The second annual Curbed Boston Cup, our award for the Hub neighborhood of the year, is under way with our original field of 16 whittled down to the Elite Eight. We'll have one match-up a day this week 'til Friday, and voting for each pairing ends after 24 hours. Let the eliminations continue!
Next up, perennial contender Back Bay vs. little, old Leather District!
Mighty, mighty Back Bay hosted 2012's most famous real estate deal, Tomsele's $9.2M sale on Beacon Street. It also hosted what could turn out to be the single, biggest residential trade in modern Boston history. And! Big-time developments there moved closer to reality this year, like the Copley Place tower (at least, we think it did) and 40 Trinity. This was enough to trounce JP in the first round. Will it be enough now?
Because the Leather District, though small, has been nothing to sneeze at in 2012. There was
the groundbreaking for 120 Kingston, a 240-unit apartment tower on its border with Chinatown and the Financial District. And the district also remained one of the more desirable residential areas of Boston proper, where a three-bedroom's about as hard to find as a cab there at 2 a.m. It was enough to best the hapless Financial District in the first round. Back Bay's a different animal, though. Vote!
· Monday Morning Quarterbacking Tom Brady's Penthouse Deal [Curbed Boston]
· Boston's Newest Real Estate Parlor Game: the Ames-Webster [Curbed Boston]
· 40 Trinity Plans: 33 Floors of Four-Star Hotel Rooms, Apts. [Curbed Boston]
· The Mystery of Copley Place: Developer Halts Major Tower [Curbed Boston]