The Boston Skyline could be seeing some improvement in the near future. For as long as Bostonian’s can remember, our cities skyline has been defined by two iconic buildings. The John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center Tower have stood tall and stuck out like sore thumbs in Boston’s Back Bay area complementing one another as Back Bay tallest buildings. However, 2015 represents the start of a new era of Boston skyscrapers. Boston regulators have approved the construction plans brought forward by developer Carpenter & Co to build Boston’s tallest residential building. With construction scheduled to start this month, at 58 stories the Copley Place Tower will stand 691 feet tall and will erect at the Christian Science Plaza next to both the Prudential Tower and the Hancock Tower. The famous duo will become a trio as the Copley Place Tower will be stand within 100 feet of both buildings height wise. The $700 million project will be managed by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Boston will now join an elite group of cities who have not one but two Four Seasons hotels.
Sources: Boston Redevelopment Authority and developers A 691-foot condominium and hotel tower (center) will rise at the edge of the Christian Science Plaza.
Richard L. Friedman, president of Carpenter & Co., which also developed Boston’s Liberty Hotel and the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. “These two buildings will be transformative in that area of the city.” Construction is scheduled to start in early 2015 . The others include London, Shanghai, Istanbul, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Besides the 58- story Back Bay Tower, which rises 691 feet and will house 180 luxury condos, Christian Science Church also plans to build another skyscraper in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. In order to build the towers, the church will need to work with Boston Redevelopment Authority to amend and increase building heights. The church has selected Cambridge-based Carpenter & Company, Inc. and Chicago-based Pritzker Relaty Group, LLC to develop the site of nearly 1 million-square-foot development on its 14.8-acre plaza, which is also home to 177 Huntington Avenue, a 26-story, 198,825-square-foot office tower. The project will include this Back Bay Tower as well as a 285 foot-tall (about 24 stories) 237,500-square-foot residential high-rise with 255 apartments. Both buildings will have retail and restaurant spaces. The project also boasts 4,300-square-foot of open space to be used for trees, lawn, seating and public art.
