Commonwealth Ventures says it has chosen Suffolk Construction to oversee the renovation of the art deco behemoth at 185 Franklin St. in Boston’s Post Office Square.
The building has been "rebranded" as 50 Post Office Square, and will open to the public for the first time in 60 years after the 12-month project is complete.
The project will include LEED-certified design elements. The first phase of the renovation will include street-level retail space and the modernization of the property’s landscaping. The project’s second phase will include updating the building’s infrastructure and completing renovations to the lobby.
A new public entrance on High Street is planned, along with a redesigned entrance on Franklin Street, about 21,000 square feet of retail space, new underground parking and the rehabilitation of the property’s "streetscape."
After the first two phases are complete next year, additional construction work will be done as lease agreements are finalized.
The building was constructed in 1947 as the headquarters for the New England Telephone & Telegraph Co., a regional division of AT&T.
Commonwealth Ventures also redeveloped Channel Center in South Boston, where its offices are, and the American Brewery Lofts in Jamaica Plain.
