2008 Woodie Awards
St. Botolph building mimics GrandMarcs
Derek Hawkins
Issue date: 7/3/07 Section: News
GrandMarc at St. Botolph Street, the proposed 34-story privately owned residence hall that may tower behind the Huntington Avenue YMCA, is the largest, but is not the only facility of its kind.
Three other GrandMarc complexes, designed and constructed by Phoenix Property Co. and Lincoln Property Co., have been built in the past decade. Located in Riverside, Calif., Fort Worth, Texas and Minneapolis, Minn., they reveal what could become of the GrandMarc here if it receives Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approval.
Like GrandMarc at St. Botolph Street, the other private residence halls cater to students at nearby universities - GrandMarc at Seven Corners is near the University of Minnesota, Grand Marc is near University Village to the University of California and GrandMarc at Westberry Place is near Texas Christian University (TCU).
In 2005, within five years after they were built, Phoenix Property Co. sold GrandMarc at Seven Corners and GrandMarc at University Village for $28 million and $42 million, respectively, to GMH Communities Trust, a Pennsylvania housing company, said officials at the Minneapolis residence.
GrandMarc at Westberry Place, a 644-bed complex where construction ended last summer, will be turned over to TCU in 20 years as part of its building contract, said Lauren Jones, a GrandMarc leasing professional.
Regardless of their building contracts, however, GrandMarc officials said they maintain cordial relationships with their neighboring universities.
"We otherwise keep a minimal relationship with TCU," Jones said. "We serve undergrads, grads and faculty, so we cater to them and their needs."
An article in the Daily Skiff, TCU's student newspaper, revealed a deeper partnership between university and GrandMarc officials.
According to the article, April 2006, TCU administrators provided the e-mails of rising juniors and seniors to employees at Phoenix Property Co. as part of a plan to bring more students closer to campus. TCU officials said most of the e-mails were taken from students who had signed up to receive GrandMarc information.
Three other GrandMarc complexes, designed and constructed by Phoenix Property Co. and Lincoln Property Co., have been built in the past decade. Located in Riverside, Calif., Fort Worth, Texas and Minneapolis, Minn., they reveal what could become of the GrandMarc here if it receives Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) approval.
Like GrandMarc at St. Botolph Street, the other private residence halls cater to students at nearby universities - GrandMarc at Seven Corners is near the University of Minnesota, Grand Marc is near University Village to the University of California and GrandMarc at Westberry Place is near Texas Christian University (TCU).
In 2005, within five years after they were built, Phoenix Property Co. sold GrandMarc at Seven Corners and GrandMarc at University Village for $28 million and $42 million, respectively, to GMH Communities Trust, a Pennsylvania housing company, said officials at the Minneapolis residence.
GrandMarc at Westberry Place, a 644-bed complex where construction ended last summer, will be turned over to TCU in 20 years as part of its building contract, said Lauren Jones, a GrandMarc leasing professional.
Regardless of their building contracts, however, GrandMarc officials said they maintain cordial relationships with their neighboring universities.
"We otherwise keep a minimal relationship with TCU," Jones said. "We serve undergrads, grads and faculty, so we cater to them and their needs."
An article in the Daily Skiff, TCU's student newspaper, revealed a deeper partnership between university and GrandMarc officials.
According to the article, April 2006, TCU administrators provided the e-mails of rising juniors and seniors to employees at Phoenix Property Co. as part of a plan to bring more students closer to campus. TCU officials said most of the e-mails were taken from students who had signed up to receive GrandMarc information.
Be the first to comment on this story