Huntington Avenue Project Prepares to Get Underway

Commercial developers QMG Huntington LLC filed plans for their Huntington Avenue project with the Boston Planning and Development Agency today, June 26, 2017. The project includes plans for a new high-rise apartment building at 252-258 Huntington Avenue, as well as the preservation and restoration of the historic theatre at 264 Huntington Avenue, the longtime home of the Huntington Theatre Company. QMG Huntington LLC purchased the Huntington Avenue properties in May 2016 and has agreed to give the Huntington exclusive, permanent ownership of the theatre.

The new apartment building will feature a new entrance to the Huntington Theatre Company's Huntington Avenue Theatre, and new public amenities, including a first floor theatre lobby that will house a café and be a gathering space throughout the day, and an expansive second floor lobby that will double as an event space for up to 150 people.

The Huntington will expand its programming to provide year-round activity in the theatre and lobbies, and will make these new spaces available for use by the community. The new, flexible lobby space on the second floor will allow the Huntington a wider range of possibilities to present events such as music performances and lecture series, to host events by other arts organizations and community groups, and to serve as a living room and gathering space, open to the public throughout the day. The Huntington anticipates enlivening this area of the Avenue of the Arts, just as the Huntington's Calderwood Pavilion has assisted in revitalizing the South End by hosting performances, business meetings, special events, community gatherings, and classes throughout the year.

The Huntington plans to renovate the Huntington Avenue Theatre, preserving the historical beauty of the building, while providing up-to-date amenities for artists, audiences, and the community, and implementing state-of-the-art technology for its renowned productions. The Huntington will also renovate or replace the service building next door to the theatre, which will unite the Huntington's rehearsal hall, costume, sound, and electrical shops, and administrative offices, as well as provide a loading dock to the theatre itself.

"I am very excited that this project will improve our neighborhood and our block of the Avenue of the Arts, enabling the Huntington to expand the services we've been providing to Boston for the past 35 years," says Huntington Managing Director Michael Maso. "This expansion of services would not be possible without QMG Huntington LLC, whose generosity will allow the Huntington to do so much more for our community."

David Epstein, the Huntington's chairman of the board and chief operating officer of the real estate company The Abbey Group says, "The restoration and expansion of our beautiful theatre on Huntington Avenue is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, one that we are confident will have a lasting impact on the city of Boston."

"QMG is delighted to have the opportunity to provide terrific new living spaces in a dynamic new building, and to align with the Huntington Theatre Company, one of Boston's great cultural organizations," says John Matteson of QMG Huntington LLC. "QMG would also like to thank Mayor Walsh and his staff for their guidance through this process."

ABOUT THE Huntington Theatre Company

Celebrating its 35th season, the Huntington Theatre Company is Boston's leading professional theatre and one of the region's premier cultural assets since its founding in 1982. Recipient of the 2013 Regional Theatre Tony Award, the Huntington brings together superb local and national talent and produces a mix of groundbreaking new works and classics made current to create award-winning productions. The Huntington runs nationally renowned programs in education and new play development and serves the local theatre community through its operation of the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA. The Huntington has long been an anchor cultural institution of Huntington Avenue, the Avenue of the Arts, and will remain so on a permanent basis with plans to convert our current theatre into a first-rate, modern venue with expanded services to audiences, artists, and the community. Under the direction of Artistic Director Peter DuBois and Managing Director Michael Maso, the Huntington cultivates, celebrates, and champions theatre as an art form. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.

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