As the on-sale garments fly off the shelves of the historic Filene’s in Downtown Crossing before its closure, Boston has turned its attention to future plans for the area’s development, ranging from hotels to a Target store – but such construction may be hampered by the Boston Landmarks Commission’s petition to designate the building as a landmark.
Despite Mayor Thomas Menino’s recent urgings to develop a concrete plan for the new location, it becomes clear that any plans will have to be put on hold as the Boston Landmarks Commission’s review of the site’s historical significance could put limitations on development.
The officials from the Commission, which identifies and preserves historic properties and reviews development and demolition activities in the city, announced last week that it will review a 1986 petition to designate the Filene’s building and the block between Summer and Franklin streets as historical sites.
Jessica Shumaker, spokeswoman for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which works closely with the Boston Landmarks Commission, said the Filene’s site is zoned for hotel, commercial and residential purposes. The BRA would also help ensure new development on the Filene’s location follows all guidelines created by the Landmarks Commission.
Shumaker said the BRA would support any redevelopment that would give a “24-hour feel” to Downtown Crossing.
“This area is going to be prime location for hotel and residential purposes,” Shumaker said. “That’s the key to bringing a 24-hour use of this place.”
Recent speculation of building a Target store has drawn some criticism because of its problematic parking situation, according to Shumaker.
But Shumaker said that she does not see parking as a problem because there are several parking garages already in the area. With plans to develop more housing near Downtown Crossing, Shumaker said that Target could benefit from putting up a store in that location, even if people from outside of Boston do not shop there.
“I live here and right now, there’s no place for me to shop for a lot of things that Target sells.”
Still, Boston Landmark Commission officials, who identify and preserves historic properties and reviews development and demolition activities in the city, have petitioned for the building to be an official historic site. Builders are not able to definitively plan what will occupy the space without having the petition ruled on.
“Every year, the commission evaluates what’s urgent,” Executive Director of the Boston Landmarks Commission Ellen Lipsey said. “This year, with the sale of the property, it seemed like this was the right time to go ahead and settle the matter and give the potential buyer some certainty.”
Lipsey said the petition must be signed by 10 registered voters, and once the petition is filed, there is no expiration date to decide on whether or not a location is a historical site. The commission only has the time to review a certain number of petitions each year.
According to the petition, the Filene’s store in Downtown Crossing, built in 1912, was the last major building designed by prominent architect Daniel Burnham, who also helped design the master plan for the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. The petition calls Filene’s one of the best examples of early 20th century Beaux Arts commercial architecture in Boston.
Lipsey said that whoever purchases the location, which is being sold by Filene’s parent company Federated Department Stores, Inc., would have to wait for the committee’s recommendations before it could start redeveloping the site. As of now, a public hearing to decide whether the area is deemed a historic site is scheduled for late March or early April, she added.
Lipsey said that if the Filene’s building is designated as a landmark the commission will develop mandates for any redevelopment of the site. But as a rule, there are no limits placed on the interior redevelopment of a historical site – so any type of business can potentially go into the Filene’s building – but there are stricter guidelines for exterior changes.
Alex Adjmi, of New York-based C’A Capital group, the buildings most likely bu said he wants to change the façade of the Filene’s building, according to a Feb. 5 Boston Business Journal. Adjmi added his group wanted to turn the building into an area for high-end retail and residencies, and spoke of acquiring a Target store.
Adjmi also told the Journal he had a meeting scheduled for last Thursday with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, but Shumaker said there was never a meeting scheduled. Menino added that he was surprised Adjmi and Cayre have not yet met with the BRA, according to an article in the Boston Herald published Feb. 10.
Shumaker did not speculate on what she expects will be built in the Filene’s location, stressing there is a lengthy process to redevelopment and there is no official buyer at the moment.