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BOSTON-The waterfront landmark Jimmy's Harborside Restaurant will be demolished beginning this week to make way for a $20-million project. The project will turn the Boston Fish Pier property into about 55,000 sf of restaurant space, office and possibly entertainment space.

Developer Cresset Group of Boston plans to build a four-story, 40,000-sf building and a second, smaller, two-story, 15,000-sf building on the property over the next three years, although plans for both structures still remain in the preliminary stages. Cresset president Ed Nardi did not return calls from GlobeSt.com in time for deadline.

It remains unclear whether Jimmy's Harborside, known for its fresh seafood and celebrity diners, will return to the Seaport District as part of the new development. Jimmy Doulos, whose grandfather opened the eatery in 1924 to serve fishermen, told GlobeSt.com earlier that the project represented "an amazing opportunity to build in the same location." He could not be reached for further comment.

Lowell Richards, chief development officer for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which owns the property, tells GlobeSt.com that negotiations between Nardi and Jimmy's Harborside, which closed on New Year's Eve 2005, are still in progress but no firm decision on whether the 80-year-old restaurant will reopen has yet been made.

Richards says between three and four restaurants are planned for the property, which also may include between 10,000 sf and 20,000 sf of boutique office space or an entertainment venue. "It's a work in progress but its an exciting opportunity to enhance the waterfront and the Harborwalk," he says.

The construction, which is expected to begin late this year or in early 2008, should be completed within a year. The project is part of a redevelopment effort by the city to turn the South Boston waterfront into a mix of retail, office and residential uses that may include the creation of a new City Hall.

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