Tag Archives: South End

Word on the street is that the Ink Block real estate developer, National Development, purchased 217 Albany Street, in the South End for $2.25 million. The land is currently the site of the Transit Insurance Agency office building (see above).  National Development is building a hotel on an adjacent parcel but there is no news for now on how the developer plans to use this final acquisition.

Earlier this month the BRA’s board approved National Development’s plan to construct a 6-story, 200 room hotel on Albany Street adjacent to the Ink Block.

The European-style hotel will include a new public art gallery visible from the street, a restaurant and bar with lounge areas, conference rooms, and a fitness center with an indoor pool.  More information about this project can be found here.

Apparently the rumors are incorrect

National Development responds via @twitter

Last week The Boston Globe broke the news that Quinzani’s Bakery in the South End would close within the week.  The 4th generation family business which had been in business nearly 100 years decided to sell. This section of the South End has gone from a primarily “blue collar, gritty neighborhood” (as The Boston Globe described it) to one that is now filled with trendy shops and restaurants and expensive condos and apartments so the news is hardly surprising.

While the owners declined to say who they sold the property to, rumor has it that they sold to National Development, the developers behind the Ink Block Boston taking shape just one block away.  Stay tuned as more details are sure to follow.

Quinzani’s Bakery located on the corner of Harrison Avenue and East Berkeley Street will close next week according to a Boston Globe article from earlier today. The Harrison Street building is under agreement, but the owners declined to identify the buyer.   Read the full article here.

By my estimates, the South End will have 18 functioning coffee houses when the U.K. coffee chain Caffe Nero and Cuppa Coffee open.

The map I created shows only five of these businesses are international coffee chains. I hope for the sake of the neighborhood that all these establishments are successful, but I’d especially like to encourage people to support the local, independent coffee houses here. I’ve included links and addresses to all the shops; apologies if I’ve left anyone out. #BuyLocalCoffee shops in red font indicate they are national / international franchise or chains.  Black font indicates they are either independent or a small, local chain.

1 – Render Coffee 563 Columbus Ave, Boston
2 – Cafe Madeleine 517 Columbus Ave, Boston
3 – Starbucks 627 Tremont Street, Boston
4 – Appleton Cafe 123 Appleton Street, Boston
5 – South End Buttery on Clarendon 37 Clarendon Street, Boston
6 – Berkeley Perk Cafe 69 Berkeley Street, Boston
7 – Caffe Nero 564 Tremont Street, Boston
8 – Peets Cafe at Capital One Ink Block, Boston
9 – Cuppa Coffee 55 Traveler Street, Boston
10 – Dunkin Donuts 1138 Washington Street, Boston
11 – Mohr & McPherson Cafe 460 Harrison Avenue, Boston
12 – Wholy Grain 275 Shawmut Avenue, Boston
13 – South End Buttery 314 Shawmut Avenue, Boston
14 – Green Light Cafe 560 Harrison Avenue
15 – Stella Cafe 1525 Washington Street, Boston
16 – Flour Cafe 1595 Washington Street, Boston
17 – Jaho Coffee & Tea 1651 Washington Street, Boston
18 – Dunkin Donuts 616 Massachusetts Ave, Boston

While many in the South End have been fixated on the development at the Ink Block and Troy Boston along Traveler and Albany Streets, just a few blocks down the road are two large properties that will be developed in the coming years.

Last month The Boston Flower Exchange shareholders approved the sale of their 5.6 acre property (shown above) after receiving a $35 million dollar offer.  Their vote has cleared the way for another large development in the neighborhood. Couple that with the news that last fall Boston Medical Center sold three buildings to Leggat McCall Properties along Harrison Avenue and East Canton Street and this section of the South End looks like it will be transformed; potentially bringing thousands of new residents to the neighborhood.

The European coffee house chain, Caffe Nero, which is moving into the space formerly occupied by Francesca’s, has in recent weeks shown signs of activity. New windows that will open to Tremont Street remain papered, hiding their progress, but the front doors indicate they will be opening soon and are even looking for help, recruitment.us@caffenero.com.