Back Bay office building would rise near Public Garden under revived proposal

A Boston-based developer has asked the city if it can move forward on a stalled project to replace the old Shreve, Crump & Low building at 350 Boylston Street in Back Bay, right near the Public Garden, with a nine-story commercial building.

The Druker Company originally received city approval in 2009—and a building permit in 2010—to construct a 221,230-square-foot project full of office and retail space as well as around 150 parking spaces. Things looked like a go.

“However, the difficulties with the financial markets in 2008 and subsequent years made securing tenants and investors difficult, so that the project has been unable to proceed,” Druker said in a September 17 filing with the Boston Planning and Development Agency.

The developer’s BPDA approval for the project ran out, and now it wants that approval back for basically the same project. (It will also need to seek a fresh okay from the city’s troubled Zoning Board of Appeal.)

The apparently glassy 350 Boylston project would still be nine stories and 221,230 square feet. It would still be predominantly office and retail with around 150 parking spaces. The only big change is that some of the shops and restaurants might be on the building’s second floor rather than just on the ground floor.

There would also now be parking for 66 bikes, and showers for future employees riding to work. Biking in Boston has, after all, boomed in the past decade.

Druker says it could start construction in the third quarter of 2020 if it gets the requisite approvals and then finish the building in 30 months. Stay tuned.