Boston’s Seaport District is transforming in myriad ways, shifting from its once proud tradition of shipping, fishing, and manufacturing to its current incarnation as Boston’s hot new office, home, and retail address—and restaurants have emerged as a key element in this story of the Seaport emerging as Boston’s hottest area.
With the waterfront view, the Seaport District is the perfect destination for a high-profile restaurant scene, which is exactly what has developed over the years. As existing commercial properties have filled with tenants and personnel—and as new ones continue to rise—the Seaport’s office workers, residents and visitors are presented with a number of newfound eateries, even as more are being constructed.
JM Electrical has seen firsthand the development of its restaurant scene. We have done work over the years on several restaurants in the Seaport District, including Ocean Prime, Rosa Mexicano, Del Frisco’s, Committee and Pastoral. In this capacity, JM completed tasks including wiring kitchen hoods, installing pollution control units and economizing HVAC units. As a result, customers at these restaurants have comfortable dining experiences in a place where the weather is dramatic—from gusty cold in the winter to stifling hot in the summer.
Restaurants are a large part of the revitalization process in many cities, and such has proven to be true in Boston’s Seaport District. We have seen this process with the development of the One Seaport Square project, one of Boston’s largest mixed-use developments, which broke ground back in 2014. As developers know only too well, “mixed-used’ is not truly mixed without a vibrant retail scene—particularly places to eat and drink. From the beginning, One Seaport Square has attracted true mixed uses and this summer, another JM Electrical project, Shake Shack, established its 100th location right there on Seaport Boulevard.
As we have seen in countless Boston neighborhoods, the key to an enhanced economy—as well as the opportunity to live, work and play all in one space—is adding restaurants to the mix. They complete the social scene of these up-and-coming neighborhoods and create a desirable atmosphere for residents, workers and shoppers alike.
We have recently seen an upward trend in mixed-use developments, which has dramatically changed many communities in the Boston area (e.g., Boston Landing in Allston, Assembly Square in Somerville, and much of downtown Boston). We’re likely to see more of the same, as development projects such as the Millennium Tower in downtown and the Pierce in Fenway come to fruition.
Boston’s development scene, from the Seaport to the suburbs, remains vibrant. And to a large degree, restaurants are driving projects, making them viable as true mixed-use developments. JM Electrical is proud to play its part.
