The February 2022 approval account
The Boston City Properties report dated February 16, 2022 described BPDA approval of a plan to convert the 11-story office building at 745 Atlantic Avenue into approximately 155,000 square feet of laboratory, research-and-development and office space. It identified Oxford Properties as the owner and placed the address in the Leather District near South Station.
Oxford had reportedly acquired the property from Beacon Capital Partners in 2015, and WeWork had occupied much of it. The article recounted WeWork’s departure and a subsequently dismissed rent dispute as background.
Mechanical systems and neighborhood concerns
Rather than add a tall mechanical structure above the roof, the reported design would turn the top two floors into a mechanical penthouse. The account connected that approach with neighborhood height concerns and with the power, ventilation, mechanical and floor-height demands of laboratory conversions.
The report dated the building to the late 1980s and recorded a plan to remove eight parking spaces. Floor height, power, ventilation and mechanical space were important parts of the conversion discussion.
Ground-floor uses and the planned schedule
At the time described, the owner planned to keep the La Colombe coffee shop and add approximately 4,100 square feet of restaurant space. The article named Gilbane Building Co. as the general contractor and discussed remaining tenants leaving as their leases approached their end.
Work was then expected to start in spring and the premises to be ready by mid-2023. For a question now, identify the specific lab, office or ground-floor space and ask about current condition, installed systems, availability and proposed terms rather than relying on that forecast.
Historical account: Original Boston City Properties report