Blame the 2016 Summer Olympic Games for a slowdown in construction of Boulevard, a $58.7 million luxury condo tower bordering the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway in Boston.
After a flurry of demolition work during the spring, activity at the corner parcel at 102-110 Broad St. hit a lull this month. The upcoming foundation work requires the relocation of a major Comcast transmission line, according to one of the project architects. And the cable giant asked developers to hold off until after the closing ceremonies on Aug. 21.
“They didn’t want any chance of interrupting service so we’re not relocating the line until after the Olympics,” said Jim Alexander, a principal with Boston-based Finegold + Alexander Architects. “The timing has gotten inconvenient.”
Developers Dennis Kanin and David Goldman of New Boston Ventures received BRA approval in April 2015 to build a 12-story condo tower on the 7,680-square-foot parcel. Designs by Finegold + Alexander call for 36 condos, 3,500 square feet of commercial space and 48 underground parking spaces served by an automated system.
The current project retains two sides of the brick facade at 102 Broad St., a 19th-century warehouse designed by Colonial architect Charles Bulfinch that was most recently home to the Littlest Bar. The building was one of a handful of Bulfinch-designed buildings in the neighborhood that escaped demolition in the 1950s to make way for the elevated Central Artery. Restoration efforts include cleaning and repointing of the facade’s masonry and installation of wood windows and slate roof, according to documents submitted to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
A neighboring 5-story commercial building containing The Times restaurant was demolished. The new condo tower will be built with a masonry, metal panel and glass exterior.
The developers obtained $46 million in construction financing from East Boston Savings Bank in July. They also paid $594,000 to the Boston Redevelopment Authority to obtain air rights for a 1,285-square-foot corner of the property, and acquired two small vacant parcels at 114-116 Broad St. totaling 1,020 square feet on March 31.
New Boston Ventures did not return calls seeking comment.
