Downtown Crossing’s 399 Washington Street to finally be filled in

One of the biggest vacancies in Downtown Crossing could soon be filled.

The Barnes & Noble at 395-403 Washington Street shuttered in June 2006. Its 70 feet of Washington Street frontage has gaped empty ever since.

Now, thanks to a recently closed $63.25 million deal with a pair of investment firms, the 77,000-square-foot building could soon be filled with fresh retail and so-called creative office space.

The new owners are not, however, planning to build bigger and taller at the site. The building, which is branded DTX 399, will keep its current dimensions. That’s an important note, given that across the street the old Filene’s site gave way to what’s (for now) the tallest residential building in Boston, Millennium Tower.

The old Barnes & Noble site will undergo extensive renovations, however. See the rendering below, courtesy of L3 Capital and LaSalle Investment Management, the new owners. (Colliers International is handling the leasing for the building.)

The rejuvenation of DTX 399 will be the latest change in that snug corner of Downtown Crossing. The boutique Godfrey hotel opened in late 2015 at 505 Washington Street and the Millennium Tower followed the next year.

• Downtown Crossing's Barnes & Noble building finally sold [Bisnow]
• Downtown Crossing's Godfrey hotel readies for its opening [Curbed Boston]
• Millennium Tower: The ultimate timeline for Boston's tallest residential building [Curbed Boston]
• Boston's 10 tallest buildings by 2020, mapped [Curbed Boston]