Photo courtesy of Anton Grassl Photography

What: Arsenal Yards
Where: Arsenal Street, Watertown
Built: 2017-2022
Owners: Boylston Properties and The Wilder Cos. 

Cambridge-based architect PCA has completed its placemaking and design work at Watertown’s Arsenal Yards, the redevelopment of the former Arsenal Mall into a seven-building, 1 million-square-foot mixed-use property. 

Two original Arsenal munition factory buildings were restored and updated with shops and restaurants connecting to outdoor plazas, and new walkways were built to connect to nearby parks and the Charles River bike and pedestrian path. 

Boylston Properties, The Wilder Cos. and J.P. Morgan are partners on the project including office-lab space, a 300-unit apartment complex, retail space anchored by Roche Bros., a Majestic 7 cinema and a 146-room Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton. PCA was master planner for the campus and provided interior and amenity designs for the Blvd & Bond Apartments. 

Cambridge-based Orna Therapeutics recently signed a 10-year lease for 73,813 square feet at 500 Forge, the 120,000-square-foot lab building under construction at Arsenal Yards. 

They Said It: 

“From the earliest stages of our planning and community conversations, we realized the opportunity was to not only reimagine the Arsenal property, but to also make a great public space, a destination where people want to return to. Fulfilling that goal led to a focus on designing an active pedestrian experience with walkways and sightlines that create the feel of a comfortable village center.” 

— Eric Brown, principal, PCA