The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) Thursday unanimously approved the proposed $615 million Millennium Tower and Burnham Building at 426 Washington St. in Downtown Crossing to fill the gaping crater at the site of the former Filene’s Department store.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s office said in a news release that the project will bring new housing, office, retail, restaurant space and a health club to Downtown Crossing. It will preserve and renovate the historic Burnham Building and add a new iconic 625-foot residential tower to the Boston skyline.
"I am proud of the decisive progress being made by Millennium Partners just eight months after announcing their lead on the Millennium Tower and Burnham Building," Menino said in a statement. "This iconic development will invigorate the heart of our city with new residents, business owners, and private investment, solidifying the promise of Downtown Crossing."
The project will total 1.2 million square feet, and include 600 condominium and rental units; 122,000 square feet to 231,000 square feet of retail; 125,000 square feet to 218,000 square feet of office space in the Burnham building, and up to 550 parking spaces.
Construction is expected to begin by the middle of next year. The developers estimate the project will create 600 construction jobs and 2,300 permanent jobs.
The keystone of the project is the restoration of the historic Burnham Building, the former home of Filene’s Department Store completed in 1912. Built in the early 20th Century Beaux Arts architectural style, the building was the only Massachusetts work and the last prominent building designed by architect Daniel Burnham, who also designed Chicago’s Marshall and Field Department Store and New York City’s Flat Iron Building. The Burnham Building restoration will include opening up the building at the street level for office space and retail, repairing the façade, updating all systems, and renovating the large windows, wide column spacing, and high ceilings.
The tower, shaped as a tapered "wedge" to the west, will include retail entryways and display windows lining the entire block of Washington Street and facing Shopper’s Park on Franklin Street. Workers will enter on Summer Street, and residents will enter on Franklin Street.
Earlier plans to develop the property collapsed in 2008 when cash ran out. The project was scrapped in mid-construction, leaving a crater in the middle of the shopping district.
