South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

Whew! That's great news. Seems like one more "step." Of course, anything can stop construction, but at least it's closer now than it ever has been
 
It almost seems like he's using it jokingly at this point. He probably isn't but, it's like he's going out of his way to include it into articles
 
So, this will be the Caesar Pelli design? I think that's gonna be a good addition to the city. I do, however, wonder if it will affect the BRA's decision about Menino's dream tower.
 
hey guys, hope you dont mind me just jumping in like this but i have been following this forum for quite a while now and i decided to finally join.

so 680 feet? that puts the tower comfortably in the low 200 meter range. is it possible that this new height is higher then previously reported because the new measurement takes into account the existing height of South Station?
 
There's something I want to see. This tower will make a great impact to the skyline.
 
This project has been beaten up and dragged around so many times on this board and others (rip) that I still highly doubt it will ever actually break ground. I remember first hearing about this in 96 in 97.

I hate to sound like such a negative nancy but I'm 100% positive that even after the approvals process all we'll hear about is further delays (financing, engineering, bullshit, etc). This will in turn lead to another 10-15 years delay and eventually a short squat box on top of south station.

SouthStationTower.jpg
 
I'm starting to think we will actually see this building and pretty soon too.
 
I've searched high and low. Does anyone have any images of the other buildings in the development (the hotel and office buildings).
 
I'm not sure I've ever seen a picture of the other two buildings planned. I'm sure once this thing gets started there will be big articles about the whole project (including the 40 million dollars in transportation upgrades done to the station)
 
awood91 said:
hey guys, hope you dont mind me just jumping in like this but i have been following this forum for quite a while now and i decided to finally join.

so 680 feet? that puts the tower comfortably in the low 200 meter range. is it possible that this new height is higher then previously reported because the new measurement takes into account the existing height of South Station?

First off, welcome! Of course we don't mind you "jumping in" in fact we encourage it!

And yes, I think you are correct in stating that the height is a result of taking into account the existing structure.
 
thanks castevens!

this tower has huge potential to completely change the harbor skyline. Hines said it would start construction once it found an anchor tenant. have any ideas as to what company could be that anchor tenant?
 
From the Hines website:

Plan for Residential, Office, Hotel, and Capital Improvments Gets Go-Ahead

6/6/2006

(BOSTON, MA) ? The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors today approved the South Station Air Rights Project, a unique development that is expected to have profound impact on the city?s economy. The venture will demonstrate the benefits of utilizing air rights, a concept that has numerous potential applications throughout the City of Boston. Also, the project will fulfill city, state, and federal goals of transit oriented development and will contribute major improvements to the existing transportation infrastructure. The project?s developer, Hines and TUDC, LLC, must still petition the Zoning Commission next month for final approval.

?This project uses an innovative approach to combine the creation of new space with one of Boston?s most important transportation assets,? said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. ?We?re talking about putting offices, homes, and hotel rooms literally right on top of public transit.?

The project, which will be constructed in three phases, will produce office, commercial/retail, and hotel uses, as well as a residential component, occupying the air rights between the rear of the historic train station building and the end of the bus terminal. Additionally, the proposal includes major capital improvements to the Station that will realize the collaborative expectations of the BRA, the MBTA, and the Federal Department of Transportation as were originally designated in the transportation center?s Master Plan, authored in the 1970s.

?It is always exciting to see our long-term planning come to fruition,? said BRA Director Mark Maloney. ?This project illustrates how important BRA planning is in making Boston a stronger and more vital city ? now, and well into the future.?

The South Station proposal, submitted by Hines and TUDC LLC, includes a 40-story office tower, a nine-story office building, and a 13-story building that will contain a 200-room hotel as well as up to 195,000 square feet of residential space, 15 percent of which will be designated affordable. Also included in the proposal are approximately $40 million dollars in privately funded, transportation-related improvements for South Station, including increasing the bus terminal?s capacity by approximately 40%.

The project will provide significant economic benefits to the city and the state, generating approximately 2,600 jobs during construction and approximately 6,000 permanent jobs in the hotel and office buildings after completion. Linkage payments will total approximately $10 million, and real estate taxes are anticipated to be approximately $12 million per year, in addition to increased sales and wage tax revenues. Hines Senior Vice President David Perry said total private investment in the project is expected to exceed $800 million.

Plans to redevelop South Station as a major transportation center began in 1963. In 1984, BRA, MBTA and Federal Railroad Administration announced plans for a major intermodal transportation center with commercial development in the air rights above the transportation center. In 1991, the BRA designated TUDC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tufts University, as the developer of the air rights above South Station. TUDC selected Hines to be its co-developer in October 1997, and Cesar Pelli & Associates, Inc. was subsequently selected as the design architect for the Project.
http://www.hines.com/home/default.aspx
 
Has anyone else seen this change, looks like they choped a little off the top
 
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^^^

Yeah, that was posted a couple of months ago. The original rendering with spire was something like 800 feet or so if I remember correctly. So they modified it a bit and removed the spire to make it as it stands now 690 feet.

Personally I like the new design better, I think it looks more polished and I think the clear piece at the top will be lit at night which will be even nicer.
 
But now where will the airships dock? :) I wish they'd stick the spire on the new design. I like pointy buildings.
 
chumbolly said:
But now where will the airships dock? :) I wish they'd stick the spire on the new design. I like pointy buildings.
HAHA Funny you say that, I was thinking the exact thing, as I just (within the hour) bought a book on sale at Barnes & Noble about the Hindenburg and was thinking how cool the docking masts at Lakehurst looked.
 
Wasn't the spire on the Old Hancock Building also designed for airship docking?
 
garbribre said:
Wasn't the spire on the Old Hancock Building also designed for airship docking?
I don't know about the Old Hancock spire, but the top of the Empire State Building was for airships. I believe they tried it once, the wind was too strong, and they gave up the whole idea.
 
Remember 111 Huntington folks, the Crown was added on later. I wouldn't be suprised to see an ornament on top. But if there is no crown/spire/decoration, I hope they at least light it up nicely.
 

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