Berklee College of Music is hoping to turn the Howard Johnson Hotel behind Fenway Park into dormitories.
A hotel near Fenway Park could be the key to Berklee College of Music’s expansion.
William Whitney, Berklee’s vice president for real estate, acknowledged Monday that the school is negotiating with Robert Sage, owner of the 94-room Howard Johnson Hotel at 1271 Boylston St., to purchase the property.
“We have been talking to a number of people, including the Sages, about possible projects,” Whitney said. “We have an ongoing institutional master plan process for the neighborhood and have indicated that we are seeking to build 1,200 dorms within walking distance of the campus.”
Whitney declined to provide details. A source close to the negotiations said if the school were to purchase the property, it would replace the 50-year-old facility with an undetermined number of dorms.
The hotel is two blocks from public transportation and a short walk to the Berklee campus. It is owned by Fenmore Realty Corp. Sage, one of Fenmore’s trustees, did not return repeated calls seeking comment.
Boston City Councilor Michael Ross, whose district includes the Fenway, said that section of the city would be an ideal place for student residences. “That area has been identified by abutters and the community as a good location for a dormitory,” he said.
But the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the city’s planning development agency, is not convinced the site is a good one for dormitories. In an e-mailed statement, BRA spokeswoman Jessica Shumaker wrote, “The BRA continues to work with Berklee College of Music to address its student housing needs, but we are encouraging them to focus on exploring options closer to their existing campus.”
In 2006, Berklee proposed a high-rise that would have replaced a pair of buildings the school owns at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street. Under the plan, the Berklee Performance Center and a 2-story academic building would have been demolished and replaced with Berklee Crossroads, a 450,000-square-foot facility with 600 dormitory beds, two new theaters and a student center.
But the plan was withdrawn in December following opposition from the Berklee Task Force. The 16-member panel, comprised of representatives from neighborhood groups, was appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to advise City Hall and the Boston Redevelopment Authority on the project. While the task force members voiced support of more student housing, many feared the $120 million high-rise would have been out of scale for the neighborhood.
