Former Herald Building Demolition, Ink Block Construction to Start

See what Mayor Menino and others had to say to commemorate the former Herald Building that will soon be demolished.

In a ceremony filled with memories from Boston Herald employees and hope for the future development of the neighborhood, Mayor Menino, state reps and city officials gathered in the South End on Thursday to say goodbye to the old building and welcome the new Ink Block development.  Menino said he was happy to see a bridge built between the South End, Chinatown and South Boston with the new development, and the first full-sized grocery store come to the South End. "The South End deserves this type of development," he said. "As part of the ongoing transformation of the South End, this project will grow the neighborhood’s vitality with its diverse housing mix, new pedestrian activity and retail energy.” The new development, situated at the …

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Construction to Start at Ink Block in April

A ground-breaking ceremony will be held at the future Ink Block site on Harrison Ave on April 11.

Construction at the Ink Block apartment complex site on Harrison Avenue is slated to start in April, but not before a special ground-breaking ceremony is held on April 11.  Called the "Ink Block Party," the event will feature Mayor Menino, Boston Redevelopment Authority Director Peter Meade, Ted Tye, managing partner with National Development, the project's developer, and Joe Fitzgerald, a columnist from the Boston Herald.  Menino will be removing a symbolic brick from the old Boston Herald building, and Fitzgerald will share memories from the paper's 54-year history in the building. The Herald re-located to the Seaport District in 2011.  The finished $200 million development will include 471 apartments, a Whole Foods supermarket, and …

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Mural Goes Up On Former Herald Building for 'Ink Block'

Local artist, Cyrille Conan, painted a mural at the site of the future Ink Block development in the South End this past weekend to build buzz around the project and encourage people to “Think Ink.”

Ink Block Developers Urge South Enders to "Think Ink"

With a new billboard on Harrison Avenue and a Twitter campaign, the developer of the Ink Block site is seeking to create some "buzz" in the neighborhood.

With a new billboard on Harrison Avenue and a Twitter campaign, the developer of the "Ink Block" site is seeking to create some "buzz" in the neighborhood.  The billboard says, "Think Ink," with an Ink Block logo and the development's project website.  “What we’re really doing right now is setting the foundation for some of the buzz regarding the project,” Ted Tye, managing partner at the Newton real estate firm, told the Boston Herald. “We’re just trying to get people more aware of what’s coming.” The publicity campaign includes Twitter handle @InkBlockBoston and a page on Instagram.  The finished $200 million development will include 471 apartments, a Whole Foods supermarket, and other shops and restaurants on the 6-acre site in a …

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New Developer Signs On To Albany Street Hotel and Apartment Complex Project

Gerding Edlen will join Normandy Real Estate Partners to develop the empty lot at 275 Albany Street into a dual hotel and apartment complex.

A new developer has committed to co-developing the planned apartment complex tower at 275 Albany Street, part of a combo hotel and apartment development to be built next year in the Ink Block section of the South End.  The firm, Gerding Edlen of Portland, OR will join the current developer, Normandy Real Estate Partners, to turn the space currently used as a parking lot into an $150 million, 1.3 acre hotel and apartment complex.  “We think it’s a great opportunity,” Kelly Saito, president of Gerding Edlen, told the Boston Herald. “We think it’s a good, central location that’s in the South End but abuts several other neighborhoods with great access to transit.” Normandy Real Estate Partners had originally planned to build a $125 million …

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South End's Graybar Sold for $14M

More changes are coming to the Harrison-Albany corridor.

The Nordblom Co., a Burlington real estate company, has purchased Graybar’s South End warehouse for $14 million, according to The Boston Herald. Nordblom Co. are looking to redevelop the site. At present, developers said they are not yet certain what will be built on the Graybar site, but there is a chance this will turn in a residential complex with shopping retail on the first floor. According to the Herald, this property was not listed for sale. The buyer approached Jeff Netherton, director of corporate real estate at Graybar’s St. Louis headquarters. The Graybar is next to the Ink Block, which is a $200 million apartment and retail complex in the works at the former Boston Herald site. Nordblom bought the 1000 Washington St. office …

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5 Things, Including Big Development News

Five things you need to know today, May 16.

1) Ink Block approved: National Development’s plans for the Herald site got the green light from the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The plan includes four buildings, housing 471 housing units, retail space and restaurants. 2) In case you missed it: Boston has a reputation for rolling up the sidewalks before midnight, leading to dull nights and a youth drain. But columnist John Keith thinks the city gets a bum rap. Is Boston too uptight? Boring? Join the conversation here. 3) We are so beyond quarters: Smart parking, recess and next year’s school budget are all on today’s City Council agenda. The meeting starts at noon. Smart parking includes using smartphones to pay for parking, to track the time you have left in the spot and more. 4) …

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Ink Block Development Approved

The Boston Redevelopment Authority announced the approval on Twitter Tuesday night.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the $200 million Ink Block proposal, clearing the way for the massive redevelopment of the former Boston Herald site. The plan, presented to the authority by National Development, calls for 471 housing units at 300 Harrison Ave.. The mixed-use plan also calls for a grocery store, retail space and restaurants on the 6.22-acre lot. Speculation has been rampant during the planning process. According to the Boston Globe, Wegman’s supermarket head Danny Wegman told the Boston Chamber of Commerce he wanted to open locations within the city. That lead to talk of a Wegman’s at the Ink Block. Wegmans Grocery Store Might Come To Ink Block Harrison-Albany Corridor Entering New Era Landmark Commission …

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Roberto Scalese

12:17 pm on Wednesday, May 16, 2012

I have some friends out in Ashland and Northborough, and they all light up at the very mention of Wegman's (they have one out in that neck of the woods). It's seriously like mentioning Disneyworld in front of an 8-year-old; they get that excited. I don't quite understand what could make a supermarket that awesome, but it would be fun to find out with a new South End location.   more ›

Wegmans Grocery Store Might Come To Ink Block

Executives from Wegmans toured that site, as well as a few others in the Fenway neighborhood.

Since the Herald left its former home there has been a lot of discussion about what will come next.  National Development, the firm that owns the building they've called the "Ink Block," has included a grocery store in its major plans to renovate and expand the site, but none has been selected just yet. Wegman's, though, may be tossing their hat in the ring.  The chain operates mostly in the Mid-Atlantic states and has one existing store, it's Northborough location, already in Massachusetts, but Wegman's chief executive, Danny Wegman intends to expand.   A Boston Globe article on the possibility of the chain's expansion quotes him, saying, “We believe we belong in Boston, not just in the suburbs,’’ in a speech he gave to the Greater Boston…

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Harrison-Albany Corridor Entering New Era

The long-stagnant area is experiencing an influx of new development proposals, according to the Boston Globe.

Four proposed developments, currently on the table, could help reshape the South End’s Harrison-Albany Corridor, an area that’s seen little new growth in more than 50 years, according to a recent article in the Boston Globe. The developments, brought on by the corridor’s recent zoning amendments, are mostly residential buildings with first-floor retail and restaurants. In all, the developments could bring 1,000 new housing units to the area, along with dozens of new storefronts and improved roadways and pedestrian access, according to the Globe. The four proposals at a glance: For all of our up-to-date South End “Development” coverage, visit our “Development” topics page.

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