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Copley Place

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Coordinates: 42°20′51″N 71°04′45″W / 42.347363°N 71.079079°W / 42.347363; -71.079079
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This article is about the building complex. For the public park, see Copley Square. For the hotel, see The Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.

Copley Place
Interior of the mall concourse, since renovated (2007)
Map
General information
StatusOpen
Type
Location100 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates42°20′51″N 71°04′45″W / 42.347363°N 71.079079°W / 42.347363; -71.079079
Year(s) built1977–1984
GroundbreakingNovember 3, 1980; 44 years ago (1980-11-03)
Opened1984; 41 years ago (1984)
CostUS$400 million
OwnerSimon Property Group
ManagementSimon Property Group
Technical details
Floor count
Floor area
  • Shopping mall: 385,000 square feet (35,800 m2)
  • Office space: 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2)
Grounds9.5 acres (38,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Howard Elkus
Architecture firmThe Architects' Collaborative
DeveloperKenneth Himmel
Renovating team
Renovating firmElkus Manfredi Architects
Other information
Number of stores80
Number of anchors2
Public transit access
Website
simon.com/mall/copley-place
References
[1][2]

Copley Place is a mixed-use complex of four office buildings, two hotels, and a shopping mall in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Construction began in 1980, which required air rights over the Massachusetts Turnpike, and was completed in 1984. It is owned and managed by Simon Property Group. It also connects to several nearby destinations managed separately from the center, including the Prudential Center complex, the Sheraton Boston Hotel, and multi-modal Back Bay station. The shopping mall is anchored by Neiman Marcus and a Saks Fifth Avenue men's store.

In November 2019, the online business news website MassLive rated Copley Place as fourth, and the immediately adjacent Prudential Center as fifth best among 40 malls and shopping centers in Massachusetts.[3]

Description

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The bi-level indoors mall is noted for its upscale fashion stores, including Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, John Varvatos, Michael Kors, Tory Burch, Victorinox Swiss Army, Porsche Design, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, David Yurman, Louis Vuitton, Salvatore Ferragamo, Saint Laurent, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry, Furla, and Gucci.[4] Above, the third level provides access to a lobby, reception desk, and the bases of the four office towers.

The mall is connected directly to the Prudential Center shopping mall via a skybridge over Huntington Avenue. Another skybridge connects to the Westin at Copley Place hotel (and a few small shops), by crossing Huntington Avenue at a different location. A Marriott hotel anchors one end of Copley Place, and the Neiman Marcus department store anchors the other end. The mall is also connected to the Back Bay MBTA/Amtrak station via a pedestrian tunnel crossing beneath Dartmouth Street.

The property is managed by Simon Property Group,[4] which acquired it in the 2002 breakup of the then Dutch-owned Urban Shopping Centers, Inc.[5][failed verification]

Development

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Site

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The structure was the first major project designed by Howard Elkus, then of The Architects' Collaborative.[6] At the time, it was Boston's largest urban mixed-use development project,[6] financed by the Pritzker family of Chicago.[7] It was built in 1983 directly above the Massachusetts Turnpike and Huntington Avenue highway interchange ramps, which had been constructed in 1964 on the site of the former South End Armory. The Armory building had been completed in 1890, and was razed to make room for the Mass Pike right-of-way.[8] Later, as a principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects, Elkus would lead several major renovations of the mall, and a proposed expansion.[9]

Proposed residential tower

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In 2011, plans for a 60,000 sq ft (5,600 m2) addition of retail space to the facility and a 54,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) expansion of its Neiman Marcus anchor were approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.[10] By February 2013, the project was awaiting final design plans.[11][12] In October 2016, Simon Properties announced indefinite postponement of its $500-million project to build a 52-story luxury residential tower, and drastic scaling back of plans to expand the Copley Place mall, citing concerns about rising costs and competition from other Boston luxury towers already under construction.[13]

Complex

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Structures

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List of Copley Place buildings
Name Floor area
Tower 1 271,518 square feet (25,224.8 m2)
Tower 2 230,000 square feet (21,000 m2)
Tower 3 195,666 square feet (18,178.0 m2)
Tower 4 200,591 square feet (18,635.5 m2)

Shopping mall

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Centerpiece sculptural fountain (Dimitri Hadzi, 1984). The waterfall had been shut off (2012), and the artwork was demolished a few years later.

