Friday, December 26, 2014

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 1 STORY FROM 2014

Wynn Casino to Roll in Everett amid Question 3 Defeat
The people of the Commonwealth have spoken, and the biggest news is that Question 3 has been handily defeated. Now that the voters have affirmed that gaming legislation is a positive choice for the state, casino mogul Steve Wynn is preparing to turn the former site of a chemical plant along the Mystic River, just north of Boston in Everett, into a sparkling gambling resort. The $1.6 billion development will be the largest private sector construction project in the history of the State of Massachusetts and is expected to generate around 14,300 construction jobs.
  
The Wynn Casino in Everett will include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development would be spread over 30 acres of Mystic River waterfront with paths open to the general public leading to the harbor and more retail and dining overlooking the riverwalk.

The "family-friendly" casino-resort would take at least two years to build.

The Wynn Resort in Everett will be built with union contractors. The comprehensive agreement covers all aspects of construction, work rules and hours and was unanimously endorsed by the Massachusetts Building Trades Council—which represents the IBEW, Teamsters, iron workers, brick layers, sheet metal workers, and other trades—and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.

Construction of the proposed 5-star Wynn Resort in Everett will require more than 10 million man hours of labor and generate 14,300 construction jobs, 4,000 permanent jobs and drive more than $4 billion in revenue to other local businesses over five years.

click to enlarge
The design of the casino-resort would mimic local architecture: "If you like the way the Boston skyline looks, you'll love our building," says Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. The buildings will have a classic brick look on the lower floors and a glassy Vegas look as the building rise.

The casino developer also envisions a fleet of custom-built catamarans ferrying conventioneers and tourists from Long Wharf in downtown Boston and the World Trade Center in the Seaport district, to his riverfront gambling palace in Everett

As many as three water taxis would be in service at one time, leaving as frequently as 20 minutes apart.

Wynn Resorts insists the water shuttle service would reduce car traffic over already congested roads to the proposed resort.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Wynn Resorts the sole casino license based on economic factors, opportunities and jobs.

The company’s proposal offered a bigger development plan, strong financing, a large construction investment, and a big projected workforce and payroll.

The Greater Boston casino license is projected to be worth about $700 million to more than $800 million a year in gambling revenue.
   

Friday, December 19, 2014

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 2 STORY FROM 2014

$900M Hotel/Office Tower Proposed for Downtown
A developer has plans to build one of Boston’s tallest buildings in downtown’s Financial District. The 740-foot glass tower will include a 300-room hotel, offices, retail space, a restaurant and 150 luxury condominium units.  Costing as much as $900 million to build, the 900,000-SF skyscraper will add a new showpiece to Boston’s rapidly changing skyline.

The building would be the tallest building in the downtown area and will include a 300-room hotel, retail space, offices, and up to 150 condominiums on the upper floors.

The tower proposal comes during one of the most dynamic periods of construction in the city’s history, as numerous skyscrapers aim to alter the Boston skyline.

At 740 feet, the angular skyscraper would be Boston’s third-tallest structure, behind the 750-foot Prudential building and the 790-foot John Hancock Tower.

An office building at 133 Federal Street would be combined with the new tower at ground level to create a 72,000-square-foot lobby with restaurants and shops.

The complex, called 111 Federal Street will rise on one of the Financial District’s last major development sites, replacing the city-owned Winthrop Square parking garage presently on the site.

Before work can proceed, developer Steve Belkin must negotiate a deal to buy the property from the city.

The dilapidated garage at 111-115 Federal Street will be demolished and replaced with glass storefronts and modern lobbies for the offices and a luxury hotel.

Former Mayor Thomas Menino selected Steve Belkin to redevelop the property in 2006, but the project failed to attract enough tenants amid the economic downturn.

The original plan called for a 1,000-foot office tower, but that proposal was rejected because it would have interfered with air traffic. The new proposal calls for a tower 260 feet shorter.

The building will be one of only a few towers built in the densely packed Financial District since the 1980s. In recent years, tech companies, restaurants and retailers have brought new life to the area.

The project, designed by Boston-based CBT Architects, is expected to begin construction in the fall of 2015.

Friday, December 12, 2014

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 3 STORY FROM 2014

Massive $500 Million Boston Landing Mixed-Use Project 
Footwear giant New Balance has partnered with Boston-based HYM Investment Group to co-develop the massive $500 million Boston Landing complex in Brighton. The 1.45 million square foot mega-development will include: a 250,000-square-foot headquarters for New Balance, a 345,000-square-foot sports complex with an NHL-regulation arena, a 175-room hotel and 65,000-square-feet of retail space. The project, which includes a new MBTA commuter rail station, will also build three office buildings totaling 650,000-square-feet and have parking for 1,750 vehicles.

The mixed-use project, which broke ground in September 2013, will serve as the world headquarters for New Balance, and will include a new MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Framingham and Worcester line, shuttle buses to and from Harvard and Kenmore Squares, MBTA buses that go into the city, and Hubway bike stands and designated bike lanes into Boston.

Contractors have already started work on the six-story headquarters for New Balance. That building, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The Boston Landing master plan calls for 1.45 million square feet of development which will be completed in six phases over the next four years.

The $500 million complex will be situated next to New Balance’s current offices and the WGBH building on a 14-acre industrial property located at 38-180 Guest Street.The development site was once part of the Brighton Stockyards, the largest stockyard in the region.

Apart from New Balance’s headquarters building, the project also calls for three Class-A LEED-certified office buildings totaling 650,000 square feet, which are expected to be built by 2017.

Plans also include a 140,000-square-foot hotel with 175 guest rooms, dedicated parking for 1,750 cars and ground floor retail and restaurant space.

The developers are seeking city approval to build 295,000-square-feet of residential space on a 2-acre parcel it purchased in February at 125 Guest Street. 

A state-of-the-art, 325,000-square-foot sports complex is planned for 77 Guest Street that will feature a hydraulic-banked track, a NHL-regulation ice hockey rink, two basketball courts, as well as a fitness center and spa.

NHL’s Boston Bruins recently signed a long-term lease to use the hockey rink to prepare for games. Currently, the Bruins practice at the Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington.

