Dual Hotel Proposal Would Add Height To Kenmore Square
A joint hotel project pitched for an underutilized stretch of Kenmore Square could continue the trend of expanding Boston’s skyline to the west.
Wellesley-based Mark Development and Buckminster Annex Corp., the owner of the Buckminster Hotel, filed plans with the city Tuesday to add 677 hotel rooms to the neighborhood in a pair of towers across from each other on Beacon Street.
A 24-story, 382-room hotel would replace a Citizens Bank at 560-574 Commonwealth Ave., and a 19-story, 295-room hotel would replace three buildings on Beacon Street next to the Buckminster Hotel. The Buckminster would remain open, according to the project notification form to the Boston Planning & Development Agency.
The overall project, called Crossroads at Kenmore, will feature ground-level retail and comes as much of the area surrounding Fenway Park is redeveloped. Related Beal acquired nine buildings in 2016 from Boston University for a reported $134M. The developer filed a PNF with the BPDA earlier this year showing it intends to build 400K SF of office, renovate the properties and maintain the neighborhood’s iconic neon Citgo sign.
Samuels & Associates has been a key player in the redevelopment of the nearby Fenway neighborhood, adding several mixed-use properties along Boylston Street and Brookline Avenue. The developer’s Pierce Boston, a 30-story residential tower, officially opened at the beginning of March. The 109-condo, 240-apartment tower is the tallest building in Boston west of Back Bay.
