WS Development recently hosted the ceremonial first crane strikes to demolish the 120,000 s/f former Macy's building, which previously had been home to Bloomingdale's and R.H. Stearns at Chestnut Hill Shopping Center. In its place will stand a new 115,000 s/f building that will include a 31,000 s/f Sports Club/LA Health and Fitness complex. In addition, National Amusements, Inc., a world leader in the motion picture exhibition industry, is working closely with WS Development in developing a new cinema complex that will involve state of the art dine-in, deluxe theatres as well as a restaurant facility utilizing over 40,000 s/f of the former retail space.
The demolition ushers in Phase II of a major redevelopment at the center. The redevelopment will feature a new village-like streetscape with tree-shaded pedestrian walkways, outdoor dining, cafes and new buildings with glass facades overlooking Hammond Pond. For the first time, storefronts will open to both the south facing Rte. 9 as well as to the north facing Hammond Pond. The architect is PCA (Prellwitz/Chilinski Associates) of Cambridge, which previously designed WS Development's Legacy Place in Dedham.
Later this year, construction will begin on Phase III which will include a new 64,000 s/f three-story building located on the site that is currently occupied by City Sports and Century Bank. The first floor of the new LEED certifiable building will include retail stores and restaurants. The second floor will offer restaurants overlooking Hammond Pond. Part of the second floor and the entire third floor will become WS Development's new corporate headquarters. The existing movie theater will be rebuilt to accommodate a mix of additional best-in-class retailers and restaurants.