Beaux Arts Style

Back in Boston for a couple of weeks.

This is a detail of the famous Burnham Building (also known as the Filene's Building) on Washington Street in downtown Boston.

Completed in 1912 as the flagship location for the famous Filene's department store, it was designed by the well known Chicago architect Daniel Burnham. It was widely regarded as the best example of Beaux Arts architecture in Boston. Filene's merged with Macy's in 2006, and the building has been empty for a number of years since.

The facade is protected by the Boston Landmark Commission, and it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The development company Millennium Partners of New York has now purchased the site, and is incorporating it into a major new multi-use project which is described by Wikipedia thus: "Plans include 135,000 square feet (12,500 m2) of retail on the lower floors and nearly 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) office space on the upper floors, including a restoration of many original architectural details. The project also includes a glass tower next door, which will contain 450 luxury residences and another 95,000 square feet (8,800 m2) of retail space."