John Henry is wasting no time in making his mark on the Boston Globe, which he bought for a cool $70 million back in August. Less than a month after naming himself the publication’s publisher and legendary Hill Holiday advertising executive Mike Sheehan as the paper’s CEO, it came to light in a recent interview that Henry plans on moving the Globe‘s headquarters to digs more fitting.
The Globe is currently situated on the border of South Boston and Dorchester in what the Boston Business Journal refers to as “a sprawling 16-acre site on Morrissey Boulevard,” just a stone’s throw from the Red Line’s JFK/UMass stop.
In an interview with Boston magazine, though, Henry alluded to his intention to relocate the HQ of the paper and its affiliates – Boston.com and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette – to office space that “will provide us with the ability to move into a smaller, more efficient and modern facility in the heart of the city.”
Where exactly Henry plans to move, and when, still remains to be seen. But there are a number of options at his fingertips that could aptly house the Globe, its staff and its affiliate publications – at least until Henry figures out what to do with the Telegram & Gazette, which is noted he plan on selling.
One possible area that’s undergoing tremendous next-generation revitalization is around North Station. Soon to be home to the likes of Converse at Lovejoy Wharf, the North station area is also at the center of a development project conceived by former Mayor Tom Menino in partnership with Boston Properties and Delaware North Companies. It’s here that we’re likely to see a 25-foot office tower and more than 375,000 square feet of retail space.
On the flip side of that, there’s the South Station area. Most recently New York City’s WeWork, a collaborative workspace community, set up shop near South Station because of its proximity to Boston’s downtown, Financial District and Innovation District – a potential site in its own right – and its affordability. Nearby on Congress Street resides the likes of thriving companies Communispace and Brightcove.
To be truly at the heart of Boston, though, one must set up shop downtown. Soon filling the gaping void in Downtown Crossing that used to be Filene’s will be the massive Millennium Tower, poised to be the fourth largest skyscraper in the city. Though the tower itself will be mostly comprised of luxury apartments and retail space, the connecting Burnham Building will have plenty of office space to offer up.
A dark horse candidate to play host to the Globe is Roxbury’s Dudley Square. Back in the fall of 2013, when Mayor Walsh was blazing the campaign trail, he offered up neighborhoods like Dudley Square to be the next Innovation District and one of those was Dudley Square. A multimode transportation hub, Dudley is already being targeted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority to bolster Boston’s industrial and manufacturing sectors which could snowball into tech and innovation jobs.
But if Henry really wants to consolidate his properties, why not put the Globe right next to Fenway Park?
What do you think, Boston? Have any good ideas for the next site of Boston’s flagship print publication? Throw down your suggestions in the comments section below.
