Mayor launches push for iconic tower
By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff | May 31, 2006
Mayor Thomas M. Menino is appealing to developers from around the world to design an iconic tower that could be Boston's tallest building, rising as high as 1,000 feet above the Financial District.
Menino initially proposed the tower in February, saying he wanted a structure that would ``symbolize the full scope of this city's greatness."
The city yesterday issued a formal request for proposals for a 47,738 square feet of city-owned land in Winthrop Square that is currently the site of a four-story garage.
The city also paid for ads in major newspapers to entice as many developers as possible to bid on an opportunity to ``transform Boston's skyline." Ads ran in the US, European, and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal, as well as in the global editions of The New York Times and the Financial Times and in the Globe. ``We're reaching out to the world and telling them they could miss an opportunity if they overlook Boston," said Mark Maloney , director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
He could not put a price tag on the ads, but said it was a ``significant amount."
``We want developers to know we're serious about this project," he said.
Yesterday's request for proposals, for what the city is calling One Fifteen Winthrop Square, is open-ended to encourage creativity, but the winning design is likely to feature a mix of housing, offices, stores, restaurants, and possibly a hotel.
``The canvas is clear, so people can paint an incredible painting," Maloney said.
The city wants the tower to have ``civic" space that would bring more nighttime activity to the Financial District. Possible ideas include space for concerts and lectures or an indoor winter garden.
The winning design also must help connect the site to Downtown Crossing and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, and ``it should be recognized for breaking new ground in green building design and technology," the request for proposals said.
The lobby should be ``one of Boston's grand public spaces," the request said; ``architecture should acknowledge its place at the beginning of the 21st century" and the building ``must be expressive of Boston's long-standing reputation as a center of innovation."
``This will be a megaproject that requires deep pockets and sophistication in mixed-use planning," said David Begelfer , chief executive of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.
``The question is, is the market able to accept that amount of space?" said Begelfer, who added that it could be seven to 10 years before a new tower could be ready for occupancy. City officials are confident the market can absorb such a project.
The deadline for initial proposals is mid-November. ``It would be great if we got seven or eight proposals, and then we'd have two to four finalists," Maloney said.