Category Archives: Back Bay office Buildings

0 Back Bay Office Tower Approved by BRA

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Boston commons

Credit: Boston Globe

The BRA has given the green light for 625,000 square foot towner at 380 Stuart Street.

Banker&Tradesman reports, “the Boston Development Authority (BRA) board of directors approved four development projects totaling approximately $374.7 million at a recent meeting…John Hancock received approval to construct a new $350 million, 26-story office tower in Back Bay that will include a public lobby with restaurant and retail space, a roof deck and four levels of underground parking. The 625,000-square-foot tower on 380 Stuart St. will be home to a new signature office building for the company. The $350 million dollar project is expected to create 454 construction jobs.”

You can read more about the Back Bay development projects on B&T’s website, here.

0 Pedestrian Connector Omitted from final John Hancock Tower Proposal

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rendering of new John Hancock tower in Boston back bay

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The folks on the design teams of John Hancock’s new 26 story towers decide not to include the pedestrian bridge in their final plans. Do you feel the design for the top of the tower is too forward?

From the BBJ:

When John Hancock notified the city of its intent to build a 26-story tower at 380 Stuart St., a pedestrian connector linking the new tower and John Hancock’s existing office complex at 200 Berkeley St. was up for consideration…But on Tuesday evening, the project’s design team discussed the shaping of the tower and tapering it down to the ground, creating pedestrian walkways between Stuart and Stanhope streets as well as creating a rooftop terrace that could be rented for private functions. The pedestrian connector was not included in any of the design discussion…When asked about its whereabouts, the design team said: “The bridge is gone.”

0 Back Bay Station Air Quality Fixes Prove Costly

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Back Bay office buildings at duskThe cost of clean air is very expensive, but totally worth it.

According to an article on Banker & Tradesman, “The repairs could climb from $800,000 to $6 million…The MBTA commissioned Westwood-based Hatch Mott MacDonald to study the decades-old ventilation system as part of a $32-million station renovation project being led by developer Boston Properties. For years, diesel exhaust from commuter rail locomotives has lingered on station platforms and filtered up to the concourse…MassDOT spokesman Jason Johnson said the MBTA will adopt the report’s recommendation of creating a modeling assessment that would include detailed engineering. The model is expected to be completed by the end of winter.”

You can read additional information on the air quality assessment of Back Bay station on the B&T website.

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0 Proposed Back Bay Tower on Stuart Street Revealed

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Please have a look at Back Bay’s newest proposed tower on Stuart Street.  This will be 625,000 RSF on 26 floors.

Stuart St. Tower in Back Bay

Credit: BBJ

From the Boston Business Journal:

Boston-based insurance giant John Hancock has submitted its expanded project notification form to city officials, and with the document comes a broader look at the firm’s proposed 26-story Back Bay tower…John Hancock’s proposed 388-foot tower at 380 Stuart St. is slated to span 625,000 square feet, of which 10,000 square feet would be ground-floor retail. The tower would also include a four-level, 175-space underground parking deck.

0 Boston Developers Eye Financial Tech Sector

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Rendering of modernized Boston Financial District

Credit: Bisnow

The newest Tech-friendly office tower could be a crucial differentiator in Class A Financial District office space, with delivery in 2020.

According to Bisnow, Trans National CEO Steve Belkin and EVP (development) Justin Krebs want to help Boston become a global financial/tech innovation cluster…proposing “a $900M tower downtown that would include an elaborate two-story 22,500 SF Entrepreneurial Innovation Center that’s free to the public. They hope that the space where financial services pros, tech talent and university folk join forces will help elevate Boston’s brand as a global hotbed of financial innovation. Steve, an entrepreneur who’s launched 30 companies of his own, is also answering Mayor Walsh’s call to help make Boston the world’s innovation leader by 2030.

You can read the full article on the Bisnow website.

0 Copley Place Renovations Begin this Month

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Copley Place storefronts

Credit: BBJ

More construction is headed to Back Bay’s Copley Square with Simon’s upgrade of their Copley Place.