The practice facility will include a large locker room and office space for the team. Construction of the sports arena is slated to begin the spring of 2015, and should be completed by the fall of 2016.

Click to enlarge
   

Friday, December 5, 2014

THE YEAR IN REVIEW: # 4 STORY FROM 2014

$600M One Seaport Square Breaks Ground in October
One Seaport Square, the largest project in the massive $3.5 billion Seaport Square development, is expected to break ground at the end of October. Plans call for two 22-story towers, with 832 luxury apartments and 260,000 square feet of retail space on the lower levels of the connected towers. Amenities will include roof decks, a resort style pool, and a 41,400-square-foot movie theater on the third floor. 

The 1.1 million square foot towers, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will cost an estimated $600 million to build are expected to be completed in 2016.

Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres will occupy 41,400 square feet of third-floor space in the project, which will include 260,000 square feet of retail in total.

Kerasotes ShowPlace operates ICON Theatres in Chicago that include a lobby lounges, reserved seating and dining with alcohol in leather sofa-style chairs with tables.

Seaport Square, the largest master-planned project on South Boston’s waterfront, will transform 23 acres of land used as parking lots into a new neighborhood.

WS Development will construct more than 20 mixed-use buildings encompassing 6.3 million square feet, five new streets, and four public gathering areas. 

The $3.5 billion mega-project will enclose 20 city blocks and stitch together the Fort Point, Fan Pier, Pier 4, and Waterside Place developments into a more unified residential and commercial district.

The buildings in Seaport Square are being designed to meet LEED Silver certification or higher, and will consist of apartments, condominiums, office space, hotels, a chapel, a supermarket, restaurants, retail stores, a visitors’ center, art galleries and a proposed performing arts center.

The residential area is interwoven with small and large open green spaces and a network of courtyards, playgrounds, roof gardens.

The buildings in this park setting are connected through a network of pedestrian and vehicular streets, and will be constructed as sustainable, environmentally responsible structures.

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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Two 600-Foot Towers Planned for Downtown Waterfront

A developer is planning to construct a pair of angular skyscrapers with up to 300 hotel rooms and 120 condominiums on one of the city’s largest development sites. The $1 billion project would construct two modern towers -- one clad in glass, the other in terra cotta – that would rise to 600 feet along Atlantic Avenue on the downtown waterfront. Construction of the 1.3 million-square complex would create jobs for up to 3,300 hard hats.

Developer Don Chiofaro plans to replace the Harbor Garage with a pair of tall buildings containing a five-star hotel, residences, offices and stores.

The $1 billion waterfront complex, designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, would redefine a corner of the city dominated by structures built many decades ago, and create a new gateway to the city from the water.

The 1.3 million-square project would construct a 600-foot tall residential tower and a 537-foot office building, including up to 300 hotel rooms, 120 condominiums, 700,000 square feet of offices and three levels of retail stores.

On the ground floor, a public arcade would be constructed to connect the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway to Boston Harbor, and 1,400 parking spaces would be built underground.

The arcade would represent a dramatic improvement from the lack of public space presently on the site, and would allow for year-round public events and open new views of the water from the greenway – both signature elements of a thriving city.

The developer plans to meet the state waterfront development requirements of devoting at least 48 percent of the footprint to “open space” by primarily creating “Harbor Square,” an enclosed atrium covered by a retractable glass ceiling and removable doors that would house a skating rink in the winter, and a great lawn with flowers and farmers markets, in the summer months.

At its widest point, Harbor Square would be 167 feet wide at Atlantic Avenue, tapering to 70 feet wide at the Harbor -- large enough to comfortably accommodate the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.

“The project looks like nothing else on the Boston skyline and nothing else at the ground level,” Chiofaro said. “In its uniqueness, it shares a common bond with a distinguished collection of Boston architecture and engineering.”

Chiofaro said that his project, with his glistening towers and five-star hotel, will increase property values in the area and transform the entire neighborhood.
   

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Accountant Embezzled $1.6 Million from Electrical Supply House

Over a period of seven years, an accountant allegedly embezzled $1.6 million from a branch of Electrical Wholesalers in Connecticut. Gail Zolla turned herself in to police after learning of a warrant for her arrest. Investigators allege that the former employee wrote 470 checks to a fake company and deposited the funds into her personal bank accounts. Ms. Zolla was charged with one count of first-degree larceny and 327 counts of second-degree forgery and is being held on $250,000 bond.

A former accountant for a Connecticut-based electrical supply company was charged Wednesday with embezzling $1.6 million over seven years.

Gale Zolla was charged with first-degree larceny and second-degree forgery. Police said the forgery counts relate to checks she wrote to a fictitious company and deposited into her personal accounts.

Police said that on February 15, Zolla went to police precinct and told officers she had embezzled money from her employer, U.S. Electrical Services Inc., which is the parent company of Electrical Wholesalers.

The case was turned over to detectives and inspectors in the state's attorney's office, who began investigating.

Zolla initially told police she'd stolen $800,000 from the company, but as the company audited its accounts it determined the loss was actually $1.66 million.

The former accountant told police she believed her boss was beginning to suspect she was stealing and that prompted her February visit to Bristol police.

Police said their investigation showed that she wrote herself 470 checks during the time she worked at Electrical Wholesalers, and that she wrote the last check on February 15, the same day she went to police to turn herself in.

Police obtained search warrants for her home and bank accounts and said most of the money appears to be gone. Zolla told police she spent about $100,000 on landscaping at her home and the rest of the money on vacations, vehicles and other household expenses.

She also covered some of the expenses of her wedding with the stolen funds, according to the warrant. Bank records "indicate she spent money on vacations, restaurants, furniture and many shopping sprees."

Police also learned that Zolla used about $12,500 in stolen funds to pay down her credit cards just prior to going to police headquarters to confess. She cashed an allegedly forged check for $5,000 the day she went to police and another for $6,264 just after, according to the warrant.

What prompted Zolla to go to police to confess appears to be the efforts of a co-worker at U.S. Electrical Services, Linda Culop, to reconcile several accounts. One account was short about $750,000 for 2012 and 2013. Culop, a senior accountant, asked Zolla about the discrepancy and Zolla said she'd look into it.

