TRANSFORMING BOSTON´S MIDTOWN CULTURAL DISTRICT_HANDEL ARCHITECTS

Transforming Boston's Midtown Cultural District

Handel Architects
Boston, Massachusetts, EE.UU.

Client: MP Boston

Location: Boston, MA

Project Type: Master Planning

Status: Completed in 2014

Scope: Planning, Design Architect, Architect of Record

Millennium Place

Millennium Place is a 256-unit residential building located in downtown Boston across from the Ritz-Carlton. The 15-story tower includes one-, two-, and three-bedroom units as well as 9,700 sq. ft. (900 m²) of ground floor retail. Also included is a 125-car underground parking garage.

Working with the notion of masonry as a design palate, Millennium Place was designed with the area’s rich history in mind, featuring heavy masonry walls and lattice frames offset by glass and metal.


An open-air canopy frames the private porte-cochere, protecting residents from the elements while allowing light to shine through. A bi-level urban garden acts as an extension of the nearby Boston Common.

Millennium Tower Boston

Millennium Tower Boston is the new 1.1 million sq ft. mixed-use project located in Downtown Crossing, Boston. The slender tower will house residential and retail space, while the adjacent 1912 Filene's Department Store designed by Daniel Burnham is being renovated to include both office and retail space. When complete, Millennium Tower Boston will be the tallest residential building in Boston.  

The site is in the center of one of Boston's busiest areas, and the 231,000 SF of retail space is positioned to take advantage of the large pedestrian volume. Above, up to 600 residential units, both condominium and rental, will have a mix of one, two, three, and four-bedroom units.  


Part of Handel Architects’ scope involves preserving the existing Burnham Building, with renovations totaling 185,000 SF of office space and 100,000 SF of retail. In addition, there will be up to 550 parking spaces below grade.

Filene's Site Renovation

Handel Architects is leading the renovation and restoration of the 1912 Filene's Department Store in Downtown Crossing, Boston. The building was originally designed by Daniel Burnham in the Beaux Arts style and represents his last major project, as well as his only project in Boston. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and is protected by the Boston Landmark Commission.


Handel Architects' scope involves leading the restoration of the exterior façade, as well as renovating the interior space for both retail and office use. The newly renovated building will connect directly to the adjacent Millennium Tower, a new high-rise residential building also designed by Handel Architects. Parking will be below grade

Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residences

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residences is a two building mixed-use complex containing residential, hotel, and retail space. The 400 ft. (122 m) south tower contains the 200-key Ritz-Carlton Boston, 160 apartments, retail, an 80,000 sq. ft. (7,400 m²) fitness club, restaurants, conference rooms, 3,900 stadium cinema seats, and underground parking for 850 cars. The 375 ft. (114 m) north tower contains an extended stay hotel with 84 apartments, 150 condominiums, retail, and a day care facility.

As part of the development, an adjacent office building at 172 Tremont was renovated to a 12,000 sq. ft. (1,100 m²) Class A office building with new roof terrace. In addition, the historic Paramount Theater was stabilized and the façade and marquee was restored.


The Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Residences transformed an undesirable urban neighborhood known as the “Combat Zone” into a high-quality, mixed-use destination. The project fits into Boston’s urban fabric by complementing the neighborhood’s existing mix of uses, and by encouraging 24-hour activity while creating a sense of place and anchoring the emerging district.

One Charles

Adjacent to the Boston Public Garden in historic Park Plaza, this project consists of 231 condominium apartments set in 16 stories with a two-floor penthouse. Boston's rich design heritage is reflected in the combination of both traditional elements like deep-punched windows in a brick façade and stone banding and sills with a contemporary expression of glass bay windows and canopies. The block-long building has a porte-cochere for resident drop-off with a direct link to a 250-car underground garage.

web HANDEL ARCHITECTS: http://www.handelarchitects.com/