“This is one of the most beautiful buildings in Boston, arguably, and it really deserves to be restored, brought back to its original grandeur,” Calus said.
The Victorian Gothic property, which dates to 1875, has seen a long stretch of unsuccessful redevelopment plays. In 2008, the Church of Scientology bought the dilapidated building for $4.5 million, planning a restoration that was to eventually house the church’s local headquarters. That project proved expensive, and ultimately the Scientologists put the property back on the market for sale in late 2014. It spent nearly five years on the market, and at least one sale agreement fell through before Calus and Bhogal spent $11 million to buy the site in 2019.
By that time, Calus and Bhogal had already been involved in the Alexandra Hotel for a year. In mid-2018, they pitched a facade restoration in front of a 150-room hotel; the Boston Planning and Development Agency later approved a 12-story project with a rooftop restaurant and deck.
“Due to decades of neglect and extensive water infiltration, the existing structure is no longer viable and will accordingly be replaced,” the BPDA said when approving the first redevelopment attempt.
But then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which clobbered the hospitality and tourism industry, and there wasn’t much appetite for a new hotel. So Calus and Bhogal in mid-2021 came back to the city with a new plan: condominiums. A few months later, the BPDA approved 79 condos, including some compact units.
Shortly after the approval, federal interest rates — which had long been near zero — began shooting up. Construction financing, which had been readily available for years, quickly became much more expensive and made projects harder to pencil out economically.
Bhogal and Calus considered switching to apartments, but the hotel market had begun showing new signs of life. The pair reverted to their original plan: a hotel built behind a restored facade, a 13-story, 150-room structure with rooftop bar and restaurant. The BPDA board approved that $70 million project last May.
“Construction costs were through the roof, and we weren’t able to make the project work as a larger hotel,” Calus said. “So we decided to rethink the project.”
Amid the rethinking came a big stroke of good fortune: Governor Maura Healey’s $3.5 billion economic development bill — signed into law in November — set aside some $6 million for the Alexandra’s facade restoration. By reducing the project’s size, the expected cost similarly declined. And if the developers kept the Alexandra standing, rather than tearing most of it down, the project could qualify for historic tax credits.
The developers this week filed a fourth, and what they hope is final, redevelopment plan with the city that calls for restoring the historic Alexandra and building a five-story expansion on the vacant lot next door. The 68-room hotel would include retail or restaurant on the ground floor.
An added bonus? Removing the “controversial” tower above the existing facade — long the subject of neighborhood ire — has renewed community excitement about a restoration, Calus said.
“Most people in the community, and Boston as a whole, really want to see this building restored the way it is, without having to add a tower,” Calus said. “We like the scale of it. We like the design of the new building and how it connects with the old building. We’re just happy to move this project along.”
The project team has donated to community benefits, as many developers in Boston do. And an advisory meeting at the Boston Landmarks Commission saw an “overwhelmingly positive” response and a few minor design tweaks, said Marc LaCasse, an attorney representing the developers.
“The big bone of contention in all the prior approvals was the height of the tower,” LaCasse said. “The fact that the tower is gone — everyone says, ‘We love it. … When can you start?‘”
Bob Minnocci, a board member of the Worcester Square Area Neighborhood Association, said several community members who had previously opposed the project due to the additional height were now fully in support. Minnocci, who himself lives a few doors down from the Alexandra, said he was “thrilled” at the potential of something actually happening on the dilapidated property.
“It’s just been falling into greater disrepair as the years have gone on,” he said. “You’re looking at a blight on the community — your eye just can’t go further when you look at that blight. Now you’re going to see a fresh, brand new project that’s just going to be beautiful, cleaned up, and really be an important part of the gateway from this area.”
At its smaller size, the project can move more quickly through the Planning Department’s review. LaCasse said he expected the BPDA board to vote on the proposal as soon as next month, and then South End Landmarks Commission needs to give its final sign-off before work can begin.
“Our heart is attached to it at this point, so we want to take it through,” Calus said. “I’m not going to say there haven’t been moments where we lost hope and faith. This new iteration feels right, and we’re very happy with it, and we’re excited for this, so it’s kind of giving us some new energy. We’re not giving up. This one’s going to work. This one’s the one.”
Catherine Carlock can be reached at catherine.carlock@globe.com. Follow her @bycathcarlock.
