Image courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects and Jaklitsch/Gardner
Developers unveiled designs for the 2 million square-foot Fenway Corners project’s Lansdowne Street phase, where a 250,000 square-foot office building will overlook Fenway Park’s Green Monster.
The 7-story building at 55 Lansdowne St. would replace the parking garage that occasionally collects well-hit home run balls. Designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and Jaklitsch/Gardner, the red brick and steel building was inspired by the Fenway neighborhood’s existing architecture, WS Development Senior Vice President Yanni Tsipis said.
“The architecture is not trying to stand out and make a bold statement. It’s trying to be very contextual,” Tsipis said in a presentation to a Boston Planning & Development Agency Community Advisory Committee on Tuesday.
WS Development is partnering with Fenway Sports Group, owners of the Boston Red Sox, and ’47 Brand apparel owners the D’Angelo family on the long-anticipated project surrounding Fenway Park.
The 129-foot-tall building will include a 2-story pedestrian stairway ascending from Lansdowne Street, providing a future connection to a potential air rights development over the Massachusetts Turnpike known as parcel 8, and new connection to Kenmore Square. It will be topped with an electronic signboard shielding the mechanical penthouse.
A proposed community benefits agreement for the Lansdowne Block phase includes:
- Streetscape improvements to Lansdowne Street corridor including wider sidewalks and furnishing zone
- A raised crosswalk at Brookline Avenue
- Additional bicycle infrastructure
- $3.27 million housing linkage payments
- $598,000 in jobs linkage payments
- Net Zero carbon emissions through use of all-electric building systems and renewably-generated electricity
Because of its size and complexity, individual portions of the Fenway Corners project are being reviewed separately by the BPDA.
The project replaces the warehouses and souvenir shops surrounding Fenway Park with eight buildings, primarily office and lab space with ground-floor restaurant and retail space, and two residential buildings totaling 266 units. Jersey Street will be converted into a pedestrian way.
The office block is expected to be the first phase of the project, Tsipis said in an email.
The Boston Civic Design Commission will begin its review of the 55 Lansdowne block at tonight’s meeting.
Image courtesy of Morris Adjmi Architects and Jaklitsch/Gardner
