The Six Tallest Real Estate Developments Shaping Boston
Luxury condos, glitzy new retail, and more office space than you can imagine—no one in Boston has ever seen a building boom quite like this. But what’s really up with the towers that are changing our skyline? Here’s the lowdown.
Illustration by Bryan Christie Design / Click HERE to view larger
1. One Dalton
One Dalton St., Boston
Cost: $750 million
Stories tall: 61
Residential units: 180 (plus 215 rooms in the Four Seasons Hotel)
Architects: Cambridge Seven Associates; Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
Developer: Carpenter & Company
Expected completion: Spring 2019
Inside scoop: All glass and built in the shape of a “soft triangle,” One Dalton will be the tallest residential building in Boston. It’s already set the record for the city’s priciest condo, at a cool $40 million.
2. Back Bay/ South End Gateway
Four-building project on 145 and 165 Dartmouth St., Boston
Cost: $1 billion
Stories tall: 35
Residential units: 600
Architects: Arrowstreet; Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Developer: Boston Properties
Expected completion: Given that developer Boston Properties is dealing with the MBTA in this massive renovation, it’s stayed understandably mum on the projected arrival date.
Inside scoop: Built above Back Bay Station, this complex stands out from the pack thanks to its non-traditional tower design, which looks like a stack of crates or boxes.
3. Bulfinch Crossing
Six-building project at One Congress St., Boston
Cost: $1.5 billion
Stories tall: One Congress: 43; residential tower: 45
Residential units: 800-plus
Architects: One Congress: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Residential tower: CBT Architects
Developers: HYM Investment Group; National Real Estate Advisors
Expected completion: 2022
Inside scoop: Overlooking Boston Harbor, the North End, the Financial District, the Back Bay, and the Charles River, the mixed-use project (which boasts retail, residences, and a hotel) is impressively green, with LEED-certified buildings and a net-zero-energy pedestrian public square.
4. Winthrop Center
115 Winthrop Square, Boston
Cost: $1.35 billion
Stories tall: 53
Residential units: 420
Architects: DREAM Collaborative; Handel Architects LLP
Developer: MP Boston
Expected completion: Spring 2022
Inside scoop: Yes, it’s another tall building in the Financial District, but it also promises to become the “next great public space” and will host farmers’ markets and art shows throughout the year.
5. South Station Tower
650 Atlantic Ave., Boston
Cost: The developers haven’t disclosed the cost, but let’s assume it’s more than an Acela ticket to New York.
Stories tall: 51
Residential units: 166
Architects: Kendall/Heaton Associates; Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects
Developers: Gemdale Properties & Investment; Hines Interests Limited Partnership
Expected completion: 2020
Inside scoop: The sleek glass tower, rising up from the center of South Station—an icon atop an icon—is designed to refract light, making it look both taller and skinnier than it actually is.
6. EchelonSeaport
133–135 Seaport Blvd., Boston
Cost: $950 million
Stories tall: 21
Residential units: 717
Architects: CBT; Kohn Pedersen Fox
Developers: Cottonwood Group
Expected completion: Late 2019 into 2020
Inside scoop: Echelon’s luxe three-tower complex aims to be an oasis of bustling warmth against the sterile backdrop of the Seaport. Built around a central piazza that will be filled with shops and eateries, its high-end condos—dotted with balconies and rooftop green spaces—will overlook a neighborhood in miniature.
