Category Archives: Back Bay Tower

0 Prospective Motor Mart Garage Redevelopment Would Boost Back Bay

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Motor Mart Garage redevelopment

Credit: BBJ

Back Bay clearly is a destination for development in the City of Boston. If falls outside the FAA’s domain and doesn’t interfere with the “shadow effect”. One prime example is the Motor Mart Garage at 201 Stuart Street in Boston.

According to the BBJ, “the Motor Mart Garage redevelopment ‘would feature building a 310-foot residential tower atop the eight-story garage and converting 365 parking spaces into residential units…The 20-story tower would contain 222 apartments and condominiums, while the garage’s western portion would be converted into 84 residential units.'”

“The project’s height was considered as a continuation of the high spine of Boston,” the development team wrote in the Sept. 10 project notification form.

Additional details on the redevelopment are available on the Boston Business Journal, or you can view the detail page for further information Back Bay office space.

 

0 John Hancock to Return to Back Bay

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Hancock tower boston

Credit: Bisnow

Back Bay becomes home to John Hancock – 2.0.

From Bisnow:

The insurance company is returning its headquarters to Back Bay, where it already has a 1.2M SF campus and employs over 2,000. Its 465K SF Seaport headquarters at 601 Congress St. employs 1,100 people, all of whom will be transferred by the end of 2018 to two Back Bay buildings at 200 Berkeley St. and 197 Clarendon St., the Boston Business Journal reports.

[John Hancock CEO Marianne] Harrison sent a memo to Hancock employees Tuesday, saying the company had enough space in Back Bay, given the number of local employees and how many work remotely. Along with the weather beacon-capped 200 Berkeley and 197 Clarendon, Hancock has approval to build a third office tower in Back Bay. The 26-story, 388-foot tower at 380 Stuart St. could be developed for Hancock or another tenant.

0 Prudential Center Security Robot? Yep!

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Security is changing in our office and retail centers with the introduction of Robots. Boston Properties is a leader with the introduction of their robot at the Prudential Center in May.

Security Robot on patrol

Credit: Boston Globe

From the Boston Globe:

Dennis Crowley, senior vice president with Allied’s integrated technology group, said a similar robot in California recently used its thermal imaging technology to identify a hair curler someone had left on at a boutique kiosk after closing for the night.

The robot alerted security guards at the nearby command center.

“So they were able to prevent a fire,” Crowley said.

0 Boston Skyline is Slated for Change

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The Boston Skyline is on track to change by 2020.  It will introduce some new players to the top ten and maintain some existing ones.

Curbed just posted a map of the 10 tallest buildings it expects to stand over Boston in 2020:

Boston office towers in 2020

Credit: Curbed

  1. 200 Clarendon
  2. Winthrop Square Tower
  3. Prudential Center Tower
  4. Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences One Dalton Street
  5. Millennium Tower
  6. South Station Tower
  7. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
  8. One Boston Place
  9. One International Place
  10. Boston Harbor Garage tower

You can read more about the 10 buildings on Curbed, Boston.

0 1000 Boylston Looks to Heighten Back Bay Silhouette

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Back Bay office building on Boylston st.

Credit: Bisnow

Back Bay could be getting some more height at 1000 Boylston Street from Weiner Ventures.

From Bisnow:

The parcel is a block away from the 254-foot Hilton Back Bay and 360-foot Sheraton North Tower as well as the 756-foot Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences under construction. The 52-story Prudential Center tower is two blocks down Boylston. The complex would be on four different parcels, three of which are Mass Pike air rights plots.

If completed, 1000 Boylston will feature 182 apartments and 160 condominiums above a six-story podium composed of retail and parking. Its prominent location near the intersection of Boylston and Massachusetts Avenue is particularly complex due to the limited amount of ground the tower has for foundation.

0 Penthouse Office Space in Back Bay at 116 Huntington Ave.

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Back bay office space on Huntington Ave.

Credit: BBJ

Rood Deck, parking and a newly renovated lobby can all be found at 116 Huntington Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay. The 275,000-square-foot, 14-story building is situated directly across the street from 101 and 111 Huntington Avenue at the intersection of Ring Road and Huntington Avenue.

