Photo courtesy of Google Maps
Federal real estate officials announced plans to sell 23 properties including a prime Boston waterfront property and a downtown New Bedford office building.
The Capt. John F. Williams Coast Guard building at 408 Atlantic Ave. in Boston overlooks Fort Point Channel alongside high-end properties including the InterContinental hotel and condominiums.
The General Services Administration last week announced it plans to dispose of 3.5 million square feet of federal properties to save an estimated $1 billion in real estate costs over the next 10 years. The 23 properties also include the Hastings Keith Federal Building in downtown New Bedford.
The properties will be offered to government agencies at the federal, state and local level, or to the private sector, following a “robust input and engagement” process, the GSA said.
A Coast Guard spokesman did not immediately respond to questions about plans for a replacement location. The Atlantic Avenue building includes office space for the Coast Guard’s New England headquarters and is located on a half-acre site.
The 160,000-square-foot building was originally completed in 1918 to serve goods seized and stored for the Custom House, according to a Coast Guard web page, and was converted into office space in the 1990s. It underwent repairs in 2019 to control basement flooding, along with repairs to the seawall.
The property is part of a waterfront area that had been eyed for higher-density redevelopment under former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, including proposals for a 305-foot-tall residential tower on the neighboring James Hook & Co. lobster pound property and a 600-foot-tall skyscraper on the Harbor Garage property.
A Superior Court judge overturned the municipal harbor plan that included zoning for more height and density in the 42-acre district, however, and Mayor Michelle Wu withdrew the plan which had been submitted to state environmental officials for approval.
The other Massachusetts property included in the latest round of dispositions is the Hastings Keith Federal Building at 53 North Sixth St. in New Bedford. Located on a quarter-acre parcel, the 23,267-square-foot office building was completed in 1974.