From its opening, the mall has been marketed as a high-end luxury retail location. Over time, the mix of stores changed in response to sweeping changes affecting the US retailing market. For example, a sizable Rizzoli Bookstore[14] was located opposite the elevators behind the central water feature, but it had closed by the year 2000. Other stores which have moved out include Stoddard's (fine cutlery and personal care tools)[15] and Williams Sonoma (kitchenware and food ingredients). As of 2020, almost all of the stores sell fashionable clothing, shoes, or accessories.[4]

The mall had also housed one of the few major-chain-owned movie theaters within Boston city limits, but the Loews Copley Place Cinemas was closed in January 2005. It was replaced by Barneys New York men's clothing, which closed in 2019. Barney's became a new Saks Fifth Avenue Men's Store, on August 14, 2020.[16]

Upon its opening, the indoor mall featured as its centerpiece a 60-foot (18 m) high sculptural fountain designed by Boston artist Dimitri Hadzi. The artwork was composed of multiple abstract granite and travertine marble shapes, with a waterfall cascading down it into a shallow pool at the bottom, surrounded by marble benches. A proposed renovation which would eliminate the water feature prompted commentary opposing its demolition in 2013.[7] As of 2017, the fountain had been completely removed, and the location and status of its sculptural components were unknown to the general public.

Major tenants

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Name Type Location Size Year
opened 		Year
closed 		Notes
Barneys New York Department store Mall concourse 46,000 sq ft (4,300 m2) 2006 2020 Replaced Loews
The Bridgespan Group Office Tower 2 Headquarters
Canada Consulates-General Office Tower 3 Located in suite 400[17]
Germany Consulates-General Office Tower 3 Located in suite 500[18]
Loews Movie theater Mall concourse 1983 2005
Marriott Copley Place Hotel
Neiman Marcus Department store Mall concourse 166,900 sq ft (15,510 m2) 1983 —
Saks Fifth Avenue Department store Mall concourse 46,000 sq ft (4,300 m2) 2020 — Men's store; replaced Barneys New York
Wayfair Office Tower 4 Headquarters
US Census Bureau Office Tower 4 Boston regional office located in suite 301[19]
Westin Copley Place Boston Hotel
[edit]
  • The four Copley Place office towers are the irregular shapes in the upper left of this aerial view
    The four Copley Place office towers are the irregular shapes in the upper left of this aerial view
  • In this view centered on Copley Square, the Westin Copley Place hotel is the tower in the right foreground
    In this view centered on Copley Square, the Westin Copley Place hotel is the tower in the right foreground
  • The Westin Copley Place hotel connects via skybridge to the mall at the far right
    The Westin Copley Place hotel connects via skybridge to the mall at the far right
  • Copley Place mall is located at the lower right of this view
    Copley Place mall is located at the lower right of this view
  • A Neiman Marcus store is the exterior visible anchor tenant at one end of the mall
    A Neiman Marcus store is the exterior visible anchor tenant at one end of the mall
  • The Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel anchors the other end of the enclosed mall
    The Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel anchors the other end of the enclosed mall
  • This skybridge connects Copley Place (at right) to the Prudential Center
    This skybridge connects Copley Place (at right) to the Prudential Center
  • This glassblock-lined underground corridor connects Copley Place to Back Bay station
    This glassblock-lined underground corridor connects Copley Place to Back Bay station

References

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  1. ^ "Project Profile: Copley Place". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  2. ^ "Boston's new Copley Place - urban renewal of the most elegant kind". Christian Science Monitor. September 9, 1983.
  3. ^ LaFratta, Kristin (November 23, 2019). "40 Massachusetts malls and shopping centers ranked from the worst to the best". MassLive. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Store Directory for Copley Place - A Shopping Center In Boston, MA - A Simon Property". www.simon.com. Simon Property Group, LP. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  5. ^ https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2017/08/10/what-new-copley-place/Wd1jMrJshDxJWyRyj6oGYP/story.html, opening
  6. ^ a b "Howard Elkus: From little doodles to big dreams". Visual Merchandising and Store Design. October 1, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  7. ^ a b Weigel, Margaret (September 26, 2013). "Fuse Commentary: To Stay or Not to Stay? Copley Place's fountain faces an uphill battle". The Arts Fuse. artsfuse.org. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  8. ^ Tsipis, Yanni (2002). Building the Mass Pike. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 98. ISBN 0738509728.
  9. ^ Mishkin, Shaina (April 10, 2017). "Copley Place architect Howard Elkus dies at 78". MassLive. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  10. ^ "Copley Place Retail Expansion & Residential Addition Project Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC)". Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  11. ^ "Copley Place Retail Expansion and Residential Addition - Project Summary". Bostonplans. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  12. ^ "Simon Property Group Management Discusses Q4 2012 Results - Earnings Call Transcript | Seeking Alpha". seekingalpha.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  13. ^ Graham, Jordan (October 28, 2016). "Simon Properties postpones luxury Copley Place tower". Boston Herald. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  14. ^ McDowell, Edwin (August 22, 1984). "Rizzoli Grows from 'Museums' to Book Chain". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Kurland, Ann Trieger (September 14, 2011). "Regarding knives, he's sharp as can be". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  16. ^ Nanos, Janelle (August 14, 2020). "Saks Fifth Avenue opens a men's store in Back Bay: It will occupy the former Barneys space in the Copley Place mall". Boston Globe. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  17. ^ "Canadian Consulate-General: Boston."
  18. ^ "German Consulate-General: Boston Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine."
  19. ^ "The Boston Region." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2010-01-17.
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