Size: 202,000 square feet

Challenge: Prior to its acquisition by Cabot, Cabot & Forbes, 266 Second Ave. in Waltham was an undervalued, underutilized asset.  A previous owner had converted an existing industrial building into a inferior office space that was underperforming in the market.  An industrial concrete exterior, low-grade slot windows, and parking situated across busy Second Avenue all combined to make the facility less desirable and difficult to re-tenant.

Solution: CC&F purchased the building and stripped it down to its structural system and roof.  It put on an entirely new, architectural precast exterior with ribbon windows and installed new electrical and HVAC systems, creating, in most respects, an entirely new building.  For “Cabot Place II” – 275 Second Ave. – CC&F used a superior design to create a build-to-suit Class-A four-story office building with a 582 car garage.  In close consultation with the town, CC&F created a thoughtfully designed park to ameliorate wetlands concerns and other conservation issues.  Cabot Place II includes an outdoor café and a covered arcade walkway across the southern perimeter of the building that provides access to the parking garage.

Results: Located in the heart of MetroWest Boston, Cabot Place was an under-appreciated, overlooked gem – a two-site campus right on the thriving Route 128 belt.  By the time CC&F had closed its own purchase-and-sale agreement, it had already secured its anchor tenant, Raptor Systems, which was subsequently acquired by high tech giant Symantec.  A second major tenant – Computer Sciences Corp. -  also spurred CC&F to create Cabot Place II to accommodate its growing needs.