Little used downtown alley would become heart of 'innovation economy' development

Related Beal has filed plans for its Congress Square project downtown, which would combine and reuse existing downtown office buildings with new structures clustered around a Quaker Lane rebuilt as "an intimately scaled pedestrian way finished with catenary lighting, sculptural seating and landscaping."

In a filing with the BRA, the company detailed what it hopes to do with the buildings it now owns at 40 Water St., 15, 19 and 33-35 Congress St. and 54, 68 and 82 Devonshire St. - and the spaces in between them:

The Project will transform existing office buildings into three components with a mix of ground floor and lower level retail/restaurant uses with either office, residential or hotel uses on upper floors, providing appropriate 24-hour activity to the surrounding neighborhood. The Project includes approximately 458,300 square feet (sf), of which approximately 92,700 sf is new construction. ...

From their original conception in the late 19th Century as bank buildings, the existing buildings have conveyed an image of grandeur and security. For the last 40 years, these buildings have been restricted to private use and turned inward, cut off from the surrounding neighborhood and streets. The design for Congress Square restores these buildings and Quaker Lane to a destination within the heart of downtown Boston.

The existing buildings on the site, built between 1899 and 1921, are used for office space, and most of the ground floor windows have been covered creating a bland pedestrian experience. To reflect Congress Square's original identity, the ground floors will provide more visibility to the street and open up directly to outdoor dining areas on Quaker Lane and will include revitalized retail/restaurant spaces and lobby entrances.

Among the specific proposals: A 133-room boutique hotel on Devonshire and

40 Water Street includes the buildings of 40 Water Street, 82 Devonshire Street and 33-35 Congress Street. These buildings are being re-imagined as an innovation-economy office location with efficient and versatile floor plates, a double-height lobby and retail/restaurant on the ground floor and lower levels. The buildings will be combined into one cohesive building with one core, rather than the multiple cores currently existing, as well as a new pedestrian connection providing direct pedestrian access through the building from Water Street to Quaker Lane. New construction for this component includes a three-story addition to the top and the filling of an existing lightwell.

The Congress Street side would get a 35-condo building:

Congress Square project notification form (55M PDF).