Over the next several weeks, Culop continued to ask Zolla about the discrepancies, but did not get an answer. She then went to the company's chief financial officer, Robert Canyock, and another employee to show them the problem.

Culop told police that on February 14 she sat down with Zolla and another employee to investigate the shortfall, according to the warrant. Zolla said she was stepping away to get more detail, and then left work. Zolla went to police the next day.

As U.S. Electrical Services accountants further examined the records, they determined that the company's loss totaled $1.66 million and all of the checks had been cut by Zolla to the fictitious company.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Wynn Casino to Roll in Everett amid Question 3 Defeat

The people of the Commonwealth have spoken, and the biggest news is that Question 3 has been handily defeated. Now that the voters have affirmed that gaming legislation is a positive choice for the state, casino mogul Steve Wynn is preparing to turn the former site of a chemical plant along the Mystic River, just north of Boston in Everett, into a sparkling gambling resort. The $1.6 billion development will be the largest private sector construction project in the history of the State of Massachusetts and is expected to generate around 14,300 construction jobs.
  
The Wynn Casino in Everett will include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development would be spread over 30 acres of Mystic River waterfront with paths open to the general public leading to the harbor and more retail and dining overlooking the riverwalk.

The "family-friendly" casino-resort would take at least two years to build.

The Wynn Resort in Everett will be built with union contractors. The comprehensive agreement covers all aspects of construction, work rules and hours and was unanimously endorsed by the Massachusetts Building Trades Council—which represents the IBEW, Teamsters, iron workers, brick layers, sheet metal workers, and other trades—and the New England Regional Council of Carpenters.

Construction of the proposed 5-star Wynn Resort in Everett will require more than 10 million man hours of labor and generate 14,300 construction jobs, 4,000 permanent jobs and drive more than $4 billion in revenue to other local businesses over five years.

click to enlarge
The design of the casino-resort would mimic local architecture: "If you like the way the Boston skyline looks, you'll love our building," says Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. The buildings will have a classic brick look on the lower floors and a glassy Vegas look as the building rise.

The casino developer also envisions a fleet of custom-built catamarans ferrying conventioneers and tourists from Long Wharf in downtown Boston and the World Trade Center in the Seaport district, to his riverfront gambling palace in Everett

As many as three water taxis would be in service at one time, leaving as frequently as 20 minutes apart.

Wynn Resorts insists the water shuttle service would reduce car traffic over already congested roads to the proposed resort.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Wynn Resorts the sole casino license based on economic factors, opportunities and jobs.

The company’s proposal offered a bigger development plan, strong financing, a large construction investment, and a big projected workforce and payroll.

The Greater Boston casino license is projected to be worth about $700 million to more than $800 million a year in gambling revenue.
   

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Massive 3-Tower Project Set to Rise at Boston Garden

A 1.87-million-square-foot, mixed-use project, with a price tag estimated at $950 million, will soon begin to rise over Causeway Street and the Zakim Bridge. The Boston Garden Towers will be constructed on a 2.8-acre parking lot located next to TD Garden, where the old Boston Garden once stood. The three tower project would connect 497 residential units, 668,000 square feet of office space and 235,000 square feet of retail to the sports venue and North Station.

The massive development located at 80 Causeway Street will dramatically alter the face of the TD Garden.

The new complex, designed by architect Elkus Manfredi, will rise over Causeway Street in three new towers: two of them 20 stories high and one 45-story tower reaching 600 feet, built above a three- to five-story retail base.

A modern glass atrium will connect to a new entrance into TD Garden and to the MBTA's North Station.

Below ground, a four-level parking garage will be constructed to accommodate about 800 vehicles.

“We are creating a new front door to North Station, a new portal to the city,” said David Manfredi, of Elkus Manfredi Architects.

“We don’t want to create a mall; we don’t want to create privatized space. We want to create space that is inviting to the public.”

The $950 million development will include:
  •     40,000 square foot expansion of TD Garden
  •     560,000 square feet of residential with 497 units
  •     200,000 square foot hotel with 306 rooms
  •     668,000 square feet of office space
  •     142,000 square feet of flexible office space
  •     235,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space
  •     25,000 square foot glass atrium hall

Prior to leaving office, Mayor Menino had agreed to provide $7.8 million in tax breaks to help the developers lure the Star Market and build the underground parking spaces for the TD Garden.

The tax agreement will spread the relief over 15 years.

During that same period, the development is expected to produce $32.2 million in new tax revenue for the city.

Developer Boston Properties said the tax agreement was crucial to attracting a supermarket to the property and asserted the project will help enliven the area around the arena.

The massive project will be built in stages, with the first phase to include the multi-story retail base, a supermarket, a cinema, a 306-room hotel, and the 4-story underground parking garage.

Construction is expected to begin early next year.

Monday, November 3, 2014

New! Lighting Control for the Digital Age

Touch the Future of Lighting Control with GRAFIK T™ from Lutron 
Introducing an exciting new lighting control solution for the digital age that marries advanced Lutron touch dimming technology with intuitive, minimalist design. GRAFIK T reinvents the way we interact with lighting controls: one simple touch or slide-of-a-finger on the LED light bar sets the lighting level. GRAFIK T is ideal for residential and commercial dimming applications. From simple standalone control to whole-home or building lighting control systems, GRAFIK T offers a solution for any light source.

Lighting control is effortless – and smart – with GRAFIK T innovative software and electronics. Lutron’s reliable Clear Connect® wireless technology provides the convenience of remote controls, and lets you connect GRAFIK T to Lutron’s wireless occupancy and daylight sensors.

Technological advances in GRAFIK T circuitry now make it possible to use elegant metal faceplates while maintaining wireless capability. In addition, patented C•L® dimming technology ensures GRAFIK T lighting controls are compatible with next-generation, energy-efficient bulbs, easing the transition to new lighting sources for residential and commercial users alike.

GRAFIK T lighting controls will also be available as a member of Lutron’s advanced lighting control system families, HomeWorks® QS and RadioRA® 2. In these systems, customers can control all light sources, including linear, recessed, and pendant LED fixtures.

