New Apple Store on Boylston Street

By Nick Davis
BACK BAY – Across from the soon to be Mandarin Hotel on Boylston Street is a three story box blanketed by plastic that according to sources is supposed to be unwrapped for the public in the middle of May.

Apple Inc. is opening its first retail store in the heart of Boston at 815 Boylston Street. Along with an architecturally pleasing design that will make it another landmark in Boston, it will become a must
stop destination for many nearby college students.

“I think the store is in such a great location because Boston is known for being a walking city,” said Alex Cooper, director of membership and marketing for the Back Bay Association. “It is going to become a habit for people walk into the Apple store as they make their way down Boylston Street once it opens.”

While Apple hopes to attract people of all ages, the company plans to prod customers into coming back with in-store product demonstrations, a savvy group to answer questions or problems about Mac products, and free wireless Internet.

Northeastern University junior Cyndi Plust said she is excited for the new store because she will not have to travel far when she is trying to get help with her Mac Powerbook Pro. “I use to have to travel 45 minutes each way to the Cambridge-side Galleria when I needed assistance,” Plust said.

Other than the nearby location Simmons University junior Whitney Gaglio said she is more excited about the seeing the actual architecture when it is finished. “I think what’s going to be really cool about the new Apple retail store is that it’s going to be the first contemporary modern like building in Boston,” Gaglio said.

The front of the building will be made up of glass panels that measure seven to eight feet in length, allowing viewers to look into the building as they pass by. A glass staircase is also supposed to be installed. The flagship store’s eco-friendly roof will be covered with hardy vegetation in order to insulate the building in the winter and keep it cool in the summer.



“It will be nice to see the solar powered screens once the construction is finished, said Jackie Yessian, Chairman of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.

The flagship Apple store was reviewed and approved by the Back Bay Architectural Commission and the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay in August 2006, Yessian said.

San Francisco based architect company Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed the 22,116 square foot structure.