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South Station Tower

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Coordinates: 42°21′05.7″N 71°03′17.9″W / 42.351583°N 71.054972°W / 42.351583; -71.054972
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South Station Tower
South Station Tower in September 2024
Map
General information
StatusUnder construction, funded[2]
TypeOffice, residential[1]
LocationAtlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Construction startedJanuary 2020[2][3]
Estimated completionlate 2025[4]
Height
Architectural677 ft (206 m)
Roof677 ft (206 m)
Technical details
Floor count51
Design and construction
Architect(s)César Pelli[5]
DeveloperHines Interests[5]
Website
southstationtower.com
References
[6]

South Station Tower is a skyscraper under construction in Boston, Massachusetts, the high-rise portion of a three-building development. Construction on Phase 1 of the project, a 51-story, 678-foot tower with offices and condominiums, started in January 2020 and was expected to take four years.[2] It is being built atop Boston's historic South Station complex, an example of transit-oriented development. The overall project will include condominium units, office space, a parking structure, and possibly hotel space.[7] The property was initially proposed by Hines Interests and TUDC, a subsidiary of Tufts University.

Part of Phase I, an expanded bus station, will use a foundation put in place when the station was last renovated in the late 1980s.[8] The high-rise tower will be supported by a new foundation constructed in the area between the existing station and the tracks. Foot traffic will be rerouted around construction areas.[9]

History

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Construction in December 2022

South Station Tower was planned to break ground in 2008, with completion scheduled to occur in 2010, but the project stalled. Approval has been obtained for a project totaling 2,190,000 square feet (203,000 m2).[10] As of March 2016 the developer's website was updated stating the tower would begin construction early in 2017;[11] the FAA had given approval in February for a tower reaching 677 feet (206 m)}.[12] The developer's rights to build on the site were scheduled to expire in April 2017,[13] but the state extended them until the end of the year.[14] Construction was halted due to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA)'s concerns,[15] but Hines did not stop the project.

Foundation piers for a future high-rise building, with posts spaced 35 feet (11 m) apart, were installed between each pair of tracks during reconstruction of South Station in the mid-1980s. These will support the bus station expansion. New foundation piers will be constructed in the area between the current station and the tracks.[9]

Development of the airspace above the southbound tracks has been delayed several times. The building was conceived by Tufts president Jean Mayer, who foresaw an "epicenter of high-profile medical research" in downtown Boston. In 1991, Tufts created a for-profit development subsidiary, TUDC LLC, and acquired the rights to the airspace. Development over the past decade has been complicated by Boston waterfront zoning restrictions, which require pedestrian access to the waterfront. In 1997, TUDC brought on Hines Interests LP as a development partner. In 2006, TUDC and Hines filed a Development Plan for the project.[16]

Questions were raised in 2007 about the university's role in the project,[17] and Tufts withdrew in 2009.[18]

South Station Tower was originally designed with a height of 759 feet (231 m), which included a decorative spire.[1] However, the project was downscaled in 2006.[1]

In July 2016, the developer filed a "Notice of Project Change"[19] with the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), proposing a number of changes in the project, including the addition of more residential space.[7] The notice included a timeline calling for construction of the project's first building, the high-rise tower, to begin in 2017. In December 2016, the board of the BPDA approved construction of the project.[20] It was delayed until December 2017, then delayed again in 2018 due to MBTA concerns on the tower's potential operational and maintenance cost, in addition to its capital expenditure and the way it was distributed among the project stakeholders.[15] In October that year, MBTA extended the negotiation period with Hines until April 2019.[21] Construction officially began in January 2020,[22] with a five year completion timeline.[3] By November 2022, ENR East reported that the building's steel frame had reached a height of 109 feet (33 m).[23]

Accidents

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On March 21, 2024, a steel beam fell from the top of the tower, damaging several windows, before coming to rest on the ninth floor.[24] Some equipment from the worksite also fell, landing at street-level. The MBTA, who owns South Station and the South Station Bus Terminal, suspended commuter services and ordered work to halt in the time after the incident. No injuries were reported, but construction company Suffolk agreed to pause work while investigations proceeded.[25]

