Liberty Mutual Tower | 157 Berkeley Street | Back Bay

[JumboBuc]

Liberty Mutual plans to expand Back Bay headquarters ‘for the next 100 years’ - The Boston Globe

The insurance giant could also add a company sign atop its Back Bay headquarters.

www.bostonglobe.com

Liberty Mutual this month told the Boston Planning Department it intends to build a “vertical addition” to the “eastern wing” of its existing 22-story headquarters tower at 157 Berkeley St. The company also plans to build a 10-story structure off the intersection of Stuart Street and Columbus Avenue, a triangular plot of land across the street from the landmarked granite castle once home to the Armory of the First Corps of Cadets.
[...]
Under the proposal, Liberty Mutual would demolish three red-brick buildings adjacent to its current headquarters — 135-137 and 139-145 Columbus Ave. and 304-308 Stuart St. — to make way for the new 10-story building. The five-story building at 135-137 Columbus Ave. dates to 1919, while the four-story connecting building at 139-145 Columbus Ave. dates to 1881, according to the Massachusetts Historical Commission.
Amante’s letter did not specify how high the 23,000-square-foot addition to the eastern wing of 157 Berkeley St. would rise.

If only it could be this triangular parcel at the intersection of Columbus instead.

 

[gac108]

Liberty Mutual plans to expand Back Bay headquarters ‘for the next 100 years’ - The Boston Globe

The insurance giant could also add a company sign atop its Back Bay headquarters.

www.bostonglobe.com

If only it could be this triangular parcel at the intersection of Columbus instead.

Yes, with a deck covering the Pike behind it and some stepped-down shorter developments with housing and awesome street level shopping, bars, and restaurants to connect it all together... oh we can dream...

 

[cden4]

Ugh I hate this. I love these old buildings contrasted with the newer ones. Mooncusser and Moon Bar are awesome.

Does Liberty Mutual already own these buildings or do they need to buy them?

 

[stick n move]

How the hell are they going to add a vertical addition to the eastern wing? Thats going to look like hell… Well I guess it will be partially blocked by the 10 story tower next door. What a shit proposal. Liberty mutual is about to go from one of the best developments in the last decade to a complete clusterfuck.

 

[JeffDowntown]

How the hell are they going to add a vertical addition to the eastern wing? Thats going to look like hell… Well I guess it will be partially blocked by the 10 story tower next door. What a shit proposal. Liberty mutual is about to go from one of the best developments in the last decade to a complete clusterfuck.

Does the math of the proposal work such that the vertical addition to the eastern wing is just 10 stories? The same height as the new tower on the corner. The curved facade continues above the 10 story section and new building?

 

[BronsonShore]

Damn would hate to lose Mooncusser, a really outstanding restaurant. But yes a bit more density through here is welcome. The stretch of St James reminds me of Chicago or something with the art deco sandstone buildings mixed with a few modern developments.

What density? Density means people. The only density we'll get from this is density of cubicles, cars, and Keurig machines. This proposal sucks.

 

[Stlin]

Does the math of the proposal work such that the vertical addition to the eastern wing is just 10 stories? The same height as the new tower on the corner. The curved facade continues above the 10 story section and new building?

A rough measurement on Google Earth would put that at roughly 5k square feet, which with an additional 5 stories is fully within the realm of reason. I also read it as effectively a "connector" piece from the new building to effectively have through floor plates.

 

[FormFollowsBudget]

Speaking as someone who had this building in B&W as their desktop background for a few years, I'm not concerned yet. I can envision a tasteful "extension" of their building that mimics the same form and appearance, almost as if it was meant to be that way from the beginning.

None of us except LiMu and their architect know what's going on though...

 

[commuter guy]

Liberty Mutual plans to expand Back Bay headquarters ‘for the next 100 years’ - The Boston Globe

The insurance giant could also add a company sign atop its Back Bay headquarters.

www.bostonglobe.com

If only it could be this triangular parcel at the intersection of Columbus instead.

