BOSTON HOUSING NEWS: Residential tower pitched for the Fenway

For years, the gritty retail building at Brookline Avenue and Boylston Street has remained a bystander in the Fenway’s revitalization.

Not anymore.

Developer Samuels & Associates proposes building a 22-story residential tower on the property that would contain 320 residences and a two-story retail base with several new shops and restaurants.

The project, to be called The Point, would result in a modern masonry and glass tower on the triangular lot currently occupied by a D’Angelo sub shop and other businesses. Samuels filed plans for the project Friday with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, kicking off a monthslong review.


The building’s construction would continue a decadelong remake of the Fenway portion of Boylston Street, where Samuels and other developers have already built hundreds of new residences, restaurants, and retail shops.

“This counts as among the most exciting of our projects in the Fenway,” said Peter Sougarides, a Samuels & Associates executive. “In the almost 15 years that we have been working with the neighborhood, this property has always been thought of as a gateway into the Fenway and a key element of the redevelopment of Boylston Street.”

Samuels is currently building the nearby Fenway Triangle project at the corner of Boylston and Kilmarnock streets. That $325 million project will result in new offices, 172 residences, a Target, and several smaller retail shops and restaurants.

Designed by the architecture firm Arquitectonica, The Point would be the most visually striking of the buildings Samuels has developed so far. A rendering shows a wedge-shaped glass tower rising above a two-story base with restaurants and stores.

The windows on its north face would be layered so it looks like a series of glass doors are sliding into one another. In its filing with the city, Samuels said the building is meant to shake up
the area’s architecture and create a dramatic new entrance to the neighborhood from the west.

“The Fenway zoning has long sought to encourage the development of architecturally distinctive civic landmarks,” the filing said. “The project represents a major step in the realization of that goal.”

In a statement Friday, Mayor Thomas M. Menino offered support for the proposal, saying: “I’m confident The Point will be another bright spot in the evolution of Fenway.”

If approved, the building would include a mix of unit sizes from studios to four bedrooms. It is unclear whether the units would be offered as apartments or condominiums. A green roof would be located on the third level above the retail space, and an outdoor terrace would be built atop the building, creating sweeping views of the Emerald Necklace parks.

Samuels proposes an elevated glass walkway that would connect The Point project to the adjacent Trilogy residential and retail complex.

A start date for construction has not been scheduled.

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