Berklee Plan Approved; Major Construction Starts in the Fall

The city approved a major construction project at Berklee College of Music – including a 24-story tower where the Berklee Performance Center sits now. Work is set to begin in the fall.

 The Boston Redevelopment Authority OK’d Berklee’s master plan for buildings at three Mass Ave. parcels, which will add 500,000 square feet of classroom, performance, administrative, student life, and dorm space for 800 students.

Design work is being done by William Rawn Associates, Architects of Boston -- the firm also responsible for Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, the new Cambridge Public Library, and the W Hotel.

 “Developing these projects promises to be the most exciting event in my tenure at the college,” said Berklee President Roger Brown. “With all of the new living space, we’ll be able to house our entire entering class. 

 The projects are at 168, 161-171, and 130-136 Mass Ave. – the later of which is at the corner of Boylston Street where the Berklee Performance Center is now.

“That site, referred to as the Berklee Crossroads project, will see the most dramatic changes when it’s fully developed as a 24-story tower featuring a new, state-of-the-art performance center,” Media Relations Manager Allen Bush said in a press release. It will also include dorms, classrooms, and student life space.

 “The Crossroads was originally designed for 29 stories, but in a series of meetings over four years, neighbors asked that the college seek ways to lower the height, which was accomplished with the acquisition of the other properties,” Bush said.

 That other property being a new, – with floor-to-ceiling windows on the bottom floors to illuminate student life to passersby.

The $100 million project will be the first to break ground in the fall, with plans to open for the 2013 fall semester. The dorm will include 370 beds, along with a two-story dining hall and 400-seat student performance venue. Plans also call for a music technology center with recording studios, practice and ensemble rooms, a fitness center, and student lounges. There will likely be retail space along the street.

By adding housing for about 800 students, Bush said, Berklee is also contributing to Mayor Thomas Menino’s request that colleges and universities house more students on campus to free up rental apartments for residents.

“…with all that it has to offer, 168 Massachusetts Avenue is going to be an important addition to the fabric of the neighborhood,” Brown said. “I really appreciate the BRA Task Force for all their hard work on the project.”

Also check out on the proposal.