AvalonBay Tower (Jacob Wirth's) | 45 Stuart Street | Downtown

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pharmerdave

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The proposed project includes the construction of a 28-story mixed use building with approximatly 362,000 sf of hotel and residential space. The proposed building will house a 108-room hotel on the first 6 floors and approximatly 181 residential units on the upper 22 floors. The project also includes a 3 level below grade parking garage with room for 219 cars.

http://www.mass.gov/envir/mepa/pdffiles/enfs/091106em/13870.pdf
 
Tower Begins City Review

Sep 15, 2006

by Adam Smith
Newbury Street-based developer Weston Associates has officially submitted plans to construct a 28-story housing and hotel building next to Jacob Wirth restaurant at 31-45 Stuart Street. A public meeting for the proposal is slated for September 20, 6:30 p.m., at the DoubleTree Hotel at 821 Washington St.

The tower would house 108 hotel rooms on the lower floors and 181 residental units on the upper 22 floors. An underground parking garage accessible at La Grange Street would support three levels of parking with 219 spaces. The pedestrian entrance would be located at Stuart Street next to the historic Jacob Wirth restaurant, first opened in 1868 by the Prussian immigrant of the same name.

To surpass the area's zoned height of 155 feet, the developer will seek a special zoning designation known as a "u-district." Some residents of Chinatown have expressed unease at the proposed height of the building, officially in the Midtown Cultural District, especially as several other high-rise towers are proposed and under construction for the area.

But Weston Associates, in documents filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, states that the tallest portion of the tower will be set 88 feet away from Stuart Street. The developer also claims the project would benefit the city by adding new housing, increasing public safety, and improving the area's appearance.

To move forward with the project, Weston must undergo several city and state reviews, including review by the Boston Land Marks Commission and the Massachusetts Historical Commission, because of a plan to replace a portion of Jacob Wirth's kitchen at the rear of the building.

Jacob Wirth was designated as a city landmark in 1977 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
 
Plans for Tower at Jacob Wirth Pulled
Feb 16, 2007
by Adam Smith


Just months after it began a city review to build a 28-story tower next to Jacob Wirth restaurant on Stuart St., developer Weston Associates has withdrawn its proposal.

Weston Associates, which had proposed the hotel and apartment building late in the summer of 2006, notified the Boston Redevelopment Authority on November 29 that it would pull out.

The reason, Weston stated in a one-page letter to the BRA, was because of "changes in the real estate market and other variables beyond the control of the project team."

"We've moved on," said Mark Donahue a principal of Weston Associates, adding that the company is "busy with other projects."

The owner of the property, W. Kevin Fitzgerald, referred questions about why the project would not move forward to Weston Associates. He did, however, say that "the site is obviously going to get a lot of interest and I'm perfectly happy to talk with anyone who wants to make a proposal."

The site, a parking lot at 31-45 Stuart St., abuts Chinatown and is in the Theater District, close to the Green and Orange T lines and just a short walk from several Boston theaters, such as the Citi Performing Arts Center, and Chinatown's many restaurants and shops.

The parcel, however, is T-shaped and next to the historic Jacob Wirth restaurant, which is a Boston landmark. The area is also zoned for a maximum height of 155 feet. To build 28 stories, Weston had said it would seek a special zoning designation known as a "u-district."

Fitzgerald said he plans to continue operating the parking lot and restaurant until he receives a desirable offer for the site.



Link
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

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Re: Jacob Wirth's

^ That lot really hurts. Someone build something on it quick.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

ablarc said:
^ That lot really hurts. Someone build something on it quick.
Click to expand...

I always wished Wirth's would buy it and make it a beer garden. Boston really could use one.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

JW's doesn't even have enough money to close long enough to put in a historic commission compliant sprinkler system. They won't be doing any improvements that require them to be closed for more than one day and aren't in any position to be purchasing land.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

So let some rich Irish mobster buy it and make it a beer garden then.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

Banker & Tradesman - July 28, 2008
24-Story Tower Proposed For Theater District

By Thomas Grillo
Banker & Tradesman Reporter

More than a year after plans were withdrawn for a hotel and condominium tower in Boston?s Theater District, a new developer has proposed a 24-story, mixed-use tower for the same site.

Boston-based Eastat Realty Capital is planning a 326,000-square-foot development at 31-39 Stuart St. that would include a 108-room hotel, 181 housing units and ground floor retail, including a caf? at the Jacob Wirth Restaurant. The historic eatery near Washington Street, which specializes in German food, will undergo a major renovation as part of the proposal.

Last year, Boston-based Weston Assoc. withdrew plans for their project at the location due to ?market conditions.? Weston had signaled its intention to build a 28-story building in a parking lot adjacent to the Jacob Wirth Restaurant. If approved, the 340,000-square-foot development would have contained 112 hotel rooms on the first six floors, 181 luxury condominiums on the upper levels and 219 underground parking spaces.

