Mayor Katjana Ballantyne attended the topping out ceremony at 74M building at Assembly Square last week. — Photo by Daniel Phillips

Last week, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne joined Greystar and Consigli to celebrate the topping out of 74M, a 17-story, 465,000 square foot purpose-built lab office building in the Assembly Square district of Somerville, which is redefining itself as a hub for research and development.

Speaking to the construction workers gathered at the celebration, Mayor Ballantyne said, “You’ve added a whole new picture to the city of Somerville. Watching the lights on this project in the evening over the last week, watching the cranes building more. I just want to thank you for giving us this tapestry to enjoy. Many residents come to City Hall and they stand at the top of the hill to watch this. There have been tremendous ooohs and aaahs because they’re so amazed by the work you’re doing and the transformation that’s happening in Somerville.”

Greystar formalized its entry into the life sciences sector with the start of vertical construction of 74 Middlesex Avenue (“74M”) in June 2022. Located at 74 Middlesex Avenue in Somerville’s Assembly Square district, 74M and future projects in planning will strengthen the emerging life sciences cluster forming there, which already includes more than a million square feet of permitted projects.

74M is a 465,000 square-foot, 15-story life science building intelligently designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects and built by Consigli. The purpose-built lab development incorporates elements for the next generation of tenants, targeting LEED Platinum, WELL Platinum, WiredScore Platinum, and SmartScore certification.

Tenants of 74M will benefit from a vibrant, transit-oriented location and best-in-class amenities including an expansive 2,000 square-foot rooftop terrace, conference/function rooms, a health and wellness center, ground floor retail, dedicated bicycle storage/entrance, and unobstructed views of the Boston/Cambridge skyline and Mystic River.

The building is prominently positioned as a new link between the Assembly Square and East Somerville neighborhood, offering tenants immediate access to 1,500+ residential units, an award-winning hotel, and a series of restaurants, bars, and retail destinations. It also offers immediate proximity to the Assembly MBTA Orange Line station and unparalleled visibility adjacent to I-93.

In choosing Assembly Square as home to the first development in their new life science vertical, Greystar has committed to the neighborhood with a sizeable financial and strategic investment. This includes the concurrent construction of a new neighborhood park located directly south of the building at 0 Kensington Avenue.

The neighborhood park will deliver an accessible, sustainable, and multi-generational public space that will serve as a gateway into the Assembly Square neighborhood and will provide generous pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure that connects Foley Street to the Kensington Underpass, and the Stop and Shop and Garfield Avenue neighborhood to the west.