348 replies to this topic

[mvince03]

Blue Cross wants to build new HQ downtown

PBN Article

This may belong in Intercontinental.....?

Edited by mvince03, 18 April 2007 - 01:46 PM.

[Cotuit]

PBN won't load for me for some reason (everyone from UP overloading their servers?), but I think you may find there is already a thread for this.  

[jencoleslaw]

it would certainly explain why my health insurance just jumped 19%

[Cotuit]

mvince03, on Apr 18 2007, 03:10 PM, said:

This may belong in Intercontinental.....?

Cotuit, on Apr 18 2007, 03:40 PM, said:

PBN won't load for me for some reason (everyone from UP overloading their servers?), but I think you may find there is already a thread for this.  

The page finally loaded for me, so I changed this topic title to reflect what other thread it may be. But this certainly deserves a thread of it's own.

Quote

Keough stressed that Blue Cross will not have to dig into its reserves or pass on costs to subscribers to pay for the project. It plans to sell its two main buildings, at 444 Westminster St. and One Empire Place, for about $13 million and $7 million, respectively, and the remaining costs “will be financed through a third-party mortgage,” she said.

The article also mentions that they looked at locations outside the city but decided as one of the city's largest employers, they wanted to stay here. I don't know how much of that sentiment is spin, but it's good regardless.

[Lone Ranger]

Jen should be happy:

Quote

and the new building will conform to LEED specifications,

'Scuse my ignorance, but did GTech come with any LEED certification?

[Cotuit]

[runawayjim]

jencoleslaw, on Apr 18 2007, 03:41 PM, said:

it would certainly explain why my health insurance just jumped 19%

my portion of the premium went down, but all my co-pays went up (some doubled).  but i have united health.  i have a feeling my employer is not good at negotiating these contracts.

[Recchia]

Downtown will finally reach the Statehouse with this and Capitol Cove.  

So I wonder who will be going into E @ B now...

[Cotuit]

This would be why it was not heard by Cap. Ctr. Commission on the 12th.

Quote

Blue Cross signed a letter of intent to lease the property from Intercontinental – which, in turn, leases it from Capital Properties Inc. – on April 13, Keough said.

[runawayjim]

Recchia, on Apr 18 2007, 04:04 PM, said:

Downtown will finally reach the Statehouse with this and Capitol Cove.  

So I wonder who will be going into E @ B now...

and if only the citizen's lots will be built upon.

[Cotuit]

Recchia, on Apr 18 2007, 04:04 PM, said:

So I wonder who will be going into E @ B now...

I hope whoever buys BCBS's LaSalle Square building can give it an extreme makeover.  

It would be nice if the side facing the square could be modified to have ground floor retail, it'd be a great spot for the Barnes and Noble my boyfriend so desperately wishes the city had.

Here's some pics I took of the pad a few weeks ago:









It's good we won't have to wait for a building to go there, because that vacant pad is terrible.

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on Apr 18 2007, 04:11 PM, said:

I hope whoever buys BCBS's LaSalle Square building can give it an extreme makeover.  

It would be nice if the side facing the square could be modified to have ground floor retail, it'd be a great spot for the Barnes and Noble my boyfriend so desperately wishes the city had.

i actually woudln't mind that building it if was just built taller with more glass.  i think it would take some of the attention off the ugly lower section.

and a barnes and noble would rock.

[JJK5]

Taller please.  And it's a rough image, but it sort of looks like the interesting side will mostly be blocked from view...

[runawayjim]

JJK5, on Apr 18 2007, 04:20 PM, said:

Taller please.  And it's a rough image, but it sort of looks like the interesting side will mostly be blocked from view...

it's supposed to fall between the heights of the 2 other towers.

[pdxstreetcar]

Renderings:

http://www.smma.com/...p;project_id=19

[webbage]

If the rendering is implying glass here, then w00t! The renderings make it look bigger than 13 stories though.

[CtownMikey]

looks a bit like E@B!

and hopefully it will encourage some out of city workers to move into H20 place??

[Baines]

webbage, on Apr 18 2007, 04:04 PM, said:

If the rendering is implying glass here, then w00t! The renderings make it look bigger than 13 stories though.

I was told it is to be 225 feet tall...12 business height floors of approx 13' and 1 (first) of 20' and the roof utility of 10' equals 225'...and it will be predominently glass.

In essence there will be three similar sized towers in a cluster (219-235). Very dense and actually sitting approx 30 feet higher than the Financial District towers so the visual will be more like a cluster of three 250+ foot buildings. Very nice - especially if the final parcel develops into a tower (ie-Citizens).

My concern now is the E@B status....that parcel is critical to push the Downcity towers to the western edge.
It would seem that TPG must market exclusively outside the city now.

Not to go on and on - but it is disappointing that this is a "transfer" from another part of the city and not a "move" to the city from MA, CT, etc. or even another city in the metro.

[Cotuit]

^I love the wavy wall, too bad its inside the courtyard and not facing outward.






^I'm very curious to see what the detail is at the ground on this corner. I think it is very important to make this corner engaging and animate the area around the train station.


^I hope that cylinder at the top lights up.

[Cotuit]

Baines, on Apr 18 2007, 09:07 PM, said:

My concern now is the E@B status....that parcel is critical to push the Downcity towers to the western edge.
It would seem that TPG must market exclusively outside the city now.

I would be more concerned about Newport Grand in relation to E@B than I would be with BCBS going to Waterplace. If they are planning to spend a billion bucks in Newport, do they have a few hundreds millions left for Providence? I don't think BCBS being an anchor tenant was what made E@B possible, they were ready to go with speculation, and they have been marketing Providence nationally for a while now. I think if Newport Grand doesn't suck up all their attention/money, that E@B is still on.