699 Boylston Street
Boston – 699 Boylston Street is sited at the corner of Boylston and Exeter streets, a highly visible and accessible location in Boston’s Back Bay. Its stark appearance, in contrast with other mixed-use buildings surrounding it, was its downfall.
Formerly named One Exeter Plaza, the redesigned and rebranded 699 Boylston Street displays a new vibrancy with its two-story storefronts and clean architectural lines.
In 2012, AEW Capital Management purchased the property with the goal of bringing more value to this area of the Back Bay. The team from Bergmeyer Associates worked closely with AEW; its retail real estate team from Newmark, Grubb, Knight & Frank (NGKF); and the team from Cushman & Wakefield; to evaluate the property and determine a repositioning strategy.
—Bergmeyer’s team focused its design work on addressing key areas of the building that people would experience – the lower three floors where the building would engage its tenants and passersby. The lobby was completely reconfigured to recapture and create additional leasable space at the street level for new tenants. The contemporary space is brightly lit, lined with crisp, white marble walls, porcelain tile floors, and anchored with a rich wood reception desk.
The new façade, stretching two-stories tall, creates activity at the ground floor with highly transparent storefronts to the retail spaces and a new main entryway on Boylston Street. NGKF was able to secure new retail tenants: a flagship store for AT&T and boutique fitness location for BFX Studio. The new ground floor tenants benefit from the abundant glazing which highlights their interior spaces and connects them with the bustling pedestrian activity on Boylston Street.
The streetscape in front of 699 Boylston was transformed with a simple and strategic design that delineates a plaza in front of the building, a public way, and a public furnishings zone with permeable pavers.
Due to the design team’s work with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, this streetscape palette also serves as a model for future public realm improvements on Boylston Street.
