Demolition of building next to Random will start within a week
Forest City Enterprises
Demolition of building next to Random will start within a week
Work is now underway for Random Hall’s future neighbor. The building, to be developed by Forest City Enterprises, will serve as research and office space for Millennium Pharmaceuticals and will include more than 15,000 square feet of retail space facing the street on Massachusetts Avenue.
According to Peter Calkins, the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Forest City, demolition of the existing building on 300 Mass Ave block will start within a week. Forest City is currently working on cutting and capping the old structures’ connections to the city’s utilities infrastructure.
“We are proceeding according to the plan,” said Peter Calkins in a phone interview with The Tech. Calkins indicated that Forest City will start to lay the foundation for the new complex in November 2013, and the entire project will be completed by the end of 2015 or early 2016.
There will only be a five-inch-gap between the new building and Random Hall, but Calkins reiterated that Forest City’s work will not require residents to move out.
In a meeting with Random Hall residents on September 5, Senior Associate Dean for Residential Life and Dining Henry Humphreys pointed out Forest City’s track record of minimizing impact on its projects neighbors. He said Forest City “worked next to [a museum] while maintaining the exhibits” and “was tearing down a building next to a chocolate store, and the store didn’t lose a single day of business.”
There is not yet direct communication set up between Random residents and Forest City, but Calkins said Forest City is working on an online platform for direct communications. According to Sarah McDonnell from MIT News Office, students can communicate their thoughts or concerns through the area director for Random Hall, Michael Barcelo, who will then contact Facilities. He can be reached at mbarcelo@mit.edu or (617) 448-5705.
—Xin Chen