The Boston Redevelopment Authority Board of Directors on Thursday granted approval to the Apple Computer Store to build a state-of-the-art, three-story retail store at 815 Boylston Street in the Back Bay, adding a prime retail destination to the already-bustling shopping district that sits opposite the Prudential Center and the site of the future Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
As approved by the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) in August, 2006, the new store will replace an existing two-story building, The new 21,350 square-foot Apple Store will boast three floors of commercial retail space. The store’s external design will exhibit architectural elements that reference the general character and scale of the surrounding building fabric, and the building will also incorporate a green roof and an enclosed mechanical penthouse. The project will also provide for sidewalk improvements along Boylston Street.
The project is expected to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals in the near future, after which a construction date be set. Construction for the store is expected to last one year.
Apple currently operates six Apple Retail Stores in Massachusetts:
• Braintree, South Shore
• Burlington, Burlington
• Cambridge, CambridgeSide
• Chestnut Hill, Chestnut Hill
• Hingham, Derby Street
• Peabody, Northshore
Complete list of Apple Retail Store locations: http://www.apple.com/retail/storelist/
Related articles:
Apple Retail Store plan for Boston’s Back Bay hits snag – October 02, 2006
Apple amends design for planned store in Boston’s Back Bay – June 14, 2006
Apple’s proposal to raze site worries Boston’s Back Bay panel – March 09, 2006
Report: Boston to get major four-story Apple Store on Boylston Street – February 09, 2006
