Fenway Center Groundbreaking Generates Optimism

Project's second phase would include a deck and tower over the Massachusetts Turnpike

The long-anticipated groundbreaking of the $240 million Fenway Center megadevelopment attended by city and state officials was celebrated with live music and fanfare on Jan. 30 in Boston.

The mixed-use project, designed by The Architectural Team with John Moriarty & Associates managing construction, includes development of 4.5 acres along the Massachusetts Turnpike with phase one of completion expected by early 2020. The project is located near public transit and next to Fenway Park, Kenmore Square and the Longwood Medical Area.

“I am extremely excited to finally start building my long-time vision for Fenway Center,” John Rosenthal, president of Meredith Management, said in a statement.

After 15 years in planning, crews began site prep early last month for phase one construction of two apartment complexes that will include 312 apartments, 37,000 square feet of ground floor retail [expected to open late next year],and 200 underground parking spaces, according to a statement by joint venture partner developers Meredith Management and Gerding Edlen. It will also include a pedestrian walkway over the revitalized Yawkey Commuter Rail Station.

Complex phase two plans for the sustainable development include a 12,500-sq-ft air rights deck on which a 27-story tower and a parking garage would be built.

"Over the last several years, we have worked closely with MassDOT…and I am pleased to see this important and transformational project moving forward," Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said in a statement. "The Fenway Center will build on our work to increase our housing stock to meet the needs of our growing population."

Johanna Knapschaefer, ENR’s New England Special Correspondent, has been writing about trends in design and construction of buildings, bridges, tunnels and other infrastructure for more than a decade. She also profiles award-winning industry leaders and delves into broader construction issues such as workforce training, worker safety and health, climate change remediation and emerging offshore wind and tidal energy developments. Over the past two decades, her articles have appeared in Architectural Record, BusinessWeek, the Boston Globe, American Banker, Modern Metals, BusinessNH Magazine, Pittsburgh Magazine and many other publications. Johanna is fluent in Japanese, and taught English and academic writing in the Science and Engineering Department of Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, while living in Japan for eight years.

When not writing, Johanna enjoys mountain climbing, singing and playing her Spanish guitar.