Wentworth Selects Partner for Transformative Project on Sweeney Field
Photo by Matthew Conde
Wentworth Institute of Technology today announced it has selected Huntington Development Group (HDG) to develop a mixed-use life sciences project at 500 Huntington Avenue. Huntington Development Group is a joint venture of The Fallon Company, Owens Companies, and Waldwin Development Company.
“This project will play a key role in securing the university’s future as a cutting-edge, hands-on center for educational opportunity, and we are thrilled to partner with Huntington Development Group to make it happen,” said Wentworth President Mark A. Thompson. “This is an endeavor that will have a tremendously positive impact on our students and the surrounding community, particularly Mission Hill and Fenway, so it is important to work with a team with deep ties to and intimate knowledge of the local real estate landscape and a track record of delivering transformational projects.”
Plans call for an approximately 640,000 sq.-ft. mixed-use life sciences facility with retail and restaurant space. The project will also feature publicly accessible open space for the community and Wentworth students, faculty and staff.
“We’re excited to collaborate with our partners and Wentworth leadership to create a state-of-the-art life sciences center that is befitting of one of the nation’s foremost technical and design institutions and deliver a project that adds significant value for students and the community,’ said Waldwin Development Company partner Clayton Turnbull.
More than 100 Wentworth students are expected to be employed in cooperative learning (co-op) opportunities during the planning and construction process, with expectations that the completed project will provide 1,900 construction and 1,500 full-time job opportunities. The development is also expected to attract leading-edge industries seeking direct access to students in a thriving part of the city.
“Huntington Development Group is committed to making the development of 500 Huntington a truly game-changing project for Wentworth, the neighborhood, and the broader community,” said Owens Companies President Edward Owens, Jr. “When complete, our mixed-use project will help Wentworth advance its promise to deliver new learning opportunities, enhanced on-campus experiences and next-generation partnerships to its student body, while bringing commercial, retail, restaurants and open space to the neighborhood.”
“500 Huntington is one of the largest remaining undeveloped parcels in the Longwood Medical Area, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with Wentworth to transform this uniquely situated site into a vibrant area featuring a cutting-edge life sciences center that provides tremendous opportunities for students and enhances the University’s connection to the neighborhood,” said Joe Fallon. “As an alumnus and one of the university’s first co-op students, I’m particularly proud to partner with Ed, Eddie and Clayton to develop this dynamic project that will enable my alma mater to expand course offerings and increase its investment in students, research, facilities and staff.”
From 2021 to 2022, a robust real estate analysis and solicitation process was conducted by Cushman & Wakefield and Brailsford & Dunlavey, generating interest from many world-class life science and mixed-use developers. After careful review and vetting, Wentworth’s Board of Trustees selected Huntington Development Group as the preferred developer.