Columbia Building

This project reanimated a local icon and preserved its historic integrity. Built in the 1950s as the Boston headquarters of Columbia Pictures at 45 Church Street, the curvilinear art moderne building was given new life as a nine-unit luxury condominium called The Columbia—its name emblazoned on the façade with signature backlit signage.

The conversion introduced new terraces, courtyards, and windows based on the original raw-aluminum ones. An additional floor added to the top sits setback from the original building. Its concave corner façade echoes the convex one of the original, while its metallic cladding recalls details of the existing building.

Inside, the apartments were done in a modern style, in keeping with the exterior. The building’s small size required parking in the newly created indoor garage to be quite tight, so as a marketing tool, the developers gifted a Mini Cooper to early pre-sale buyers.