Construction work resumed on March 27, 2024 following the conclusion of the stop-work order and subsequent investigations by OSHA.[26]

On April 9, 2024, A few weeks after the beam fell, a fire was started outside the ninth floor by welders.[27] The fire was quickly put out and the site was again shut down for a safety review. Work on the site was then continued on April 10, 2024.[28]

Design

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View of glass curtain wall going up in August 2024

Preliminary design was done by architect Cesar Pelli, whose designs are reminiscent of his Wells Fargo Center in Minneapolis. The structure has been LEED pre-certified "silver" and won the EPA's "Green design" award.[29][30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "South Station Tower". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c Logan, Tim (December 27, 2019). "A skyscraper is headed for South Station in downtown Boston. Work starts next month". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ a b Tiernan, Erin (January 20, 2020). "South Station tower construction details, traffic impacts subject of forum". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "Construction Schedule". South Station Air Rights. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "South Station Tower". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 21, 2007. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  6. ^ "South Station Tower". The Skyscraper Center. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Carlock, Catherine (August 1, 2016). "Developers plan more residential at massive South Station tower project". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  8. ^ Palmer, Thomas C. (June 29, 2006). "South Station's mega-makeover". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  9. ^ a b Logan, Tim (January 11, 2020). "Construction zones coming soon to South Station platforms". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ Boston Redevelopment Authority project listing
  11. ^ "South Station".
  12. ^ "Obstruction Evaluation / Airport Airspace Analysis (OE/AAA)".
  13. ^ Logan, Tim (April 8, 2016). "The South Station tower plan lives . . . again". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  14. ^ Logan, Tim (June 30, 2017). "South Station could get upgrade". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Sperance, Cameron (May 1, 2018). "Latest South Station Tower Delay Shows Ongoing Cost Spat With City, State And Hines". Bisnow. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  16. ^ "South Station Air Rights Project Development Plan". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  17. ^ Schmidt, Kat (March 16, 2007). "Long-awaited South Station tower project progresses". The Tufts Daily. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  18. ^ Logan, Tim. "Another Tower for Boston!". Boston Globe. No. 8 April 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  19. ^ Hines Interests. "South Station Air Rights Notice of Project Change". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  20. ^ Logan, Tim (December 16, 2016). "South Station tower wins city approval, but hurdles remain". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  21. ^ Acitelli, Tom (October 31, 2018). "South Station tower stretching to 678 feet could advance in 2019". Curbed Boston. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  22. ^ Carlock, Catherine (September 20, 2022). "A celebration at South Station as tower marches skyward". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  23. ^ Voorhis, Scott Van (November 23, 2022). "Delayed Tower Takes Shape Over Boston's South Station". ENR East. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  24. ^ "'It would've been a nightmare': Steel beam falls hundreds of feet on Boston's South Station Tower". Boston 25 News. March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Niezgoda, Abbey; Klein • •, Asher (March 21, 2024). "After steel beam falls from Boston tower, construction work is halted". NBC Boston. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  26. ^ "Work resumes at South Station Tower one week after steel beam fell hundreds of feet from upper floor". Boston 25 News. March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  27. ^ Fortier, Marc (April 9, 2024). "Fire reported at construction site above South Station, work halted for safety review". NBC Boston. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  28. ^ Khait, Natalie (April 19, 2024). "Construction at South Station tower resumes after fire forced pause". Boston 25 News. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  29. ^ "South Station, Boston, MA". Hines Interests Limited Partnership. Retrieved December 27, 2007.
  30. ^ "South Station Tower earns EPA green design award". May 16, 2008.
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Media related to South Station Tower at Wikimedia Commons

42°21′05.7″N 71°03′17.9″W / 42.351583°N 71.054972°W / 42.351583; -71.054972

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