura chairs that are tracked by four motion cameras mounted on the walls and are controlled by WiFi.”

0 Government Center Garage Towers get BRA Approval

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Globe

Government Center Garage will become a beacon of redevelopment for Boston.

From the Boston Globe:

The Boston Redevelopment Authority board gave its OK to a pair of towers on the site of the Government Center Garage straddling Congress Street. Construction on the first — a 480-foot luxury apartment high-rise — will begin this spring, developers say. The second — a 43-story office tower — will launch once it has secured a major tenant.

The towers are the first two phases of a six-building plan by the Boston development firm HYM Investment and National Real Estate Advisors of Washington to transform the giant 1960s-era garage into a complex of housing, office buildings and retail. When fully completed, the project would include 812 new housing units, 1.1 million square feet of office space, a hotel, and retail storefronts. It would open up the northern end of Congress Street for the first time in a half-century.

0 Permit Application Filed to Dismantle Northern Avenue Bridge

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Boston Seaport Bridge under construction

Credit: The Boston Globe

The Northern Ave. Bridge is closer to becoming a memory, once joining the Financial District to the Seaport. When it was built it would have been hard to imagine that it would come to connect two vibrant, non-industrial areas of our waterfront. Let’s hope the city moves forward with a replacement to assist in the congestion of success that has occurred.

From the Boston Globe:

In a new permit application filed with the Army Corps of Engineers, the agency that oversees the waterway, the city proposes dismantling the bridge by disconnecting its three spans and transporting the pieces via barge to a city-owned storage yard in East Boston.

Full dismantling of the structure — which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and beloved by preservationists — could take up to three months, said city engineer Para M. Jayasinghe. It is expected to cost $15 million.

While the bridge is being taken down, the channel would have to be closed to accommodate the work.

0 Clover to Open Restaurant at 160 Federal Street

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: BBJ

Clover is taking on more bricks and mortar with their recent lease signing of retail space at 160 Federal Street at the corner of Federal and High Street. The building has recently been acquired by Beacon Capital.

According to the BBJ, the “long-vacant retail space [is] located less than half a mile from Clover’s recently opened brick-and-mortar location at 27 School St. and its Dewey Square food truck spot…The ground-floor location at the corner of Federal and High streets spans 2,797 square feet has been vacant since American Express vacated the space in 2013. It’s currently being built out for Clover and will be ready for occupancy by spring or summer, said Dave Downing, director of leasing and development for GraffitoSP who handles retail leasing at 160 Federal St.”

The full Boston Business Journal article is available on the BBJ website.

0 USPS Focus on South Boston Location

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Banker&Tradesman

The largest commuter hub North of New York City is South Station, yet the largest abutter is a mail sorting facility. In 1965, yes 51 years ago, part of the site was sold and the Boston South Postal Annex was created. A number of things have changed since 1965 and some still need to; the Boston South Postal Annex should be redeveloped to better serve the community.

According to a B&T report, rather than “expanding the search to other Boston neighborhoods, or for that matter, suburban locations, the brokers working for the postal service have doubled down on Southie…Now brokers working for the postal service say they are moving closer to a deal for a site on D Street near the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, where traditional South Boston meets the Seaport.

You can read more on the USPS’s hunt for space in Southie on Banker&Tradesman.

0 South End Office Space Proposed atop Existing Garage

Posted on February 21, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bizjournals.com

The new norm is ‘where can we build more options?’ 1000 Washington Street could be the new home of office space on top of the existing garage.

A BBJ report notes, “Nordblom Development Co. has proposed building the office space at 321 Harrison Ave., a parcel that’s adjacent to an existing 11-story office building and 300-space parking garage. The existing office, located at 1000 Washington St., is primarily leased by the commonwealth’s division of capital asset management and maintenance…Nordblom’s proposal states it would build the office as “an addition to the existing parking garage… with a new lobby and significant pedestrian realm improvements.” The project would take 60 spaces away from the garage.”

You can read the full BBJ article, here.

0 Top of the Hub Boston Names New Executive Chef

Posted on February 20, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Stefan Jarausch executive chef at Top of the Hub Boston

Credit: BBJ

Top of the Hub has a new man at the top. Surrounded by views of our city and beyond Chef Stefan Jarausch is looking to make not only the view memorable, but also the culinary experience.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Jarausch “was previously chef at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel where he oversaw the development and transformation of the hotel’s Oak Long Bar & Kitchen. He most recently launched Seasons 52 in Burlington where he served as executive chef and partner.”

You can read more on the BBJ.

0 Government Center Station Set to Reopen in March

Posted on February 18, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The MBTA’s Government Center stop is set to open! Mark your calendar for March 26th to see what $82M looks like. Thank you to the MBTA.

From Bizjournals.com

Frank Depaola, general manager of the MBTA, said in a recent interview on Comcast Newsmakers that the station is scheduled to open on March 26 after being closed for the past two years.

The two-year project, designed by Boston-based HDR Inc. and built byBarletta Cos. of Canton, aimed to transform the station’s brick exterior on Government Center Plaza with a glass and steel entrance that will lead to new lobbies and elevators to the Green and Blue Lines.

Related Listings
Government Center Office Space for Lease

0 Godfrey Hotel in Boston Set to Open its Doors

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Travel Weekly

DTX is getting its newest amenity online next week, The Godfrey Hotel opening at 505 Washington Street.

“The 242-room Godfrey Hotel Boston was redeveloped out of the adjoining Armory and Blake buildings in the city’s Downtown Crossing district, about a block east of Boston Common…This spring, the property will open a street-level cafe by George Howell Coffee, a local roaster. A 4,600-square-foot restaurant i scheduled to open this summer, but the Godfrey hasn’t announced the restaurateur yet,” according to TravelWeekly.

You can read more on Travel Weekly.