The complex now known as the Landmark Center was originally built in 1929 as a Sears distribution warehouse and retail store. Its floor plates were huge — over four acres each. The new design cut two six-story atria into the Sears structure, creating a “figure-eight” floorplan and filling the space with natural light. The six upper floors are now offices with “traditional” 80-foot deep floor plans. Below, big-box stores at ground level reinforce an active streetscape. An eight-theatre multiplex is in a new wing, rebuilt entirely from the ground up.
The new interior is informed by the historic exterior. Yellow brick and Indiana limestone set the background for the new atria, interwoven with materials original to the building: faux (and genuine) Travertine, green marble, and a beautiful new French Limestone. The skylight’s skewed planes dominate the space, taking a cue from The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920), an important contemporaneous movie. Custom handrails are laser-cut and combined in different arrangements — the spaces have a handmade feel.
This is an extremely energy-efficient building, with ultra-high efficiency heating and cooling equipment, computer controlled and monitored individual HVAC units, and a low skin-to-volume ratio.
2006 Boston Society of Architects | Honor Award Citation
2002 Massachusetts Historical Commission | Preservation Award
2001 Boston Preservation Alliance | Preservation Achievement Award
2001 Building Design & Construction | Reconstruction Award
2000 Construction Management Association of America | Private Project of the Year
COMPLETED
2001
SIZE
1.5 million sf
COST (2001)
$68 million