Related Beal Reveals How It Will Develop Around The Citgo Sign
While Kenmore Square’s Citgo sign is here to stay, the view around it is expected to change.
Two glassy office and retail buildings will go up in Related Beal’s Kenmore Square redevelopment, according to plans filed Tuesday with the Boston Planning & Development Agency. An eight-story building, dubbed the Commonwealth Building, will replace a six-story building currently at Commonwealth Avenue and Deerfield Street. The proposed building will include 130K SF of office, 10K SF of retail and top floors that face the Citgo sign. The second structure, called the Beacon Building, will feature 124K SF of Class-A office space, according to the BPDA filing.
“The stepped curvilinear façade of the corner ‘Commonwealth Building’ captures the energy of the bustling Kenmore Square intersection while also making a deferential gesture to the Citgo Sign,” architect Roger Ferris said in a prepared statement.
Related Beal bought nine Kenmore Square buildings from Boston University in 2016. The developer was criticized the following year during lease negotiations with Citgo over the sign, which sits on top of one of the buildings Related acquired. While there was brief concern over the fate of the sign, the two parties have since reached a long-term deal to keep the lights on over Kenmore.
