Prior existing Bullfinch building with the Central Artery in background
Boston – A Bulfinch building façade on Broad Street will be incorporated into the The Boulevard on the Greenway, a new 12-story condominium on 110 Broad St. Designed by Finegold Alexander Architects and developed by New Boston Ventures, the project is scheduled for completion in 2018.
What’s left of the building, designed by Charles Bullfinch, “The Godfather of all Architects” and designer of the nation’s Capitol building, is cherished as part and parcel of Boston’s Streetscape.
The former Bullfinch Building now constitutes just two walls of the planned condominium project.
The old façade will be integrated into the $60 million development, designed to make the Bulfinch portion deliberately stand out from the rest of the tower in style, color, and height. It will serve as the tower’s lobby, and its second floor will house a pet spa, gym, and club room.
The new building will be composed of gray brick and copper-colored metal panels. Adding to the modern look will be a 10-story glass panel, tilted back to mimic a ship’s prow, as a nod to the area’s maritime history.
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Two long, thin walls of period red brick and granite stand at Boston’s 110 Broad Street, as a new 12-story condominium project goes up around it – and is being preserved as an important piece of Boston’s early history – designed by Boston’s great architect Charles Bullfinch, who Jim Alexander, Principal, Finegold Alexander Architects, refers to as the “Patron saint to many of us architects.”
The two walls measure a scant 12 inches at their thickest, and in one fragile spot are a mere eight inches wide. The walls are so delicate that they are currently being stabilized by steel beams.
Born in Boston, Bulfinch is widely regarded as the first American-born architect to practice the craft in the United States. A prolific architect of the Federal style, Bulfinch’s notable works include the Massachusetts State House. Perhaps most notably, Bullfinch oversaw the completion of the US Capitol
This historic Bulfinch building was built in 1805 to serve as a warehouse for goods unloaded at the wharves, way back in the days when Boston Harbor came right up to the rear of the buildings. (The city has since been expanded considerably due to landfills dating to more than 150 plus years ago). In 1983, the Boston Landmarks Commission noted the building as “a fine example of commercial architecture in the Federal style, which is rare in Downtown Boston.”
What is notable is that it is just the exterior that is declared a landmark; the interior had been altered over time and was not in the same original condition. Its last incarnation was a tavern — The Littlest Bar. This section will serve as the lobby for the new condos.
Bulfinch was responsible for the design of India Wharf, one of the largest commercial wharves of the time period, and of the larger Broad Street area, which still has other buildings from Boston’s mercantile era.
Preserving Bullfinch buildings goes beyond saving the building or the façade—it is about saving the character of Boston. “We found it exciting to have the lobby in the Bulfinch building because a lot of Bostonians care a lot about preservation,” said Dennis Kanin of New Boston Ventures. “This is a building that preserves the old while moving to a new direction at the same time.”
The demolition of the Bulfinch building but not its facade, was a delicate task. Removing the attached walls, floors, and roof required the surgical use of heavy equipment and, in certain tight spots, construction workers wielding old-fashioned sledgehammers. Even with all the precautions, demolition crews had to remove one upper corner after discovering a crack in the masonry that threatened to topple a part of the wall, said project architect Jim Alexander of Finegold Alexander Architects.
“Keeping this small piece of history is a big commitment,” Alexander said, “one that we take very seriously on a day to day basis.”
Construction is expected to take about two years.
Keeping the entire Bulfinch building would have been Alexander’s preference, but it would not have been feasible for the project. The condo project will have a four-story underground garage with an automated parking system, a first in Boston, which will allow drivers to leave their car on a platform, where a computer system will then deliver it to a designated slot by way of treadmill-like technology.
“This is a combination of one of the newest technologies, in automated parking, with one of the oldest buildings in Boston,” Alexander said. “That’s what we tried to do with the design of the building.” Alexander adds, “It’s an unusual marriage of old and new.”
