Boston’s Swankiest New Address? The Ritz-Carlton Residences at South Station Tower

One-percenters will soon have a new sanctuary. The rest of us will have a vastly improved transportation hub.

By Jonathan Soroff· 1/13/2025, 12:37 p.m.

An exemplary terrace at South Station Tower’s Ritz-Carlton Residences. / Image by DBOX for Hines/Pelli Clarke & Partners

Boston’s skyline seems to change more often and quickly than a teenager’s mind, but one new building under construction stands out: South Station Tower, the 51-story glass spire rising behind the iconic railroad station that was once the nation’s busiest. The project will completely transform the surrounding neighborhood and crowning the gleaming new edifice will be the city’s swankiest new address, The Ritz-Carlton Residences.

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Most of us won’t be buying one of the 166 units with one-to-three bedrooms and staggering 360-degree views, which will sell for $1.3 to $14 million. But we’ll still experience vast improvements to the area at street level, where the original 1899 Neoclassical façade of South Station will remain as stately as ever, but with major improvements. The train halls themselves will be upgraded, increasing the bus terminal’s capacity by 50 percent—with direct connectivity to the expanded ground transportation facilities and Logan Airport, creating the largest and most well-integrated transportation hub in the northeast. Just as importantly, a vaulted concourse will stretch from Atlantic Avenue to Summer Street, adding a bit of grandeur, as well as a dry place to walk in inclement weather. Already gracing the façade is one of the city’s largest public art installations, a nearly 6,500 square-foot mural by Boston artist Allen Chamberland. All of this has been enough to earn the project, built by construction giant Hines and designed by the architecture firm of Pelli and Partners, a superlative inclusion on CNN’s list of the “11 Architectural Projects Set to Shape the World in 2025.”

The concourse. / DBOX for Hines/Pelli Clarke & Partners

Completed renditions of the new South Station Tower. / DBOX for Hines/Pelli Clarke & Partners

In the same way the Seaport went from a parking lot wasteland to one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods, South Station Tower promises to wave a fairy godmother’s wand to a formerly moribund place to catch a train or bus. And with occupancy set for later this year, it’s only a matter of time before, “I live above South Station” becomes code for “I’m a one-percenter.”

DBOX for Hines/Pelli Clarke & Partners

As for the units themselves, they’ll start on the 36th floor, 450 feet above street level (hence the development’s tagline, “Life above the clouds”), with unobstructed views through floor-to-ceiling windows of South Boston, the Harbor, the Financial District, or Back Bay. Interiors by Jeffrey Beers International utilize white oak flooring throughout, along with Calacatta Gold marble-clad kitchen islands, Sub-Zero refrigerators, and Wolf ranges; and marble floors with Duravit toilets and polished nickel fixtures in the bathrooms. Five of the seven penthouses are duplexes, and some units will boast large terraces.

Image courtesy of DBOX

DBOX for Hines/Pelli Clarke & Partners

What distinguishes Ritz-Carlton residences further from other luxury buildings, though, are the amenities. The Grand Lobby, located on the tower’s 11th floor, will be accessed by a walkway bordering a 40,000 square-foot outdoor “Sky Park,” with a dog-friendly zone and areas for yoga and group fitness classes. The library-like Observatory will offer a cozy common area for socializing. A state-of-the-art fitness center will face a year-round heated pool. The demonstration kitchen will offer space for larger-scale entertaining, and an 8,000-square-foot restaurant will offer a place to eat when cooking just isn’t on the menu. Residents will have their own entrance from the Mass Pike and I-93 off-ramps, leading directly to either garage or valet parking. Because 166 units is a relatively small number, the emphasis will be on personalized attention. Of course, that’s precisely where the Ritz-Carlton brand excels, and some of the benefits residents can enjoy are airline and private air reservations, regular floral arrangements and plant care, spa and salon services, personal chefs, catering, and even a notary public.

For those of us not in a position to buy one of these super-chic cribs in the clouds, now’s the time to befriend someone who is.

For more information, visit www.southstationtower.com and southstationresidences.com.