But the plan drew strong criticism from two neighborhoods that border the Theater District. The Chinese Progressive Association opposed the project, noting that the tower?s proposed height was nearly twice the legal limit. The Bay Village Neighborhood Association complained that the project was another example of ?piecemeal development? that provided little pedestrian-friendly activity on La Grange or Stuart streets.

Posted on Monday, July 28, 2008 (Archive on Monday, September 01, 2008)
Click to expand...
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

The Bay Village Neighborhood Association complained that the project was another example of ?piecemeal development? that provided little pedestrian-friendly activity on La Grange or Stuart streets.

Piecemeal is the way to go, but keep the footprint small. Piecemeal helps assure diversity, fine grain and individuality.

The alternative is the stultifying tedium of Kendall Square or the Seaport. These would benefit from a dose of North End-style piecemeal development. So would the Theatre District.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

I don't understand the complaint made in the article about ruining the pedestrian element of the street wall. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that the proposal is to replace a parking lot and Jacob Wirths with a Hotel and an updated Jacob Wirths. Seems to me that's more pedestrian friendly, not less.

On a side note, I love Jacob Wirths. I hope they don't change it that much. There aren't too many bars around town with that feel.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

^^^^ Agreed. Check out "The Student Prince" if you have the misfortune of going to Springfield.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

A good model for the Jacob Wirth's site?

(Tiny "ancient" building @ left)

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Re: Jacob Wirth's

Its funny, I don't know whether to say "that's fantastic", or be horrified! It certainly would make a statement on a bland street! If they dress the cinderblock wall in photo 2 and when the street barricade is removed...hmmm. It is really interesting!
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

The Cooper Sq Hotel (which is what that new building is) would look great on this parcel, but this being Chinatown/Bay Village my hopes are quite low.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

New Jacob Wirth redevelopment proposed
Email| Text size ? + July 29, 2008 11:33 AM
A Boston developer wants to build a 24-story office tower around the Jacob Wirth building on Stuart Street, replacing a 2006 proposal for a 108-room hotel and residential building that would have also demolished a portion of the historic tavern.

The new proposal by EASTAT Realty Capital, LLC would preserve the Wirth building, a 140-year-old structure at 31 to 37 Stuart Street. A previous developer, Weston Associates, would have removed a portion of the the tavern's kitchen for the construction. That plan was withdrawn last year.

EASTAT's plan also includes a two-story winter garden with a cafe on the mezzanine level, as well as ground-floor retail space, according to plans filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

The developer is betting that demand for office space in downtown Boston will remain strong by the time the building is ready for occupancy. The proposed development would include nearly 248,000 square feet of office space in a sleek, glass and steel tower. Construction would begin next July, with the tower's opening planned for early 2011.
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2008/07/new_jacob_wirth.html
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

Anyone notice how the previous developer was a Cardinal Direction + Preposition, and the new developer is also Cardinal Direction + Preposition? It's like this project made a 180 and arrived...hmmmm....
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

This may have a better chance at a positive reception with another developer.

The critical piece of information about the prior developers that the articles missed is that at the time of the original proposal (2006) Weston Associates had recently acquired the South Cove Plaza affordable housing complex, which is in Bay Village proper, and which has many fixed-income Asian residents from Chinatown. (If you scroll through the prior developer's website you'll see a picture of this building).

At the time of that proposal, there were a bunch of "issues" between the neighborhoods and the management of the existing complex - some of which were small potatoes but some of which were large enough to warrant concern, most notably, they were doing a horrific job of managing their trash, which was piling up outside the building in the middle of the day.

So some of the 2006 opposition should be read as "why the hell should we support your new project when you can't even pick up the trash at your existing building?"

Presumably the new devleoper will come in with a clean slate (no pun intended).

The specific comments about "piecemeal development" have nothing to do with the proposal itself and reflect frustration with the BRA, which never met a project it didn't like, no matter how hamhanded the architecture or inappropriate the context. Recall that Bay Village gave a thumbs up to the W, Columbus Center, 19 St. James, and One Charles to mention just four comparably tall examples in the area. The REAL concern in Bay Village is around some underutilized parcels in Bay Village proper - the fear is that two years from now the BRA will be flag-waving for some connected developer with a proposal to put Hotel Commonwealth Version 2.0 or One Charles Version 5.6 (I've lost count, there have been so many) on Piedmont Street or Arlington Street.

So the attempt was to say, "hey, we'll support more towers in less sensitive locations a block or two away if you give us more certainty that you won't turn around next year and jam one right next to our townhouses." It's not an irrational fear, as 212 Stuart illustrates - where townhouses stood a decade ago, the current BRA-driven "compromise" seems to be a monolithic 10-story precast blob. Ablarc is correct that ideally development would be "piecemeal" in the sense of small-grained. The neighborhoods wouldn't object to that. A little bit of macro-planning, though, would be welcome. If the Shreve building can be bulldozed without a thought in the Back Bay, virtually anything goes in the smaller, less wealthy, and less politically connected neighborhoods, especially where the BRA holds "urban renewal" power.
 
Re: Jacob Wirth's

So B&T says hotel/condos and Globe says Office Space (odd location for office space).
 
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