The newest skyscraper changing Boston’s skyline is finally complete after decades of planning and construction.
South Station Tower, a 51-story office and residential building constructed on top of the MBTA’s South Station, unveiled the project Wednesday night. Rising 690 feet above the city, the tower includes 166 condominiums on the top 16 floors, 680,000 square feet of office space, an 11th-floor rooftop “skypark” and an expansion of the South Station bus terminal.
“Every great city tells a unique story through its skyline. Today, Boston adds a powerful new chapter,” said Suffolk Construction CEO John Fish at an unveiling ceremony Thursday night. “This tower is so much more than just steel, glass and concrete. It’s a symbol of vision, innovation and determination.”
Read more: New Boston skyscraper will ‘shape the world’ this year, CNN says
Planning for the $1.5 billion project began 27 years ago, when developer Hines and architect Pelli Clarke & Partners signed on. It faced repeated delays, both due to financial circumstances such as the 2008 Great Recession and governmental ones. The development team needed sign-offs from multiple government agencies, from working with the MBTA to reshape the train and bus station to negotiating with the Federal Aviation Administration over the height of the building.
Site work began in 2018, followed by a groundbreaking in 2020. However, just a few weeks later, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic caused further delays, although construction work never fully stopped during that time.
“When a project spans three decades, it has the opportunity and the obligation to be better, frankly, to absorb, adjust and reflect the best of evolving societal issues,” Fred Clarke, partner at Pelli Clarke & Partners, said. “Sometimes when buildings mature, it takes a while to get done, they tend to get denatured. They tend to lose their soul and their vibrancy. This project got better and better and better over time.”
The condos, which start at a sale price of $1.3 million, are managed by the luxury hotel brand Ritz-Carlton. Residents are expected to begin moving in this fall.
To date, three office tenants have been announced, according to the Boston Business Journal: hedge fund Citadel, Rhode Island property insurer FM and law firm Jones Day.
Since the pandemic, commercial real estate and particularly office buildings have struggled with vacancies as office workers continue to work from home. This has affected Boston’s downtown, with office vacancies in turn leading to pressure on small businesses in the area that usually rely on foot traffic from people coming into the neighborhood during the day.
However, over the past year, this trend has begun to reverse, leading some to become more optimistic. Mayor Michelle Wu said at Thursday’s event that nearly 20 companies have moved into the downtown area since the pandemic, representing about 9,000 new jobs over the last two and a half years, and dozens of new small businesses have helped cut the retail vacancy rate nearly in half.
Wu called South Station Tower “a crucial piece in the puzzle of a revitalized, prosperous post-pandemic downtown.”
“South Station Tower is going to bring even more families, more businesses and more visitors downtown,” she said. “This building is a testament to our city’s mission, making Boston home for everyone.”