33 Arch Street

33 Arch Street is a contemporary highrise in the Financial District and Downtown Crossing neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts.^[1] The building was completed in 2004 after three years of construction, which began on June 5, 2001. It is tied with the State Street Bank Building as Boston's 27th-tallest building, standing 477 feet (145 m) tall, and housing 33 floors. The 33rd floor is 392 feet (119 m) above grade and the top of the cooling tower screen is 429 feet (131 m) above grade.^[2] It was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects.

33 Arch Street
33 Arch Street in Boston
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office building
Architectural style	Postmodern architecture
Location	33 Arch Street, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Coordinates	42.35596°N 71.05790°W / 42.35596; -71.05790
Construction started	Jun 05, 2001
Completed	Aug 04, 2004
Owner	Nuveen Real Estate
Height
Roof	477 ft (145 m)
Technical details
Floor count	33
Floor area	603,309 sq ft (56,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Elkus / Manfredi Architects Ltd.
Developer	Congress Group Ventures

History

The builders had proposed a transparent glass building but ran into opposition from the historic Old South Meeting House.^[3]

When the building was completed, it had a hard time finding tenants due to an office space glut and stood vacant^[4] upon completion.^[5] By 2005, 56% of the office space was rented^[6] and the average rent on a monthly parking space was $350.^[7]

In March 2010, 33 Arch Street was awarded the LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council. In November 2010, the building was selected as BOMA's 2010-2011 Outstanding Building of the Year in the 500,000-1 Million Square Feet category.

Design and features

The building has views of Boston Common, the Charles River, City Hall Plaza, and Boston Harbor. 33 Arch Street offers over 600,000 square feet (56,000 square metres) of office space and has 850 parking spaces^[8] in its underground parking garage.

Architecture

The building has a unique wing shape^[9] to maximize the use of its tight footprint.^[2] The building strikes a balance with its surroundings and neighboring buildings through the use of the granite stone facade used to add to continuity of the urban streetscape.^[2] Yet, it is distinct from its neighbors by the extensive use of metal and glass in its exterior.^[2]

The building facade features grey granite, glass and aluminum cladding.^[10] Twenty floors cantilever over adjacent retail space^[2] and a garage, which is connected to parking on the first six levels.^[9] The roof has a distinctive top^[11] that sets it apart from nearby flat roofs in the skyline. It features a curved penthouse and roof fins.^[2]

The building uses four levels of external bracing transfer the enormous loads of the high building into the small base. The bracing continues through the parking levels to the foundation; perimeter and internal moment frames act as the lateral system above the braced levels.^[2] The building was the first to be built in downtown Boston under new Safety Guidelines-Subpart R for steel.^[12]

Development credits

• Architect: Elkus/Manfredi Architects, Ltd.
• Structural Engineer: Weidlinger Associates, Inc.
• MEP Engineer: Cosentini Associates, Inc.
• Developer: Congress Group Ventures
• General Contractor: Bovis Lend Lease LMB/Congress Group Construction Joint Venture
• Interior Construction: Spaulding & Slye Construction, a member of the Jones Lang LaSalle group ^[13]
• Curtainwall: Gordon H. Smith Corporation
• Drywall: T.J. McCartney, Inc.^[14]
• Elevators: Draper Elevator Interiors

Tenants

• ACE Group^[15]
• Ameriprise Financial Services
• CBRE Group
• Databento
• Digitas
• DLA Piper^[16]
• IronMountain^[17]
• QuickPivot (formerly Extraprise)
• Securities and Exchange Commission
• United States Department of Education^[18]
• Weber Shandwick^[19]
• WeWork

See also

• List of tallest buildings in Boston