'Tis the big day: the official groundbreaking of the mother of all recent Boston towers. Execs from developer Millennium Partners will join honored guest, Mayor Tom "Shovels" Menino, to ceremoniously commence the filling-in of the old Filene's site in Downtown Crossing with the Millennium Tower. Did you ever think this day would arrive, dear reader?
· The 625-foot, 56-story tower will be one of the three tallest residential buildings in Boston.
· It will include nearly 500 450 luxury condos, all of which will range from one- to four-bedrooms, as well as up to 231,000 square feet of retail.
· The lobby will open on to Franklin Street, though the tower's address is 426 Washington Street.
· It took years and a controversial developer change to get this thing under way. Remember Vornado? No? Good.
· Downtown Crossing pushcarts are being temporarily relocated to make way for the construction.
· Speaking of construction! The mega-project that will produce the Millennium Tower will also preserve the neighboring Burnham Building, which was designed by the same architect who did Manhattan's Flatiron Building and D.C.'s Union Station.
· Millennium Tower is a major driver of the rejuvenation of Downtown Crossing, which was kind of the point.
· It's already having an invigorating effect, in fact, on nearby properties like 45 Province.
· The tower's not without its critics, however, including those who worry it's nothing but another enclave for the wealthy in a downtown Boston of more and more gated-community-like developments.
· And others don't care for the millions in tax breaks the city has thrown to Millennium Partners.
Still. It's on. Groundbreaking festivities for the Millennium Tower start at 10.
· Boston's Tallest Residential Tower! A Trend Is Bucked [Curbed Boston]
· Downtown Crossing's Filene's Site, East Boston Casino: Tied? [Curbed Boston]
· Step Aside, Millennium Tower! It's the Burnham Building's Turn [Curbed Boston]
· Vacant Filene's Site Stealing Menino's Mojo [Curbed Boston]
· 45 Province: Boston's Big Condo That Could [Curbed Boston]
· Millennium Place and the Rise of Gated Communities Downtown [Curbed Boston]
· Millennium Tower Creates Awkward Situation for the City [Curbed Boston]
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