There been talk this week that the Boston Globe may be eying two location in Charlestown as its new headquarters in Boston.
According to the Boston Business Journal the Globe, owned by Red Sox owner John Henry, has possible interest in the Schrafft’s City Center in Charlestown and the Hood Park on Rutherford Avenue.
In a statement to the Charlestown Patriot Bridge, Boston Globe CEO Mike Sheehan said “We have issued RFPs to 25 different properties all across Boston, but concentrated in the Seaport, the Financial District, Back Bay, Fenway, and North Station. We are currently in receipt of 15 proposals, with more to come. We have not even begun the process of evaluating the proposals or identifying the particular neighborhood or location of our next home.”
Partners Healthcare plans to move out of the Schrafft’s Center by 2016 and would leave 260,000 sq. ft. of space behind–more than enough for the Globe’s operations.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority recently approved the Hood Park project at 500 Rutherford Ave. There the property’s owner and developer Catamount Management Corp. of Lynnfield is planning a 1.2 million sq. ft. mixed use development that will be completed in spring 2016.
Since Henry acquired the Globe in 2012, the landmark location on Morrissey Boulevard has been up for auction with a value between $29 and $71 million.
Both Rep. Dan Ryan and City Councilor Sal LaMattina both welcomed the idea because it would bring more pedestrian foot traffic into Charlestown where Globe employees could potentially spend money in local shops and restaurants.
“Any development that brings more business into Charlestown would be a positive and welcomed addition,” said LaMattina.
While Ryan said Charlestown is about to lose a big tenant, Partners Healthcare at the Scrhafft’s building, and ‘replacing that void would be great’.
“We have office parks in Charlestown with employees that walk our streets and eat in our restaurants and spend their money inside the neighborhood,” said Ryan. “I encourage any suitable business that keep these properties vibrant and offers jobs. However, these proposals also highlight the need for our community to catch up the transformation of the Sullivan Square area. We have an industrial, blue-collar infrastructure for an increasingly white-collar businesses. We need to make sure our residents and other workers can access those jobs and buildings from our neighborhood”.