BostON The Horizon: Inside The Viridian

Located at the southeastern corner of Boylston and Jersey Streets,  The Viridian is the latest residential building to make a big impact on the Fenway neighborhood. This 189-foot tower will boast more than 320 apartments in nearly 350,000 square feet of built space. With about a year worth of construction still left for the mega development, Bostonians can already see its crown taking shape above the Fens’ tree canopy when looking west from the Back Bay– -a symbolic milestone for the Fenway’s redevelopment over the last 20 years.

The Fenway neighborhood has long been identified as the home of Fenway Park and home to multiple institutions of higher education and culture; however, the Boylston Street corridor through the West Fens was neglected for many years following the closure of many light industrial businesses, including the Sears, Roebuck, & Co. Distribution Complex at the Landmark Center. After an extensive rehabilitation, the Landmark Center reopened in 2000 with multiple retail stores, a 1,700-space parking garage, a 13-screen movie theater, and multiple floors of office space. This was made possible by The Abbey Group, the same company behind Landmark Square and The Virdian. Thanks to these developments, the reinvestment in Fenway Park, and the establishment of Samuels & Associates’ Fenway Trilogy complex, the Fenway neighborhood has quickly become one of the hottest places in town!

The Viridian’s 320 apartments will include studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom floor plans, as well as 36 affordable units. There will also be nearly 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail along Boylston Street and a highly-anticipated 2,700-square foot Fenway community space open to the entire neighborhood.  The Viridian will also include 295 underground parking spaces and 24-hour concierge service. Shaw’s Supermarket and Whole Foods are only a short walk away. Not only will the new  Boylston West across the street feature a City Target and a dozen retails spaces when it opens around the same time as  Viridian, but also the expansion of the  Landmark Center will include Boston’s first Wegman’s grocery store. This centrally located walkers’ paradise is destined to become both the focal center of the Fenway neighborhood and  the dream residence for any Red Sox fans hoping to watch the games from their living room window.

Is there a building under construction you’d like to learn more about? Derek Shooster has an encyclopedic knowledge of major projects planned, approved, under construction, and recently completed through the Boston area. Feel free to shoot him an email if you’d like to learn more.