0 Boston is Contemporizing Outward, not Upward

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.

0 888 Boylston Street to Join Back Bay Skyline

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:

Old Copley Square in Boston, from 1957

Credit: BostonStreetCars.com

0 Back Bay Office Tower Approved

Back bay office tower graphic

Credit: The Boston Globe

Our city continues to grow up. Literally. The newest building approved in Boston is 691 feet. The tallest current building in the city is the John Hancock, at 790 feet, built in 1976. Coming in second is the Prudential Tower at 750 feet, built in 1964. The only building to make the list and built in the 80’s, was One International Place at 600 feet built in 1987.

From 1987 to present we have not seen any new construction over 600 feet. Currently there are three projects that are all 600 feet plus.

The Boston Globe reported on the announcement:

“The 58-story building, at the corner of Belvidere and Dalton streets, will add another major peak on the high spine of the Back Bay and bring thousands of new residents and visitors to one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks…The 950,000-square-foot development also includes a 25-story tower with 255 apartments; both buildings will have retail and restaurant spaces. Construction is scheduled to start early next year.”

Jump over to the Boston Globe’s website to read the full editorial.

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