Design Review: Boston's Posh New High Rise

One Dalton Street, the third tallest building in Boston, is almost complete.

1 minute read

July 2, 2019, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Boston, Massachusetts

One Dalton Street under construction in early 2018. | Keith J Finks / Shutterstock

Robert Campbell, architecture critic for the Boston Globe, writes a column describing Boston's newest skyscraper as a design success.

The building, One Dalton Street, achieves this success despite having "no particular reason to exist," writes Campbell. "With a posh Four Seasons hotel occupying its lower floors and luxury condos in its upper levels — one penthouse has reportedly been sold for $40 million — it’s a place for people who choose to experience the life of a busy urban world while living far above it."

Still, the building is in full command of its details, according to Campbell, to the point of a military comparison. The real magic of the building, according to Campbell, is the building's "powerful sculptural form in play with its surroundings."

The senior architect on the project, Henry Cobb, "studied historic railway lines and street maps of this part of Boston" before realizing that "the land had always been organized as a loose arrangement of triangles." Those triangles are manifested in the floor plans of every level in the building above the fifth.

Saturday, June 29, 2019 in The Boston Globe

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Bird's eye view of manufactured home park.

Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing

Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?

March 25, 2025 - Shelterforce

U-Haul truck on road with blurred grassy roadside in background.

Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?

Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?

March 27, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Rusty abandoned oil well and equipment with prickly pear cactus next to it in West Texas.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage

Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

March 31, 2025 - Pennsylvania State University

Downtown Los Angeles skyline viewed from a distance with freeway and trees in foreground.

Updating LA’s Tree Rules Could Bring More Shade to Underserved Neighborhoods

A new USC study finds that relaxing Los Angeles’ outdated tree planting guidelines could significantly expand urban tree canopy and reduce shade disparities in lower-income neighborhoods, though infrastructure investments are also needed.

7 hours ago - USC Dornsife

Aerial view of Claifornia aqueduct with green orchard on one side.

California's Canal Solar Projects Aim to Conserve Resources and Expand Clean Energy

California’s Project Nexus has begun generating electricity from solar panels installed over irrigation canals, with researchers and state agencies exploring statewide expansion to conserve water and boost clean energy production.

April 3 - Turlock Journal

Close-up of older woman's hands resting on white modern heating radiator mounted on wall indoors.

HHS Staff Cuts Gut Energy Assistance Program

The full staff of a federal program that distributes heating and cooling assistance for low-income families was laid off, jeopardizing the program’s operations.

April 3 - The New York Times