Robert Benson
401 Park Repositioning
Firm LocationBoston, United States
Project locationBoston, MA
CompanyElkus Manfredi Architects
Lead ArchitectElizabeth Lowrey FIIDA, RDI (Interior Architect)
Design TeamOwner: Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. | Property Manager: Samuels & Associates | Structural: McNamara Salvia | MEP: WSP Flack & Kurtz | Lighting: HDLC | Civil: VHB | Contractor: Suffolk | Landscape: LeBlanc Jones | LEED: The Green Engineer | Signage: Roll Barresi & Associates| Art: Emily Fine Art| Audio Visual: ACT Associates, LLC| Geotech: McPhail Associates
Opened in 1928 as a 1M-sf Sears, Roebuck, & Co. distribution center, the reinvented 401 Park is now a work/play hub linking Boston’s Fenway and Longwood Medical neighborhoods. Elkus Manfredi stripped interiors back to their structural bones to create a magnificent two-story atrium and 25,000-sf food hall with massive garage-door windows that open to outdoor seating and a new public park. A robust contemporary art program – custom railings with Boston-centric terms, a 3D mural, an array of Sears-purchased items – pays homage to the building’s history and adds to the vibrant public realm.