Harbor Towers

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Harbor Towers
Harbor Towers.jpg
A view of the Harbor Towers from Boston Harbor
Harbor Towers
Interactive map of Harbor Towers
General information
TypeResidential
Architectural style Brutalist
LocationEast India Row, Boston, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°21′28.64″N71°02′59.89″W / 42.3579556°N 71.0499694°W / 42.3579556; -71.0499694
Completed1971
Height
Roof400.0 ft (121.9 m) / 396 ft (121 m)
Technical details
Structural system Reinforced concrete
Floor count40
Design and construction
Architect I.M. Pei & Partners

The Harbor Towers are two 40-story residential towers located on the waterfront of Boston, Massachusetts, in between the New England Aquarium and the Rowes Wharf mixed-use development. Harbor Towers I, the taller of the two towers, stands at 400 ft (121.9 m), while Harbor Towers II rises 396 ft (120.7 m). Harbor Towers I is tied for the 37th-tallest building in Boston. They were designed by Henry N. Cobb of I. M. Pei & Partners. [1] [2]

Contents

The towers were built in 1971 as part of a major revitalisation project of Boston's dilapidated waterfront area. The apartments, initially designed as affordable rental housing, were converted into condominiums in the 1980's. [3] [4]

History

Development and construction

The Harbor Towers apartment complex was completed in 1971. It is located near Boston's financial district and developed by the Berenson Corporation. The towers were designed by Henry N. Cobb, who also designed Boston's John Hancock Tower and collaborated with I.M Pei on Boston's City Hall Plaza. s of 2025, the Harbor Towers remain among the tallest residential buildings in Boston, though several newer developments, such as Millennium Tower and One Dalton Street, now exceed their height. [1] The towers were planned by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) to revitalize Boston's waterfront. [5] [6]

Originally planned as three 40-story towers, only two were built alongside a parking garage. [5]

Condominium conversion

As the growth of the city moved toward the waterfront, the development's location drew attention during the condominium conversion craze of the early 1980s. In 1981, both apartment towers started a two-year process of conversion to over 600 condominiums, with incentives for existing renters to purchase at discounted prices. Many early apartment renters now own several units, often combined to create wrap-around units with as much as 5,000 square feet (460 m2) of living space. As of 2025, units range from $700,000 to $3 million. [7] [8]

Renovations

Over the decades, the towers have undergone major renovations, including complete window replacement in the 1990s following a 70-window fall incident caused by Hurricane Gloria in 1985. [5] Due to their severe corrosion, the towers' HVAC pipes were replaced in 2010 [9] , and in 2014, the towers' lobby and hallways were renovated. [10]

In April 2025, a $20 million project was undertaken to bolster the towers' ground floor coastal defenses to protect the structure from sea level rise. The project was triggered by two nor'easters in 2018 which caused widespread flooding. It is expected to last for 12 months. [8]

Architecture

The apartments are organized in a pinwheel fashion around a central core and are made of cast in place reinforced concrete. The concrete exterior balconies have a giant zipper-like appearance against the flat façade. [11]

The stainless steel sculpture at the base of the buildings is Untitled Landscape by David von Schlegell, created in 1964. [1] The artwork is often mistaken for solar panels.[ citation needed ]

Criticism

The residential complex appears to have been generally poorly received by the public. Boston Magazine described the building as "grim 40 stories of concrete and glass". The architect himself, Henry Cobb, wrote in an email to the magazine: "I do not regard Harbor Towers as my best effort in Boston. I am sympathetic to those who believe that in the perspective of history this could be seen as the wrong project in the wrong place at the wrong time." [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Boston Harborwalk: Places To Go...: Downtown/North End: India Wharf / Harbor Towers". Archived from the original on 2006-11-15. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
  2. ↑ "Harbor Towers". Skyscraper Center by Council on Vertical Urbanism. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  3. ↑ "Revitalizing the Iconic Harbor Towers Building Envelope". TWC Phoenix. 15 November 2024. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  4. ↑ "Harbor Towers offers Legendary Boston Views". Coastal Neighborhoods. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Keohane, Joe (28 January 2008). "The Harbor Towers' Towering Contradictions". Boston Magazine.
  6. ↑ Kifner, John (October 23, 1976). "On Boston Waterfront, Instant Neighborhood Glitters". The New York Times . p. 27. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Luxury Boston – Boston Towers". Luxury Real Estate.
  8. 1 2 Adams, Steve (9 March 2025). "Waterfront Property Owners Bail Themselves Out". Banker & Tradesman. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "Skanska completes $74 million Harbor Towers project six months ahead of schedule". Building Design+Construction. August 12, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  10. ↑ Restuccia, Paul (November 18, 2018) [January 18, 2014 – Original publication date]. "Dock in Harbor Towers condo". Boston Herald . Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  11. ↑ AIA Guide to Boston, Susan and Michael Southworth, page 66-67
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