First phase of Enterprise Research Campus completed

University leaders joined Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and other local and state officials to celebrate the completion of the first phase of the Enterprise Research Campus (ERC) in Allston last week.

“The Enterprise Research Campus is where researchers, entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers will work side by side. Asking ambitious questions, pursuing novel ideas that only seem obvious with hindsight, and building the companies and the industries of tomorrow. And as new discoveries are made, new challenges are identified, the spaces we have built will evolve, supporting excellence in various forms for many, many years to come,” Harvard President Alan Garber said in his remarks.

Several of the event’s speakers touted the rapid transformation of the space from a vacant lot when the project was approved by the city of Boston in 2022, into a vibrant, intentionally designed mixed-use urban district.

“For most of the last century, this area wasn’t home to scientists or students or families. It was occupied by big trucks and train cars, and so this chapter really kicks off a new home for everyone, and an opportunity that could not have been possible without neighbors, elected officials, labor leaders, Harvard, Tishman Speyer, coming together to reach an agreement worthy of the aspirations of our city,” remarked Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

The completed phase of the ERC includes two commercial laboratory buildings called OneMilestone, Verra Apartments, The Atlas Hotel, Harvard’s David Rubenstein Treehouse Conference Center, as well as 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, and more than two acres of publicly-accessible open space. The project was led by Tishman Speyer and Breakthrough Properties in partnership with the Harvard Allston Land Company (HALC), which acts on behalf of the University to advance strategic partnerships with private sector developers to unlock the potential of long-term land assets.

“It’s extremely gratifying to see the ERC come to life,” said Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer. “From day one, Harvard has been an amazing partner. Our collaboration has created a place for bold ideas, from the next groundbreaking discovery to world-class hospitality. This is a destination for Harvard, Allston, and visitors from around the world.”