The BBJ notes, “the renovations will include physical upgrades such as new flooring and ceiling treatments, upgraded escalators and glass handrails and an upscale food court component.” Expected to wrap up next summer, “the interior retail work is a part of Simon’s $500 million, 1.96 million-square-foot expansion of Copley Place, which includes a new 52-story, 542-unit residential tower that’s currently under construction. The Boston Redevelopment Authority in May approved an updated affordable housing agreement for the project, as well as a redrawn boundary agreement that now prevents facades from encroaching outside the project site.”

You can read the full article on the Boston Business Journal website, here.

 

0 Copley’s Iconic Hancock Tower Named Changed to 200 Clarendon St.

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John Hancock building at 200 Clarendon

Credit: BBJ

Good bye to the JHT, John Hancock Tower, hello 200 Clarendon Street.

From B&T:

Landlord Boston Properties has formally renamed New England’s tallest building, the 60-story John Hancock Tower, now that Manulife’s John Hancock Insurance division no longer occupies any office space in the mirrored glass rhomboid.

“We’re not allowed to call it (the Hancock Tower) anymore as the Hancock Manulife lease expired at the end of the second quarter,” Boston Properties President Douglas Linde said during a conference call today.

Boston Properties acquired the property in 2010 for $930 million. Leases by John Hancock and State Street Corp. totaling 414,000 square feet recently expired, increasing vacancies in the 1.7-million-square-foot tower. Boston Properties is repositioning the former State Street offices as tech space under the “120 St. James” name, reflecting a new entrance on that avenue.

 

0 Copley Place Upgrades Planned

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Copley Square updates

Credit: Bisnow

Copley Square is going to see some major upgrade to Copley Place.  Simon Properties in planning major interior and exterior upgrades with completion in the Summer of ’16.

Bisnow is reporting that, “come September, Copley Place begins both interior and exterior upgrades. Simon Malls president David Contis says the high-end shopping destination will have a more modern and cohesive look. Simon expects to add a number of luxury retailers. Copley Place will remain open during renovations, with the majority of the project expected to be completed by summer 2016.”

You can read the original post, here.

 

0 John Hancock II Planned for 380 Stuart Street in Back Bay

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rendering of new john hancock_tower at 380 Stuart Street

Credit: Boston Business Journal

The John Hancock tower Version 2.0 is being planned for 380 Stuart Street in Back Bay.

An article on the BBJ outlines the “six things you need to know about the tower proposal;” here are a few excerpts from the Boston Business Journal’s report:

  • What’s being proposed: A 625,000-square-foot, 26-story tower with street-level retail and cafe space and 175 underground parking spaces. The tower would top out at 380 feet.

  • Where would the tower go: 380 Stuart St., which is home to a nine-story, 140,000-square-foot office that dates back to 1924 and houses John Hancock Financial Services employees.

  • Who would go in: John Hancock envisions “owner-occupancy and commercial office” tenants using the space.

  • How would it be financed: John Hancock, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian financial services firm Manulife Financial (NYSE: MFC), would finance the building in its entirety.

  • Who’s leading development:Colliers International is the project manager representing John Hancock. The architects are Chicago-based Skidmore Owings Merrill and Boston-based CBT Architects.

  • What’s the project timeline: If approved, construction would start in late 2016, and the tower would be complete in early 2019.

 

0 500 Boylston and 222 Berkeley Sold for $1.3B

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500 Boylston St. Boston

Credit: BBJ

Equity Office continues to shed Boston Class A towers with the announcement or the $1.3B sale of 500 Boylston and 222 Berkeley Streets to a partnership between JP Morgan Chase & Co. and Oxford Properties Group.

From the Boston Business Journal:

The two office buildings at 500 Boylston St. and 222 Berkeley St. take up the same square block in the Back Bay, one block up from Copley Square. 222 Berkeley is a 22-story office and retail complex, and 500 Boylston is a 25-story, 1.3 million-square-foot office.

500 Boylston Street is a 760,000 square foot 25 story tower with a typical floor size of 28,275 square feet.

222 Berkeley Street is a 524,195 square foot 22 story tower with a typical floor size of 51,655 square feet.