GRAFIK T is the first architecturally designed dimmer to bring fashionable lighting control to the connected home market. Its aesthetic is elegant and timeless, featuring a faceplate that appears to float off the wall and a slightly raised LED bar that is responsive to the lightest touch and slightest motion. 

It is easy and intuitive to control lighting levels: all that’s required to raise or lower the lights is a soft touch on the LED light bar – no knobs to turn, buttons to press, or sliders to adjust.

Backed by Lutron quality, GRAFIK T is a modern design classic that brings together great looks and smart technology for a seamless user experience.

Contact your local Lutron representative for more information or visit www.lutron.com/grafikt

> Click here to Download Brochure
 

Thursday, October 30, 2014

DeWALT Commences Cordless Tool Production in the USA

www.toolsofthebrave.comLeading Toolmaker Ramps up Production in Carolinas for Power Tools to Be Built in America.   


Continuing its commitment to build America, DeWALT, a leading manufacturer of high-quality industrial power tools, is proud to expand its product offerings built in the USA using global materials to include more than 600 different cordless power tools, hand tools and accessories.

Given a choice between a product made in the United States and an identical one made abroad, 78 percent of Americans would rather buy the American product, according to a 2013 survey by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

“Our users are professional contractors and builders themselves. When given the option, most prefer to spend their money on a product that is built in the USA because it’s in line with what they do on a daily basis—building America,” said Frank Mannarino, president of DeWALT Professional Tools. “There’s a great deal of pride that goes into making things at home—we’re thrilled to bring some jobs back to the US and reconnect with our users.”

DeWALT began production of its first line of American-built cordless power tools in its Charlotte Manufacturing Operations facility in early October, using global materials, which will be fully up and running in November. The 75,000-square-foot facility straddles the border of the Carolinas. DeWALT’s investment in the revamped facility will help boost the local economy and create more than 250 new jobs.

The facility will allow DeWALT to deliver products with greater efficiency, while keeping the same Guaranteed Tough quality customers have come to know and expect from the brand. The new line of products built in the USA with global materials includes 32 different hand tools, 48 power tool products and 562 types of accessories.

The impact of DeWALT’s products that are built in the USA with global materials will be felt beyond the Carolinas. The brand has committed to donating a minimum of $250,000 to the Wounded Warrior Project from a portion of the sales of these products. Additionally, this year alone DeWALT has committed to hiring more than 100 veterans.

“DeWALT is a global brand with American roots,” said Jim O’Sullivan, president of retail operations. “We are committed to rebuilding the American economy through job creation for those who continue to build our country—US Veterans—and through our participation with the Wounded Warrior Project. Our goal is for the impact of our products that are built in the USA with materials from around the globe to be felt beyond the Charlotte Manufacturing Operations facility.”

For more information on DeWALT’s initiative to build products in the USA using global materials, and to view a full list of product offerings, visit www.toolsofthebrave.com.

For more information, visit www.dewalt.com

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Massive $500 Million Boston Landing Mixed-Use Project

Footwear giant New Balance has partnered with Boston-based HYM Investment Group to co-develop the massive $500 million Boston Landing complex in Brighton. The 1.45 million square foot mega-development will include: a 250,000-square-foot headquarters for New Balance, a 345,000-square-foot sports complex with an NHL-regulation arena, a 175-room hotel and 65,000-square-feet of retail space. The project, which includes a new MBTA commuter rail station, will also build three office buildings totaling 650,000-square-feet and have parking for 1,750 vehicles.

The mixed-use project, which broke ground in September 2013, will serve as the world headquarters for New Balance, and will include a new MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Framingham and Worcester line, shuttle buses to and from Harvard and Kenmore Squares, MBTA buses that go into the city, and Hubway bike stands and designated bike lanes into Boston.

Contractors have already started work on the six-story headquarters for New Balance. That building, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The Boston Landing master plan calls for 1.45 million square feet of development which will be completed in six phases over the next four years.

The $500 million complex will be situated next to New Balance’s current offices and the WGBH building on a 14-acre industrial property located at 38-180 Guest Street.The development site was once part of the Brighton Stockyards, the largest stockyard in the region.

Apart from New Balance’s headquarters building, the project also calls for three Class-A LEED-certified office buildings totaling 650,000 square feet, which are expected to be built by 2017.

Plans also include a 140,000-square-foot hotel with 175 guest rooms, dedicated parking for 1,750 cars and ground floor retail and restaurant space.

The developers are seeking city approval to build 295,000-square-feet of residential space on a 2-acre parcel it purchased in February at 125 Guest Street. 

A state-of-the-art, 325,000-square-foot sports complex is planned for 77 Guest Street that will feature a hydraulic-banked track, a NHL-regulation ice hockey rink, two basketball courts, as well as a fitness center and spa.

NHL’s Boston Bruins recently signed a long-term lease to use the hockey rink to prepare for games. Currently, the Bruins practice at the Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington.

The practice facility will include a large locker room and office space for the team. Construction of the sports arena is slated to begin the spring of 2015, and should be completed by the fall of 2016.

Click to enlarge
   

Thursday, October 9, 2014

New England’s Tallest Residential Tower, 691 Feet

Construction will soon get underway on a $700 million, 60-story tower, to be built on the edge of Christian Science Plaza, at Belvidere and Dalton streets. The new 691-foot skyscraper, which will include 250 hotel rooms and 180 luxury condominiums, will be the tallest residential tower in New England. The 950,000-square-foot plaza redevelopment project, which is expected to begin later this year, will also include a 26-story residential tower with 255 apartments.

The 60-story tower, located at 1 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, will be designed by Henry Cobb, the same architect who designed the John Hancock Tower in the 1970s.

His firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York, also designed the Christian Science Plaza and its signature reflecting pool.

The 712,500 square foot Back Bay tower, along with the adjacent 237,500 square foot residential building, will be located at the corner of Belvidere and Dalton Streets.

The 691-foot building is crafted in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners, a form designed to complement the adjacent Christian Science Church, which was built in 1896.

The Christian Science Tower will stand 99 feet shorter than the city's tallest structure, but will surpass the Millennium Tower and the tower set to rise at 5 Copley Square - both slated for 625 feet - as the city’s tallest residential building.

