his old address as one of the building’s tenants.)
Continued from page 1 unlock the neighborhood’s potential, we needed to give them incentives.” Among the first projects to emerge after the new zoning was adopted was the Fenway Triangle Trilogy, which straddles both Boylston Street and Brookline Ave. Samuels & Associates, one of the area’s key developers, opened the multi-use building in 2006. Budgeted at $225 million, the 1 million-square-foot property includes 576 housing units. It also offers street-level retail, including Sweet Cheeks Q. Rather than the go-to place for franks, sausage sandwiches, and peanuts, the popular BBQ restaurant has helped upgrade the Fenway’s reputation and usher in a new dining era. In 2008, Samuels & Associates completed 1330 Boylston Street. The $150-million project includes 200 housing units and the Fenway Community Health Center. The Viridian and the Van Ness One of the Fenway's modern-day pioneers, The Abbey Group redeveloped the historic, art-deco Landmark Center and reopened the former Sears warehouse in 2000 as a multi-use retail, entertainment, and office complex. Among its current projects is The Viridian. It is taking shape along Boylston Street on the spot of a former McDonald’s. Set to open later this year, the 18-story, 350,000-square-foot building will have 342 luxury rental apartments as well as ground-level restaurants and retail. PHCC of Greater Boston contractor E.M. Duggan is handling
Developers play ball in the Fenway
the plumbing, heating, and sprinkler work for the project. “It’s been an aggressive schedule and a bit of a tough location,” says Len Monfredo, executive vice president of operations. As with all of its projects, Duggan pre-fabricated as much of the mechanical systems as possible in its Canton shop. The rental units incorporate ClimateMaster heat pumps. Getting the pre-fab systems — as well as Duggan’s crew — to the job site has sometimes been difficult. “Game days have been especially challenging, with increased Sox traffic and parking at a premium,” says Monfredo. Another Samuels & Associates project set to open soon is Van Ness with 550,000 total square feet, including 172 apartments, 237,000 square feet of office space, and 200,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. PHCC of Greater Boston contractor American Plumbing and Heating is part of the building
The Van Ness will include a City Target that will occupy two floors.
trades team constructing the twotower project on Boylston Street. One of the interesting features of Van Ness is a 170,000 square foot City Target that will occupy the second and third floors of one of the towers. It will be the first East Coast location of the big box store’s urban brand. “That kind of vertical retail is dynamic for the city, let alone the Fenway,” says Greeley. Future projects also reshaping Fenway
The Landmark Center, which kicked off the transformation of the neighborhood, is itself set to be transformed again. Now owned by Samuels & Associates, the developer plans to remove the existing parking garage, add up to 550 new residential units, and expand both office and retail space, including a Wegmans supermarket. Perhaps the flashiest — and most challenging — project proposed for the area is the Fenway Center. Developed by John Rosenthal of Meredith Management, the 1.3 million square-foot, five-building, 4.5-acre complex would include 550 residential units, 160,000 square feet of office space, more than 50,000 square feet of retail, and 30,000 square feet of parks and green spaces. It would be built on a deck above the Mass Turnpike. “We’ve had a lot of fits and starts with this one,” says the BRA’s Greeley. The ambitious $550-million project, which would be adjacent to the MBTA’s recently expanded Yawkey Station commuter rail stop, requires public Continued on page 4
On a triangular piece of property at the intersection of Brookline Ave., Park Drive, and Boylston Street, The Point will serve as a gateway to the Fenway. Developed by Samuels & Associates, the 340,000-square-foot, 24story project is slated to include 280 rental units on top of two floors of retail. Slated to open in 2016, it will include a rooftop pool and terrace that should have amazing sightlines to Fenway Park. Ronald McDonald was not the only fast food icon booted from the Fenway. Burger King packed up his scepter and crown to make way for 1350 Boylston Street. The Swedish developer, Skanska, plans to build a 195foot tower with 240 apartments and ground-floor retail. (There's no word whether Burger King, crown in hand, might return to
The Fenway Center would be built on a deck over the Mass Turnpike. The project has been delayed over funding and air rights issues. PAGE 3