Nordblom Co. receives approval for the former Boston Globe site

Boston, MA Developer Nordblom Company has received unanimous approval from the Boston Planning and Development Agency for an urban innovation campus at the former Boston Globe site on Morrissey Blvd. Capitalizing on the city’s global position as a center for technology and innovation, Nordblom will bring the 16-acre vacant property ‘back to life’ as a new center for creativity, vibrancy, and ingenuity. 

Renamed ‘The BEAT’ - The Boston Exchange for Accelerated Technology - the existing 695,000 s/f building will undergo a total renovation, and be repositioned for companies working in sectors that are moving the local economy forward - including technology, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. 

“We are enthusiastic to move forward on The BEAT and would like to thank the city and community for their support thus far,” said Ogden Hunnewell, executive vice president/partner, Nordblom. “Our plan will create local jobs and business opportunities, while optimizing tax revenues for the city. We expect The BEAT to be a highly desirable and bustling campus with abundant open space and adjacency to UMass Boston, with easy access to the MBTA Red Line.” 

In addition to office space, The BEAT will feature numerous amenities including a fitness center and food hall with a possible brew pub as well. The floor plan for the new facility capitalizes on the building’s existing layout, which includes both high ceilings and large, open floor plates with ample natural light.

The Boston Globe building was first constructed in 1958 and expanded several times throughout the years. In 2017, the newspaper sold the building and moved its newsroom and business operations to downtown and its printing facilities to Taunton.

Nordblom Company is a real estate enterprise with a 90-year history of investing, managing and developing properties throughout the New England region and select markets across the country. The company currently owns office, commercial and multi-family properties in the New England and Carolina markets and is committed to creating dynamic work and living environments that further the quality of life for the people who occupy its properties. Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts with offices in Boston, Brookline, and Raleigh, North Carolina, Nordblom Company has $1.2 billion in assets under management.