Boston's Back Bay Fills In

The last empty lot in Boston's posh Back Bay neighborhood will soon be developed into a luxury, contextually appropriate, condominium.

1 minute read

October 23, 2008, 12:00 PM PDT

By Mike Lydon


"A Boston developer owns the last empty residential lot in the historic Back Bay neighborhood - and he has big plans for 161 Commonwealth Ave.

Developer Ted Raymond plans to construct a five-story luxury condominium building on the lot, which his employees currently use to park their cars. The structure will be combined with an existing town house next door at 163 Commonwealth, which he also owns. In the 1970s, Raymond paid less than $500,000 for the properties.

Each floor of the new project will have one 4,000-square-foot unit that will range in price from $6.4 million to $8 million - excluding interior finishes, which will cost extra. The prices put the project in the same league as the Residences at Mandarin Oriental Boston on Boylston Street, arguably the city's most chic address."

Wednesday, October 22, 2008 in Boston Globe

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Nithya Ramen talks to an older man. She is smiling and wearing a yellow dress. They are both outside.

Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor

Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.

5 hours ago - Los Angeles Times

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.