From the Flower Exchange to a proposed employment campus
A February 2020 Boston City Properties article described Exchange South End on the former Boston Flower Exchange site near Albany and East Canton streets. The Abbey Group’s approximately 5.6-acre proposal involved four office and laboratory buildings and roughly 1.6 million square feet.
The account reported that demolition had begun on December 12, 2019. It described a roughly $1 billion project and expectations for thousands of jobs. Those were development estimates, not evidence of realized employment or a completed campus.
Buildings and phases
Buildings A and B were described as the first phase. The larger plan mixed laboratory, office and retail uses, with proposed building heights ranging from six to 20 stories. A public space called Albany Green and community-oriented space were also part of the discussion.
The article’s individual parking figures did not reconcile with its reported overall parking total, and its retail-area descriptions also required care. Those uncertain sums are not used as verified project totals. The useful distinction is between the four-building concept, its initial phase and the public-space commitments.
A historical development pipeline story
The expected construction and opening dates reflected optimism about laboratory demand in early 2020. They did not guarantee occupancy, jobs or investment performance. The original image was credited “Photo Courtesy of The Abbey Group.”
Historical attribution: Original Boston City Properties article, February 2020. Reported claims and attributed assessments have not been independently refreshed.