Ink Block Developer Poised To Take Over The MidTown Hotel
National Development could soon control two of the busiest corners of the South End.
The developer behind the Ink Block mixed-use development that replaced the old Boston Herald headquarters could soon add The MidTown Hotel on Huntington Avenue to its portfolio. National Development is in a late-stage negotiation with the First Church of Christ, Scientist, to sign a long-term lease for the motor inn that first opened in 1961, the Boston Globe reports.
The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2019, but National Development Managing Partner Ted Tye said it was too soon to say what would get built on the site. Talks with neighbors and city officials are expected to factor into what the developer proposes at the acre-plus property where the South End, Back Bay and Fenway neighborhoods converge.
“It’s one of the most exciting development opportunities in the city,” Tye told the Globe. “And it’s a location that we and others have had their eye on for many years.”
The potential deal comes as much of the Christian Science Plaza is getting transformed.
Chicago-based Pritzker Realty Group bought the land for what became the 30 Dalton luxury apartment tower from the church in October 2014 for $21.9M.
Cambridge-based Carpenter & Co. bought two lots for its Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences tower in December of the same year for $65.6M. The mid-rise apartment development is already open, and the Four Seasons, which is now Boston’s third-tallest tower, is slated to open in spring 2019.
