MassMutual’s New Seaport District Tower Opens at Fan Pier Boulevard

Posted By: Boston City Properties

Since its soft opening in October, 10 Fan Pier Boulevard in the Seaport hasn’t exactly been abuzz with swarms of employees. The $300 million, 17-story glass tower is being leased by Springfield-based MassMutual, which expected to welcome upwards of 1,000 employees by this time. However, despite a year of record sales, the life insurance company isn’t close to reaching that milestone. To date, approximately 600 workers have started occupying the top floors since the soft opening in October. In the brave new world of the pandemic, it’s unclear when the others will arrive.

The life insurance firm actually owes a lot to the pandemic, which prompted increased interest in life insurance across the general public. Its new location in the Seaport, between an office building occupied by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and a luxury high-rise apartment, spans 17 floors and approximately 310,000 square feet of space.

The lower floors aren’t open yet; for now, workers are occupying floors 12 through 17. Those who choose to work in the building – MassMutual isn’t requiring them to just yet – can take their pick from a few workstation options. They can set up at barstools in wide, open spaces; by scanning a QR code, they can project their laptop screens onto wall-mounted LED screens. Otherwise, they can plunk down in armchairs at desktop screens available to anyone, taking in views of the Harbor and Seaport.

Constructed as it was during the pandemic, the building incorporates many pandemic-friendly details. For example, the building boasts a 17th-floor outdoor patio where workers can get fresh air while maintaining social distancing standards. The premises also include an indoor game room and nine wellness rooms that offer quiet, solo space. Every floor of the building has its own kitchen, and there’s also a cafeteria where employees can enjoy complimentary meals through the end of 2021. There are also single-occupancy bathrooms and elevators with touchless interiors, all designs that help to prevent the spread of germs.

Under normal circumstances, this state-of-the-art building would be flush with workers right away. However, the pandemic is still underway and still affecting the way offices do business. Despite closing the summer as the hottest office market in the country, Boston has yet to see anything close to the typical number of workers on its streets. Foot traffic in the downtown office district, for example, is still down by 50.8% as of November 1st. According to the MBTA, subway travel volume in September was still half of pre-pandemic levels.

MassMutual thus far is allowing much of its workforce to remain hybrid in nature, meaning that they often work remotely but may occasionally come into the office. The company hasn’t stated when or if it will change this policy. Until it does, though, the odds of it bringing in more than 1,000 workers to the building remain slim.

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