Many Boston University students have no memory of a Kenmore Square packed with bar-hoppers and nightclub patrons. But it was, at least at one point, one of the most popular late-night, weekend hangouts for college students. Now that the bars, clubs, and eateries have been demolished, construction on the new, luxurious Hotel Commonwealth progresses this school year.
Under the direction of Great Bays Holdings, the hotel is part of an exciting revitalization taking place in Kenmore Square, according to principal developer Terrence Guiney.
“The Kenmore area is not only the gateway to Boston University, but also the western side of Boston,” Guiney said. “This project is about urban revitalization, and area universities and hospitals will benefit from it.”
Originally the idea of Guiney’s neighbor, Frank Keefe, the hotel is a vision nearly six years in the making, Guiney said. Along with Dennis Callaghan, the three developers presented their proposal to BU and received favorable responses, Guiney said.
Located at the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street, the $50 million project will feature 150 luxury rooms, two restaurants and approximately eight retail tenants, Guiney said.
Designed in the French Empire style, similar to the Kenmore Abbey apartments right next door, the building is meant to reflect Boston’s legacy of grand hotels built between 1930 and 1960, Guiney said.
“You originally had ‘hotel row,’ which was a stretch of buildings between Boston Common and Kenmore Square, before the modern hotels began to spring up,” Guiney said. “We want to be consistent with that historic precedent.
“We originally thought we would do a restoration project with the original buildings on the property, but it proved to be more efficient and cost effective to build a new structure,” Guiney said.
While BU owned a few of the buildings along the stretch, they demolished them to make room for construction, and the University remains a limited partner in the hotel, Guiney said. Great Bays Holdings will manage the building once doors open for business on its tentative operating date of Dec. 18.
And while attaining a building permit from the city of Boston was a lengthy process, Guiney said the actual construction process has been smooth and without any major delays so far.
However, some displaced workers from the recently closed Howard Johnson, which now serves as BU dormitory 575 Commonwealth Ave., and other members of the Local 26 Boston Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, have been protesting outside the construction site for the Hotel Commonwealth.
“The University leased the building to Howard Johnson and, when its lease expired, they chose not to renew the lease,” Guiney said. “And these workers were offered jobs elsewhere.”
Timothy Kirwan, managing director for the Hotel Commonwealth, said the two businesses are not related, and therefore much of the protests are unjustified.
“[The protesters] are trying to create a sense of linkage between the former Howard Johnson and Hotel Commonwealth,” he said. “You’re dealing with two different ownership groups, locations and overall quality in product.”
No representatives from the Local 26 returned comment, although numerous calls were placed over the last week.
Joseph Mercurio, Executive Vice President at BU, said the University maintains active interest in improving Kenmore Square.
“Many urban universities often take an opposite stance, not wanting to renovate and redevelop older neighborhoods surrounding their campuses,” Mercurio said. “In turn, the universities often become isolated areas and unsafe for students.
“We are always concerned with the quality of life around campus and not allowing these areas to be blighted,” Mercurio said. “This is where our students live.”