Also, doesn't liberty mutual have buildings on the north side Stuart that are connected to it's main building via the skybridge walkway over Stuart St. I'd like to see them expand the complex on the north side of Stuart St. if feasible, rather than demolishing those older buildings.

 

[stick n move]

The entire block directly in front of the old hancock building is liberty mutual. It started out as just this building:

Then they added the huge addition in the back where the gerbil tube connects now, then they added the office tower and its neighbor was incorporated as well.

 

[Justbuildit]

What density? Density means people. The only density we'll get from this is density of cubicles, cars, and Keurig machines. This proposal sucks.

Aren't there only offices in the existing brick buildings? All things being equal I like them as they are (and love Mooncusser/bar), and agree above that putting a new building on the Columbus/Berkeley parking lot would be preferred. But until I see a rendering it's not obviously bad assuming those are currently offices. I actually think 157 Berkeley is one of the better modern buildings that pulls off the art deco sandstone look. Hope whatever lands here is in the same style

 

[bigpicture7]

Hmmm...if they actually need more space, would have liked to instead see them use that stalled 380 Stuart office bldg. proposal from Skanska half a block away instead.

 

[3decker]

Also, doesn't liberty mutual have buildings on the north side Stuart that are connected to it's main building via the skybridge walkway over Stuart St. I'd like to see them expand the complex on the north side of Stuart St. if feasible, rather than demolishing those older buildings.

My understanding of the situation is that they are specifically looking to completely divest from the north-of-Stuart buildings and consolidate into the smaller footprint of their main building to support the shift from in-person to hybrid work. However, there are certain uses currently housed in the north-of-Stuart buildings (amenities, conference rooms, etc.) that they continue to need, even as they are downsizing the cubicle space. So this is their solution.

The gerbil tube's obsolescence may be imminent.

 

[stick n move]

Id love to see it go, gerbil tubes belong in dallas not real cities with sidewalks and activated street levels like boston.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Id love to see it go, gerbil tubes belong in dallas not real cities with sidewalks and activated street levels like boston.

Public access gerbil tubes probably don't belong in Boston.

But I can appreciate the utility of private access gerbil tubes on an urban campus in a climate like Boston's. Moving from building to building for meetings, etc. in mid-winter is not fun -- and you really don't want to have to go back to your office for your coat and boots. Most of our urban medical campuses have gerbil tubes as well.

 

[shmessy]

Speaking as someone who had this building in B&W as their desktop background for a few years, I'm not concerned yet. I can envision a tasteful "extension" of their building that mimics the same form and appearance, almost as if it was meant to be that way from the beginning.

None of us except LiMu and their architect know what's going on though...

“…….and DOUG.”

 

[JS38]

Why dont they do underground building passages/connections, in Longwood also?
No to Minny/Montreal hamster tubes...

Anyone attend the Liberty/Bibberty protest the other day?

 

[JeffDowntown]

Why dont they do underground building passages/connections, in Longwood also?
No to Minny/Montreal hamster tubes...

Anyone attend the Liberty/Bibberty protest the other day?

Utilities under the streets, which would require you to go very deep to connect. The gerbil tubes connect at the levels people are using in the buildings. Deep underground connections would require a lot of extra vertical access ($$$). Also a continuous third floor connection corridor (common in the hospital complexes) is much easier for people/patients with limited mobility than having to go down to the sub-basement level for each crossing, then back up into the building.

 

[HenryAlan]

I don't really have a problem with gerbil tubes. I actually think they are kind of cool. That one, in particular is nice in the way that it borrows from the Public Garden bridge.

 

[stick n move]

A rough measurement on Google Earth would put that at roughly 5k square feet, which with an additional 5 stories is fully within the realm of reason. I also read it as effectively a "connector" piece from the new building to effectively have through floor plates.
View attachment 76495

2 floors would fit perfectly into the missing notch on that side.

5 not as much

Apparently theyre also planning on putting a new sign on the tower crown.

Liberty Mutual plans to expand Back Bay headquarters ‘for the next 100 years’ - The Boston Globe

The insurance giant could also add a company sign atop its Back Bay headquarters.

www.bostonglobe.com