Boston, MA Millennium Boston officially opened Shoppers Plaza, a triangular-shaped open-air plaza adjacent to Millennium Tower in downtown.  In celebration,  Shoppers Plaza will launch a line up of summer programming for the season.

Offering a welcome respite to area visitors, Shoppers Plaza offers benches and elevated seating, known as “The Steps,” where the public can enjoy a variety of musical performances year round.  Additionally, the space features a historic Tower Clock, with interactive features for residents and visitors to discover happenings and destinations in downtown.

“We’re excited to formally activate this beautiful public space,” said Richard Baumert, partner at Millennium Boston. “The addition of The Steps and this season’s summer programming further accelerates the ongoing resurgence of the area into a lively and vibrant city center.”

In addition to The Steps, Shoppers Plaza also features a carefully restored clock, which has been in place since late last year.  The sign, bench seating and opulent clock add a historical element to the space, as they are comprised of pink Deer Isle granite materials recovered from the façade of McDuffee & Stratton C. headquarters that formerly stood at the Burnham Building. Originally produced in 1905, the Tower Clock is over 11 ft. and features a traditional design including a lion at the top, a circular clock face, and intricately engraved granite throughout.  The backside of the clock features an eight foot LCD touch-screen display, including the date, time, temperature and social media news feeds. Five user-friendly sections include Burnham history, local Yelp listings, MBTA map, local events and an area map, where pedestrians can search for points of interests such as hotels, shopping, dining and destinations such as the U.S. Post Office or Freedom Trail.  

Millennium Tower is the product of Millennium Boston’s two decades of residential experience.  With deep ties to the area, including the development of the award-winning Ritz-Carlton Hotel and Towers and Millennium Place, Millennium Boston acquired the development rights and set its sights on creating a transformative project that would inject life into the once-proud neighborhood.  The two-part project includes the renovation of the historic Burnham Building, a designated Boston Landmark, along with the creation of the adjacent Millennium Tower, the city’s most luxurious residential offering.

 Millennium Boston’s restoration of the Burnham Building is being overseen by Handel Architects.  Designed by Daniel H. Burnham, architect of New York’s Flatiron Building, Burnham was the leading retail architect of his time and this building, completed in 1912, was his only commercial project in New England.  The restored Burnham Building houses key tenants pivotal to the revitalization of the neighborhood – namely Downtown Boston’s first grocery store and a new clothing retailer.  Roche Brothers recently opened a flagship, 25,000 s/f supermarket, and Primark, one of Europe’s largest clothing retailers opened its first U.S. location in 2015.