Overall, the skyscraper will be the third-tallest structure in Boston, behind the750-foot Prudential Tower and the John Hancock Tower, which stands 790 feet.

The 250-room Four Seasons will occupy the first 20 floors of the building, and 180 ultra high-end condominiums will be spread across the upper 40. The Four Seasons will continue to manage its existing hotel on Boylston Street.

The new Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The tower will include two restaurants, two lounges, and a health club and spa.

Its residences are certain to be among the most expensive in the city, challenging the Mandarin Oriental and new units under construction at Fan Pier.

The Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The project’s master developer is Cambridge-based Carpenter & Co., which also developed Boston’s Liberty Hotel and the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.

The project will fill a void between some of the Back Bay’s most significant properties.

“Right now, the Christian Science Plaza and the Prudential Center sit next to each other, but don’t talk to each other,” said Cobb, a Boston native.

“This project will be a new connection and bring this very important part of the city to life.”

The First Church of Christ, Scientist has been lobbying for a redesign for years.

Much of the reason is financial: Profitable real estate would make the site self-sustaining, so that donations to the church can be put more directly toward its mission.

The church also aims to bring its plaza up to date with a 21st-century approach to urban design, in which active public spaces are key.

The site attracts plenty of sightseers as the Christian Science faith’s international headquarters and a major Boston landmark, but it has not lived up to its potential.

The new project is expected to bring thousands of new residents and visitors to one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks.
 

Monday, September 29, 2014

$900M Hotel/Office Tower Proposed for Downtown

A developer has plans to build one of Boston’s tallest buildings in downtown’s Financial District. The 740-foot glass tower will include a 300-room hotel, offices, retail space, a restaurant and 150 luxury condominium units.  Costing as much as $900 million to build, the 900,000-SF skyscraper will add a new showpiece to Boston’s rapidly changing skyline.

The building would be the tallest building in the downtown area and will include a 300-room hotel, retail space, offices, and up to 150 condominiums on the upper floors.

The tower proposal comes during one of the most dynamic periods of construction in the city’s history, as numerous skyscrapers aim to alter the Boston skyline.

At 740 feet, the angular skyscraper would be Boston’s third-tallest structure, behind the 750-foot Prudential building and the 790-foot John Hancock Tower.

An office building at 133 Federal Street would be combined with the new tower at ground level to create a 72,000-square-foot lobby with restaurants and shops.

The complex, called 111 Federal Street will rise on one of the Financial District’s last major development sites, replacing the city-owned Winthrop Square parking garage presently on the site.

Before work can proceed, developer Steve Belkin must negotiate a deal to buy the property from the city.

The dilapidated garage at 111-115 Federal Street will be demolished and replaced with glass storefronts and modern lobbies for the offices and a luxury hotel.

Former Mayor Thomas Menino selected Steve Belkin to redevelop the property in 2006, but the project failed to attract enough tenants amid the economic downturn.

The original plan called for a 1,000-foot office tower, but that proposal was rejected because it would have interfered with air traffic. The new proposal calls for a tower 260 feet shorter.

The building will be one of only a few towers built in the densely packed Financial District since the 1980s. In recent years, tech companies, restaurants and retailers have brought new life to the area.

The project, designed by Boston-based CBT Architects, is expected to begin construction in the fall of 2015.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Massive $500 Million Boston Landing Mixed-Use Project

Footwear giant New Balance has partnered with Boston-based HYM Investment Group to co-develop the massive $500 million Boston Landing complex in Brighton. The 1.45 million square foot mega-development will include: a 250,000-square-foot headquarters for New Balance, a 345,000-square-foot sports complex with an NHL-regulation arena, a 175-room hotel and 65,000-square-feet of retail space. The project, which includes a new MBTA commuter rail station, will also build three office buildings totaling 650,000-square-feet and have parking for 1,750 vehicles.

The mixed-use project, which broke ground in September 2013, will serve as the world headquarters for New Balance, and will include a new MBTA Commuter Rail station on the Framingham and Worcester line, shuttle buses to and from Harvard and Kenmore Squares, MBTA buses that go into the city, and Hubway bike stands and designated bike lanes into Boston.

Contractors have already started work on the six-story headquarters for New Balance. That building, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will take 18 to 24 months to complete.

The Boston Landing master plan calls for 1.45 million square feet of development which will be completed in six phases over the next four years.

The $500 million complex will be situated next to New Balance’s current offices and the WGBH building on a 14-acre industrial property located at 38-180 Guest Street.The development site was once part of the Brighton Stockyards, the largest stockyard in the region.

Apart from New Balance’s headquarters building, the project also calls for three Class-A LEED-certified office buildings totaling 650,000 square feet, which are expected to be built by 2017.

Plans also include a 140,000-square-foot hotel with 175 guest rooms, dedicated parking for 1,750 cars and ground floor retail and restaurant space.

The developers are seeking city approval to build 295,000-square-feet of residential space on a 2-acre parcel it purchased in February at 125 Guest Street. 

A state-of-the-art, 325,000-square-foot sports complex is planned for 77 Guest Street that will feature a hydraulic-banked track, a NHL-regulation ice hockey rink, two basketball courts, as well as a fitness center and spa.

NHL’s Boston Bruins recently signed a long-term lease to use the hockey rink to prepare for games. Currently, the Bruins practice at the Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington.

The practice facility will include a large locker room and office space for the team. Construction of the sports arena is slated to begin the spring of 2015, and should be completed by the fall of 2016.

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Monday, September 15, 2014

$600M One Seaport Square to Begin Construction in October

One Seaport Square, the largest project in the massive $3.5 billion Seaport Square development, is expected to break ground at the end of October. Plans call for two 22-story towers, with 832 luxury apartments and 260,000 square feet of retail space on the lower levels of the connected towers. Amenities will include roof decks, a resort style pool, and a 41,400-square-foot movie theater on the third floor. 

The 1.1 million square foot towers, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, will cost an estimated $600 million to build are expected to be completed in 2016.

Kerasotes ShowPlace Theatres will occupy 41,400 square feet of third-floor space in the project, which will include 260,000 square feet of retail in total.

Kerasotes ShowPlace operates ICON Theatres in Chicago that include a lobby lounges, reserved seating and dining with alcohol in leather sofa-style chairs with tables.

