"Russia Wharf will significantly shape the Downtown side of the Fort Point Channel. With the Central Artery nearing completion, Russia Wharf will reinforce the new Crossroads Initiative goals of drawing strong connections between the Greenway, the city's neighborhoods, and the Boston Harbor, ultimately creating a common ground and a destination on the Greenway," says Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
The Crossroads Initiative, which was unveiled in March 2004, involves a plan to bring together city neighborhoods by focusing on east-west connections along the Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Russia Wharf currently consists of the Russia, Graphic Arts and Tufts buildings. All were built in 1897 and are listed in both the state and National Registers of Historic Places. The project site is a component of the Fort Point Site Municipal Harbor Plan, the first phase of which has been completed. The project will be situated next to the Central Artery, the 30-acre swath of land that has been exposed from the Big Dig.
The $300-million Russia Wharf project includes a 300-room suite hotel, 50 residential lofts with 10% affordability, and 27,000 sf of ground-floor retail space. Other ground floor uses include a jazz/blues club, café, and gallery and civic space. And 500,000-sf of class A office space will replace the existing 380,000 sf of space.
The redevelopment involves restoring and rehabilitating the Russia Building on Atlantic Avenue into residential units with retail space on the ground floor. Equity Office also plans to restore the facades of the Graphic Arts and Tufts Buildings on Congress Street and the Fort Point Channel waterfront and develop the hotel within the buildings. A 22-story office building will be developed above portions of the two buildings and a new waterfront plaza with a boat docking facility will be developed on the Fort Point Channel.
"As long-term owners in this city, we believe this is a great project for the city and highlights a priority for Equity Office-–public access and enjoyment of the waterfront which we can now achieve at both Russia Wharf and Rowes Wharf," says Maryann Gilligan Suydam, senior vice president of Equity Office's Boston region.The BRA's decision follows the recent state approval of the city's Fort Point Downtown Phase 2 Municipal Harbor Plan, which established a framework for making the Channel a public destination and ensures planning for integrated public access along the waterfront.
As part of the project, Equity Office has also committed to a number of public benefits for the city and to make contributions to the affordable housing trust and jobs training program. The project is expected to break ground in mid-2005.
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