Berklee College of Music has purchased 154-174 Mass. Ave. from The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The property is a 13,300 s/f parcel located between Belvidere and St. Germain Sts. The buildings are presently leased to Berklee, McDonald's Restaurant Corp., and Arirang Restaurant.
"We very much appreciate the church agreeing to sell this property to the college," said Roger Brown, Berklee president. "This is a strategic acquisition for the college because of the property's location in the center of our campus, and its eventual redevelopment will help to meet our pressing space needs. We look forward to consulting with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the community advisory task force working with us in our ongoing Institutional Master Planning process as planning for the property proceeds. We are grateful to the church for their willingness to consider our request to sell us the property, and to accommodate us in this way."
"Berklee approached us about buying this property where they have leased space from us for more than a decade," said Margaret Rogers, chair of the Christian Science board of directors of The First Church of Christ, Scientist. "This parcel is not immediately adjacent to the Christian Science Plaza and is not part of the church's long-term plans. We recognized its importance to Berklee, and were pleased to work with them."
Berklee intends to redevelop the property in accordance with its Institutional Master Plan, though specific plans for the site, and a timetable for implementation, remain to be determined.
McCall & Almy represented Berklee in the transaction and Leggat McCall Properties represented the Church. The sale price was $6.25 million.