Seaport Square, the largest master-planned project on South Boston’s waterfront, will transform 23 acres of land used as parking lots into a new neighborhood.

WS Development will construct more than 20 mixed-use buildings encompassing 6.3 million square feet, five new streets, and four public gathering areas. 

The $3.5 billion mega-project will enclose 20 city blocks and stitch together the Fort Point, Fan Pier, Pier 4, and Waterside Place developments into a more unified residential and commercial district.

The buildings in Seaport Square are being designed to meet LEED Silver certification or higher, and will consist of apartments, condominiums, office space, hotels, a chapel, a supermarket, restaurants, retail stores, a visitors’ center, art galleries and a proposed performing arts center.

The residential area is interwoven with small and large open green spaces and a network of courtyards, playgrounds, roof gardens.

The buildings in this park setting are connected through a network of pedestrian and vehicular streets, and will be constructed as sustainable, environmentally responsible structures.

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Monday, September 8, 2014

The $1.6B Wynn Everett Casino-Resort Plan

Casino mogul Steve Wynn, whose dazzling hotels line the famous Las Vegas strip, hit the jackpot in the Massachusetts casino sweepstakes to claim Greater Boston's sole casino-resort license. His vision is to turn the former site of a chemical plant along the Mystic River, just north of Boston in Everett, into a sparkling gambling resort.

The proposed $1.6 billion project would include a five-star resort with more than 500 hotel rooms, high-end retail and dining, a ballroom and meeting space.

The development would be spread over 30 acres of Mystic River waterfront with paths open to the general public leading to the harbor and more retail and dining overlooking the riverwalk.

The "family-friendly" casino-resort would take at least two years to build.

The design of the casino-resort would mimic local architecture: "If you like the way the Boston skyline looks, you'll love our building," says Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. The buildings will have a classic brick look on the lower floors and a glassy Vegas look as the building rise.

The casino developer also envisions a fleet of custom-built catamarans ferrying conventioneers and tourists from Long Wharf in downtown Boston and the World Trade Center in the Seaport district, to his riverfront gambling palace in Everett

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As many as three water taxis would be in service at one time, leaving as frequently as 20 minutes apart.

Wynn Resorts insists the water shuttle service would reduce car traffic over already congested roads to the proposed resort.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission granted Wynn Resorts the sole casino license based on economic factors, opportunities and jobs.

The company’s proposal offered a bigger development plan, strong financing, a large construction investment, and a big projected workforce and payroll.

The Greater Boston casino license is projected to be worth about $700 million to more than $800 million a year in gambling revenue.

In November, Massachusetts voters will decide whether the casino gambling law will be repealed.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

$1B Twin Tower Project Proposed for Boston's Waterfront

A developer is planning to construct a pair of angular skyscrapers with up to 300 hotel rooms and 120 condominiums on one of the city’s largest development sites. The $1 billion project would construct two modern towers -- one clad in glass, the other in terra cotta – that would rise to 600 feet along Atlantic Avenue on the downtown waterfront. Construction of the 1.3 million-square complex would create jobs for up to 3,300 hard hats.

Developer Don Chiofaro plans to replace the Harbor Garage with a pair of tall buildings containing a five-star hotel, residences, offices and stores.

The $1 billion waterfront complex, designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, would redefine a corner of the city dominated by structures built many decades ago, and create a new gateway to the city from the water.

The 1.3 million-square project would construct a 600-foot tall residential tower and a 537-foot office building, including up to 300 hotel rooms, 120 condominiums, 700,000 square feet of offices and three levels of retail stores.

On the ground floor, a public arcade would be constructed to connect the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway to Boston Harbor, and 1,400 parking spaces would be built underground.

The arcade would represent a dramatic improvement from the lack of public space presently on the site, and would allow for year-round public events and open new views of the water from the greenway – both signature elements of a thriving city.

The developer plans to meet the state waterfront development requirements of devoting at least 48 percent of the footprint to “open space” by primarily creating “Harbor Square,” an enclosed atrium covered by a retractable glass ceiling and removable doors that would house a skating rink in the winter, and a great lawn with flowers and farmers markets, in the summer months.

At its widest point, Harbor Square would be 167 feet wide at Atlantic Avenue, tapering to 70 feet wide at the Harbor -- large enough to comfortably accommodate the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.

“The project looks like nothing else on the Boston skyline and nothing else at the ground level,” Chiofaro said. “In its uniqueness, it shares a common bond with a distinguished collection of Boston architecture and engineering.”

Chiofaro said that his project, with his glistening towers and five-star hotel, will increase property values in the area and transform the entire neighborhood.

Monday, August 25, 2014

101 Years Old and Still on the Job at Capitol Lighting

Talk about company loyalty. Statistics show most people change jobs a many as nine or 10 times during the course of their lifetimes before retiring. Hy Goldman is not of that camp. He has been working for the same company, Capitol Lighting, for the past 73 years - since June 1, 1941 when he was 28 years old, to be exact. And even though the World War II Army veteran lives in a senior housing community, he has no plans on retiring anytime soon despite the fact he recently celebrated his 101st birthday.

The family owned Capitol Lighting recently held a birthday bash for Goldman at its Route 10 East Hanover store complete with cake and ice cream.

Goldman is an artist of sorts. For the past 12 years he has been working at the East Hanover store where he has his own workshop he calls his “studio” on the second-floor.

Goldman takes broken and discarded electrical lighting fixtures and refurbishes them, adding wiring to many, finding blades for ceiling fans or adding new glass globes to transform old lighting fixtures into something brand new to sell in the clearance section.

So, why does he do it, why is he still working when just about everybody else lucky enough reach age 101 would have retired decades earlier?

“It’s the challenge,” he said. “It keeps me mentally going and my body still moving.”

He was hired at the original Capital Lighting Store on Springfield Avenue in Newark in 1941 by Ethel Lebersfeld, who co-founded Capitol Lighting in 1924 along with her husband Max Lebersfeld, an electrical contractor and immigrant from Austria-Hungary. The family-owned business is now under the direction of a fourth generation of Lebersfelds.

