Boston’s ‘skinny tower’ trend continues in Downtown Crossing
The now-shuttered Felt nightclub would become the base for a zinc and glass residential tower, which would soar 305 feet above Downtown Crossing under a new development proposal filed at City Hall.
The now-shuttered Felt nightclub would become the base for a zinc and glass residential tower, which would soar 305 feet above Downtown Crossing under a new development proposal filed at City Hall.
Rafi Properties wants to retain the four-story facade of the old Felt, using the small building and its tiny lot as the base for a slender new tower, with 94 residential units in 26 stories above that.
The specs
The new high-rise would take shape at 588 Washington St., just north of the intersection of Avenue De Lafayette, near the restored Modern and Paramount theaters.
The dimensions of the building, in turn, are part of a larger trend towards “skinny’’ towers with relatively small floorplates that offer condo owners striking views.
Rafi’s proposed tower would take shape on what amounts to a micro-site, with the Felt building covering just 3,648 square feet.
“The project concept is for a tall, slender tower … which will capitalize – and enhance – the resurgence of the Downtown Crossing neighborhood,’’ the developer’s lawyer, Donald Wiest, states in a project notification letter sent to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
In an added twist, the tower will have no parking, taking the growing trend towards limited spaces to an entirely new level. The new high-rise, though, is close to a myriad of public transportation options, just 600 feet from the Chinatown Orange line station in one direction, and 650 feet from the Red and Orange line station at Downtown Crossing, the letter notes.
Rejuvenating Downtown
The proposed tower is just the latest project to hit Downtown Crossing, which fell on hard times a few years ago with the loss of Filene’s Basement and other long-time retailers, but is now on the rebound with a surge in luxury apartment and condo development.
Millennium Partners is building a 60-story luxury condo tower next to the old Filene’s building, while The Kensington apartment tower opened in 2013.
The first four floors of the new tower, covered by the façade of the old Felt building, will be home to a restaurant and collaborative work space, among other uses.
For Rafi Properties, the proposal represents the first tower project the relatively young company has undertaken, with its flagship project to date the renovation of 126 Salem St. in the North End into nine condos and 2,000 square feet of commercial space.
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