From Bizjournals:

“We were drawn to its location in Boston’s most vibrant neighborhood and to the opportunity to reimagine it as a best-in-class office destination,” said Adam Popper, Columbia’s senior vice president for the Eastern region, in a statement. “We believe the penthouse space, with its wrap-around terraces, high ceilings, modern amenities and incredible views, will soon be recognized as one of Boston’s premier corporate environments, and we’re already seeing significant interest from prospects as we seek to fill the building’s remaining availability.”

Shawmut Design and Construction, the third-largest general contractor in Massachusetts, completed the $10 million renovation, which was designed by Dyer Brown. Work included upgrades to the building’s lobby, installing a glass facade and bronze panels along the building’s exterior, and adding close to 1,500 square feet of private outdoor terrace space for a future tenant for the 25,366-square-foot penthouse space.

0 Back Bay Towers over Mass Turnpike at ‘1000 Boylston’

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The air rights over the Turnpike might soon see the way forward for two new Back Bay Towers. The current plan for both buildings is residential with street-level retail.

rendering of office towers at 1000 Boylston

Credit: Curbed

According Curbed’s Boston vertical, “the whole affair hinges on building a 23,000-square-foot platform over the Turnpike…On that podium would go a six- to seven-story base for both towers. That base would contain 33,000 square feet of retail, amenities, and lobbies as well as 303 parking spaces.”

Additional info on 1000 Boylston is available on Curbed.

0 Back Bay’s Most Modern Office Building at 888 Boylston Continues to Attract Tenants

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Back Bay office building on Boylston st

Credit: BBJ

Back Bay’s newest office building continues to attract tenants as Accenture announces its move into 52,340 square feet of space. 888 Boylston Street is Boston Properties’ new 17-story 425,000 building. The complex also includes 800 Boylston Street, 101 Huntington Avenue and 111 Huntington Avenue.

According to the BBJ, “Boston Properties developed 888 Boylston, a 17-story, $275 million office and retail building in Boston’s Back Bay. The property was designed to be ‘the most sustainable building in Boston,’ said Bryan Koop, Boston Properties’ executive vice president.”

More details on Accenture’s move to 888 Boylston Street are available on the Boston Business Journal, here.

 

0 Back Bay Towers from Liberty Mutual Go up for Sale

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Back Bay office building for sale on 75 Arlington St

75 Arlington Street in Back Bay

Liberty Mutual Insurance is looking to take some cash off the table with their announcement that they will be selling 10 St. James Ave. and 75 Arlington St. in Back Bay.

10 St James Avenue
• 565,758 RSF
• 19,606 RSF/Floor
• 20 Stories
• Built in 2001
• 400 Parking Spaces
• Last sale was $342,700,287 in January of 2006

75 Arlington Street
• 244,000 RSF
• 25,000 RSF/Floor
• 00 Stories
• Built in 1914
• Last sale was $147,799,713 in January of 2006

From the BBJ:

The Boston-based insurer occupies about 40 percent of the 825,000 square feet of space in the two buildings, it said. In recent years, Liberty Mutual has moved some employees from the buildings into its new 22-story headquarters at 157 Berkeley St. that opened in 2013.

“We’re selling now because we fully occupy our new building,” spokesman John Cusolito said in an email. “The (St. James Avenue and Arlington Street) buildings are 96 percent occupied; however, owning and operating investment properties is not our primary business.”

0 Boston is Contemporizing Outward, not Upward

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Credit: B&T

Credit: B&T

Boston is clearly seeing a tremendous amount of new construction from office to multi-family in all areas of the city. Once you dig deeper into the numbers you come to realize that the height of the vast majority of new projects doesn’t exceed 200 – 300 feet. The exceptions are 1 Dalton and Millennium Tower at 700 feet and 690 feet, respectively. Boston developers instead are building what the market wants at a price point the market can support. Some of the challenges with going about 300 feet requires an additional elevator core which increases the add on factor.

According to Banker and Tradesman, “almost all of Boston’s true office skyscrapers – 500 feet and up – were built in the 1980s and before. The Hancock and Prudential towers may be gems of the Boston skyline, but they are also the last of a dying breed and one we are unlikely to see again anytime soon…Since 2000, Boston has seen 52 new office, condo and apartment buildings take shape. The vast majority of them – 36 – are between 200 and 300 feet.”

You can read the full article on B&T’s website.