Goldman was working for Capital when he was drafted into the Army in 1943, two years after being hired. He came out of the Army in 1946 and rejoined Capitol.

“In those days we did everything,” Goldman said.

“There was no technology. We swept the floors and sold merchandise and set up displays. We unloaded trucks. We knew what inventory we had in our store by memory. Today you look it up on a computer.”

Ethel Lebersfeld was the grandmother of current Capitol Lighting Co-Chairmen Max and Herman Lebersfeld.

“I can remember the 1950s coming in when I was 10 and 11 and playing with the cash registers,” said Max Lebersfeld, who was on hand at the East Hanover store for the birthday celebration. “Hy was a fixture then.”

Goldman saw the growth of the company from the one store to its current status of four New Jersey stores and two in Florida.

Meanwhile, Hy Goldman, still comes to work four day a week, and still drives his car as he does so.

“What am I going to do, sit around and grow old?” Goldman wanted to know.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Boston Garden Towers $950M Mega Development

A 1.87-million-square-foot, mixed-use project, with a price tag estimated at $950 million, will soon begin to rise over Causeway Street and the Zakim Bridge. The Boston Garden Towers will be constructed on a 2.8-acre parking lot located next to TD Garden, where the old Boston Garden once stood. The three tower project would connect 497 residential units, 668,000 square feet of office space and 235,000 square feet of retail to the sports venue and North Station.

The massive development located at 80 Causeway Street will dramatically alter the face of the TD Garden.

The new complex, designed by architect Elkus Manfredi, will rise over Causeway Street in three new towers: two of them 20 stories high and one 45-story tower reaching 600 feet, built above a three- to five-story retail base.

A modern glass atrium will connect to a new entrance into TD Garden and to the MBTA's North Station.

Below ground, a four-level parking garage will be constructed to accommodate about 800 vehicles.

“We are creating a new front door to North Station, a new portal to the city,” said David Manfredi, of Elkus Manfredi Architects.

“We don’t want to create a mall; we don’t want to create privatized space. We want to create space that is inviting to the public.”

The $950 million development will include:
  •     40,000 square foot expansion of TD Garden
  •     560,000 square feet of residential with 497 units
  •     200,000 square foot hotel with 306 rooms
  •     668,000 square feet of office space
  •     142,000 square feet of flexible office space
  •     235,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space
  •     25,000 square foot glass atrium hall

Prior to leaving office, Mayor Menino had agreed to provide $7.8 million in tax breaks to help the developers lure the Star Market and build the underground parking spaces for the TD Garden.

The tax agreement will spread the relief over 15 years.

During that same period, the development is expected to produce $32.2 million in new tax revenue for the city.

Developer Boston Properties said the tax agreement was crucial to attracting a supermarket to the property and asserted the project will help enliven the area around the arena.

The massive project will be built in stages, with the first phase to include the multi-story retail base, a supermarket, a cinema, a 306-room hotel, and the 4-story underground parking garage.

Construction is expected to begin early next year.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

New England’s Tallest Residential Tower, 691 Feet

Construction will soon get underway on a $700 million, 60-story tower, to be built on the edge of Christian Science Plaza, at Belvidere and Dalton streets. The new 691-foot skyscraper, which will include 250 hotel rooms and 180 luxury condominiums, will be the tallest residential tower in New England. The 950,000-square-foot plaza redevelopment project, which is expected to begin later this year, will also include a 26-story residential tower with 255 apartments.

The 60-story tower, located at 1 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, will be designed by Henry Cobb, the same architect who designed the John Hancock Tower in the 1970s.

His firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York, also designed the Christian Science Plaza and its signature reflecting pool.

The 712,500 square foot Back Bay tower, along with the adjacent 237,500 square foot residential building, will be located at the corner of Belvidere and Dalton Streets.

The 691-foot building is crafted in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners, a form designed to complement the adjacent Christian Science Church, which was built in 1896.

The Christian Science Tower will stand 99 feet shorter than the city's tallest structure, but will surpass the Millennium Tower and the tower set to rise at 5 Copley Square - both slated for 625 feet - as the city’s tallest residential building.

Overall, the skyscraper will be the third-tallest structure in Boston, behind the750-foot Prudential Tower and the John Hancock Tower, which stands 790 feet.

The 250-room Four Seasons will occupy the first 20 floors of the building, and 180 ultra high-end condominiums will be spread across the upper 40. The Four Seasons will continue to manage its existing hotel on Boylston Street.

The new Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The tower will include two restaurants, two lounges, and a health club and spa.

Its residences are certain to be among the most expensive in the city, challenging the Mandarin Oriental and new units under construction at Fan Pier.

The Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The project’s master developer is Cambridge-based Carpenter & Co., which also developed Boston’s Liberty Hotel and the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.

The project will fill a void between some of the Back Bay’s most significant properties.

“Right now, the Christian Science Plaza and the Prudential Center sit next to each other, but don’t talk to each other,” said Cobb, a Boston native.

“This project will be a new connection and bring this very important part of the city to life.”

The First Church of Christ, Scientist has been lobbying for a redesign for years.

Much of the reason is financial: Profitable real estate would make the site self-sustaining, so that donations to the church can be put more directly toward its mission.

The church also aims to bring its plaza up to date with a 21st-century approach to urban design, in which active public spaces are key.

The site attracts plenty of sightseers as the Christian Science faith’s international headquarters and a major Boston landmark, but it has not lived up to its potential.

The new project is expected to bring thousands of new residents and visitors to one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks.
 

Monday, July 28, 2014

$1B Twin Tower Project Proposed for Boston's Waterfront

A developer is planning to construct a pair of angular skyscrapers with up to 300 hotel rooms and 120 condominiums on one of the city’s largest development sites. The $1 billion project would construct two modern towers -- one clad in glass, the other in terra cotta – that would rise to 600 feet along Atlantic Avenue on the downtown waterfront. Construction of the 1.3 million-square complex would create jobs for up to 3,300 hard hats.

Developer Don Chiofaro plans to replace the Harbor Garage with a pair of tall buildings containing a five-star hotel, residences, offices and stores.

The $1 billion waterfront complex, designed by the firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, would redefine a corner of the city dominated by structures built many decades ago, and create a new gateway to the city from the water.

