By Dan Murphy
The potential future redevelopment of the state-owned, 5.5-acre site of the connected Linemann and Hurley buildings was the matter at hand during a public meeting held on Wednesday, June 4, at the West End Museum.
The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), together with the Department of Mental Health, will potentially offer the site of the massive, concrete complex located at 19 and 21 Staniford St. to a private entity for redevelopment into a mixed-use project. The state is expected to offer a ground lease for up to 99 years to the designated developer, who would then be responsible for all aspects of the project, including its design, permitting, financing, construction, and operation.
The 222,000 gross square-foot Erich Lindemann Building, which is expected to require upwards of $250 million in capital renewal costs, was completed in 1971 as part of the urban renewal effort to revitalize the Government Center area.
Designed by renowned American architect Paul Rudolph, the building is now regarded as a significant example of the Brutalist style. “It’s considered to be one of Rudolph’s masterpieces,” said Adam Baacke, DCAMM commissioner.
Noteworthy design elements of the Lindemann Building include several ‘monumental,’ curving exterior staircases; an interior spiral stair that spans from the ground floor to the plaza; and a chapel on the fourth and fifth floors, among other features.
The less architecturally significant, 347,000 gross square-foot Charles F. Hurley Building, which is expected to require around $300 million in capital renewal costs, also opened in 1971. The building previously housed state offices but now sits vacant.
Among the noteworthy design elements of the Hurley Building are its two-story main lobby linking Staniford Street to the Central Courtyard, which features two-story frescoes created by the late artist, Costantino Nivola.
The selected developer would be charged with preserving some of the site’s historically significant design elements, said Baacke, as well as with “softening” the existing exterior conditions of the site to better connect it with the surrounding neighborhood.
The Department of Mental Health intends to continue the operations of its existing on-site residential treatment programs, so the selected developer will be required to provide space there (or in very close proximity to the site) to accommodate these programs via a lease or condo arrangement with the state.
The Lindemann Building also has 80 parking spaces on the Merrimac Plaza while the Hurley Building has a shared, 200-space garage.
In a June 6 letter to DCAMM on the project, Carol Matyka, president of the West End Civic Association, wrote in part: “WECA applauds plans to redevelop the site in a manner that revitalizes a large, imposing, fortress-like and unfriendly ‘superblock’ and reconnects it to its home in Boston’s historic West End. The project also provides an opportunity for the Commonwealth to atone for its role in the failed ‘urban renewal’ approach of the 1950s-‘60s that destroyed a once vibrant and diverse community.”
Pointing to the “critical” need for affordable housing around the West End, WECA is asking for the prioritization of creating “low and middle-income affordable family and workforce units directly on the site,” wrote Matyka.
Baacke of DCAMM expressed optimism regarding the possibility of the redevelopment project containing a residential component, noting Gov. Maura Healey’s announcement just three days earlier that 450 acres of state-owned property would soon be made available for redevelopment into housing.
WECA also calls for the “immediate redesign” (or within the first project phase) of Merrimac Plaza into “a greenspace for the benefit of neighborhood residents,” wrote Matyka, since the parcel, located at the intersection of Staniford and Merrimac streets, now serves as an unauthorized, fenced-in parking lot.
Furthermore, WECA requests that some space in the redeveloped property be designated for use by the West End Museum.
“Including Museum space in the complex would not only acknowledge the neighborhood’s extensive historic heritage but also draw visitors to the area and foster a broadened public awareness and understanding of the City of Boston’s urban culture,” wrote Matyka.
Duane Lucia, a longtime West End resident, asked in the event that the Linemann-Hurley site were originally taken via eminent domain, if preference for any residential units created there could be given to displaced former West Enders, along with residents from other parts of the city who were also displaced due to urban renewal.
Additionally, Lucia requested that the sidewalk on Staniford Street be “activated” as part of the project.
Rep. Jay Livingstone told this reporter he’s “excited about the possibility of the redevelopment,” and that he “looks forward to working with local elected officials and stakeholders to secure the best results for the community from this process.”
Meanwhile, Katherine Kennedy, a Beacon Hill mother of two, made a compelling case during public testimony at the meeting for the creation of a new public elementary school on site as a component of any redevelopment plan.
“A school in this part of the city is desperately needed by families,” said Kennedy, predicting that if a new public elementary school were built on the site “tomorrow,” enrollment for students would be immediately filled.
A virtual public meeting of this matter was also held on Thursday, June 5, which included the same presentation seen at the in-person public meeting the previous evening at the West End Museum.
Written comments from the public regarding the potential redevelopment project were accepted by to DCAMM through the afternoon of Monday, June 9.
DCAMM is expected to recommend the redevelopment of the Lindemann-Hurley property at an Asset Management Board meeting scheduled for June 24.
Once a designated developer has been selected, it will trigger another community process for the project, allowing the public more opportunity to provide feedback, said Abigail Vladeck, DCAMM’s director of asset management.
Permitting and financing for the project is then expected over 2027-28 while construction and occupancy is slated to follow in 2029-31, added Vladeck.