Oh Look, Another Tower Proposed Near Fenway Park
Rendering by Elkus Manfredi Architects/Neoscape
It’s a good thing that somebody filed plans with the city for a sleek, residential tower in the Fenway this week, because we were starting to worry the neighborhood didn’t have enough of those.
An arm of Steve Belkin’s Trans National, who previously proposed the ill-fated, supertall skyscraper at 115 Winthrop Square in the late-Aughts, seeks to demolish its “insignificant and undistinguished” current headquarters at 2 Charlesgate West, visible from the Mass. Pike, and build a 340-foot residential tower in its place.
The tower, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, includes 200 apartments, 125 condos, and ground-floor retail and office space. Trans National Properties’ Justin Krebs says the developers want to have a “transformative impact” while establishing an artistic feel, with new murals along Ipswich Street, a popular shortcut for Red Sox fans en route to Fenway Park. They’ve also lobbied the Fenway Community Development Corporation in discussions over affordable housing programs, as well as the Boston Arts Academy.
“It’s just such a fantastic corridor, but it’s also a forgotten corridor,” he told the Globe. “Our goal is to really improve the look and feel of it.”
Pending Boston Redevelopment Authority approval, Trans National expects to begin construction in the spring, with an anticipated 2020 completion.