The 1.3 million-square project would construct a 600-foot tall residential tower and a 537-foot office building, including up to 300 hotel rooms, 120 condominiums, 700,000 square feet of offices and three levels of retail stores.

On the ground floor, a public arcade would be constructed to connect the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway to Boston Harbor, and 1,400 parking spaces would be built underground.

The arcade would represent a dramatic improvement from the lack of public space presently on the site, and would allow for year-round public events and open new views of the water from the greenway – both signature elements of a thriving city.

The developer plans to meet the state waterfront development requirements of devoting at least 48 percent of the footprint to “open space” by primarily creating “Harbor Square,” an enclosed atrium covered by a retractable glass ceiling and removable doors that would house a skating rink in the winter, and a great lawn with flowers and farmers markets, in the summer months.

At its widest point, Harbor Square would be 167 feet wide at Atlantic Avenue, tapering to 70 feet wide at the Harbor -- large enough to comfortably accommodate the Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.

“The project looks like nothing else on the Boston skyline and nothing else at the ground level,” Chiofaro said. “In its uniqueness, it shares a common bond with a distinguished collection of Boston architecture and engineering.”

Chiofaro said that his project, with his glistening towers and five-star hotel, will increase property values in the area and transform the entire neighborhood.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Boston Garden Towers $950M Mega Development

A 1.87-million-square-foot, mixed-use project, with a price tag estimated at $950 million, will soon begin to rise over Causeway Street and the Zakim Bridge. The Boston Garden Towers will be constructed on a 2.8-acre parking lot located next to TD Garden, where the old Boston Garden once stood. The three tower project would connect 497 residential units, 668,000 square feet of office space and 235,000 square feet of retail to the sports venue and North Station.

The massive development located at 80 Causeway Street will dramatically alter the face of the TD Garden.

The new complex, designed by architect Elkus Manfredi, will rise over Causeway Street in three new towers: two of them 20 stories high and one 45-story tower reaching 600 feet, built above a three- to five-story retail base.

A modern glass atrium will connect to a new entrance into TD Garden and to the MBTA's North Station.

Below ground, a four-level parking garage will be constructed to accommodate about 800 vehicles.

“We are creating a new front door to North Station, a new portal to the city,” said David Manfredi, of Elkus Manfredi Architects.

“We don’t want to create a mall; we don’t want to create privatized space. We want to create space that is inviting to the public.”

The $950 million development will include:
  •     40,000 square foot expansion of TD Garden
  •     560,000 square feet of residential with 497 units
  •     200,000 square foot hotel with 306 rooms
  •     668,000 square feet of office space
  •     142,000 square feet of flexible office space
  •     235,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space
  •     25,000 square foot glass atrium hall

Prior to leaving office, Mayor Menino had agreed to provide $7.8 million in tax breaks to help the developers lure the Star Market and build the underground parking spaces for the TD Garden.

The tax agreement will spread the relief over 15 years.

During that same period, the development is expected to produce $32.2 million in new tax revenue for the city.

Developer Boston Properties said the tax agreement was crucial to attracting a supermarket to the property and asserted the project will help enliven the area around the arena.

The massive project will be built in stages, with the first phase to include the multi-story retail base, a supermarket, a cinema, a 306-room hotel, and the 4-story underground parking garage.

Construction is expected to begin early next year.

Monday, July 14, 2014

New England’s Tallest Residential Tower, 691 Feet

Construction will soon get underway on a $700 million, 60-story tower, to be built on the edge of Christian Science Plaza, at Belvidere and Dalton streets. The new 691-foot skyscraper, which will include 250 hotel rooms and 180 luxury condominiums, will be the tallest residential tower in New England. The 950,000-square-foot plaza redevelopment project, which is expected to begin later this year, will also include a 26-story residential tower with 255 apartments.

The 60-story tower, located at 1 Dalton Street in the Back Bay, will be designed by Henry Cobb, the same architect who designed the John Hancock Tower in the 1970s.

His firm, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners of New York, also designed the Christian Science Plaza and its signature reflecting pool.

The 712,500 square foot Back Bay tower, along with the adjacent 237,500 square foot residential building, will be located at the corner of Belvidere and Dalton Streets.

The 691-foot building is crafted in the shape of an equilateral triangle with rounded corners, a form designed to complement the adjacent Christian Science Church, which was built in 1896.

The Christian Science Tower will stand 99 feet shorter than the city's tallest structure, but will surpass the Millennium Tower and the tower set to rise at 5 Copley Square - both slated for 625 feet - as the city’s tallest residential building.

Overall, the skyscraper will be the third-tallest structure in Boston, behind the750-foot Prudential Tower and the John Hancock Tower, which stands 790 feet.

The 250-room Four Seasons will occupy the first 20 floors of the building, and 180 ultra high-end condominiums will be spread across the upper 40. The Four Seasons will continue to manage its existing hotel on Boylston Street.

The new Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The tower will include two restaurants, two lounges, and a health club and spa.

Its residences are certain to be among the most expensive in the city, challenging the Mandarin Oriental and new units under construction at Fan Pier.

The Four Seasons is designed to complement the existing hotel on Boylston Street. It will have smaller ballrooms and conference spaces, offering more of a boutique luxury product

The project’s master developer is Cambridge-based Carpenter & Co., which also developed Boston’s Liberty Hotel and the Charles Hotel in Cambridge.

The project will fill a void between some of the Back Bay’s most significant properties.

“Right now, the Christian Science Plaza and the Prudential Center sit next to each other, but don’t talk to each other,” said Cobb, a Boston native.

“This project will be a new connection and bring this very important part of the city to life.”

The First Church of Christ, Scientist has been lobbying for a redesign for years.

Much of the reason is financial: Profitable real estate would make the site self-sustaining, so that donations to the church can be put more directly toward its mission.

The church also aims to bring its plaza up to date with a 21st-century approach to urban design, in which active public spaces are key.

The site attracts plenty of sightseers as the Christian Science faith’s international headquarters and a major Boston landmark, but it has not lived up to its potential.

The new project is expected to bring thousands of new residents and visitors to one of the city’s most celebrated landmarks.