DivcoWest and Pickup Music Project (PuMP) today announced the installation of an interactive sound sculpture, The Musical Fence, at Cambridge Crossing (CX), the new 43-acre mixed-use neighborhood well underway at the intersection of Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston. The Musical Fence, located in the Common at CX, is an engaging and playable public art installation reimagined by PuMP that channels the spirit of Paul Matisse’s original musical fence which stood outside Cambridge City Hall in 1980. CX first introduced the project with a temporary installation in 2019, which then made its way to the Boston Children’s museum where people of all ages continued to discover its wonder. The Musical Fence is now a permanent piece in the new CX neighborhood.

Centrally located in Cambridge Crossing in the heart of the Common, a five-acre lush park and one of the many open spaces in the new neighborhood, The Musical Fence invites visitors to freely play and explore the interactive public art installation and make music of their own, creating a memorable sound experience. Through collaboration with Autodesk, this second edition of The Musical Fence at CX also brings innovation to its core with built-in technology that allows the fence to play back one’s composition and to freely play on its own.

“The Musical Fence is the ideal marriage of innovation, creativity, and community, which aligns with what we’re looking to achieve at Cambridge Crossing,” said Mark Roopenian, Managing Director at DivcoWest. “This interactive art installation encourages discovery and collaboration, whether that’s with a friend or a complete stranger, and we believe that it will create special and unique moments at CX.”

“We created this Musical Fence as a unique interactive artwork for members of the community to enjoy and explore together. The piece invites passersby to collaborate and create moments of shared music-making regardless of their musical background,” said Daniel Joseph (DJ), at Pickup Music Project. “I am proud of what our team was able to accomplish in the face of the pandemic. It took constant adaptation, adjustment and perseverance, but through it all, we held to our vision for this interconnected, self-playing, permanent musical fence. We can’t wait for everyone to participate, pick up a mallet and go play.”

The original Musical Fence was designed by artist and inventor Paul Matisse and was temporarily installed in front of Cambridge City Hall in 1980. This piece inspired DJ of The Pickup Music Proiect to recreate his own version that celebrates Matisse’s concept. First reintroduced by PuMP along the Mystic River, The Musical Fence was temporarily installed at Cambridge Crossing in 2019 and then moved to the Boston Children’s Museum where it was featured in the Kevin Hart film “Fatherhood.” Additional musical fences can be seen at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass., the Montshire Museum of Science in Vermont, and in Macdonald Park in Medford, Mass.

With a name inspired by its mission, PuMP builds public spaces that allow for impromptu, pick-up music making, not unlike the way basketball courts allow for pick-up basketball. They do this by creating interactive sound sculptures (or big, outdoor musical instruments). Because of their design, size, and novelty, PuMP’s sculptures invite and encourage participation from all musical levels.

The Musical Fence is the latest addition to the blossoming public realm taking shape at Cambridge Crossing. The recently opened REI Cambridge and Geppetto restaurant joined Café Beatrice, The Lexington, and Tatte Bakery & Café in the neighborhood and Lamplighter Brewing Co. will be the next addition. When complete, CX will offer 100,000 square feet of local, authentic retail that sits at the heart of the project creating a true destination. Complementing the retail are 11 acres of planned public parks and open spaces, offering ideal settings for any outdoor activity.

Offering close proximity to Kendall Square, MIT and Harvard, CX is a thoughtfully-designed, vibrant neighborhood and will be a dynamic mixed-use life-science hub that inspires collaboration, innovation and connection. Tenants of CX’s thriving innovative ecosystem include Sanofi, Bristol Myers Squibb, Philips, Cerevel Therapeutics, and Thrive Earlier Detection. Earlier this summer, the neighborhood celebrated the topping of the future residential building Park 151, the first phase in what is expected to be several phases of housing development at CX.

For more information and updates on CX, visit www.cambridgecrossing.com, or follow along on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

PUBLICATION: PR WEB

PUBLICATION: SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES

Impossible Foods’ hunt for a new headquarters location has ended back in Redwood City, where the alternative protein startup is already based.

An Impossible Foods spokesperson on Thursday confirmed the fast-growing company signed a lease at Building 10 at Pacific Shores Center, 1500 Seaport Ave., this summer. The company is taking the entire 164,000-square-foot building owned by DivcoWest.

The spokesperson said the company plans to occupy the space next year in addition to its current headquarters space at 400 Saginaw Drive, where it occupies 140,000 square feet. The spokesperson declined to give additional details regarding the terms of the new lease… READ MORE

PUBLICATION: YAHOO FINANCE

PUBLICATION: COMMERCIAL OBSERVER

The two buildings at 350 Water Street and 450 Water Street are just a portion of the larger, master-planned Cambridge Crossing life sciences mixed-use development in Boston.

PUBLICATION: RESTON NOW

Comstock Holding Companies, Inc. has officially secured refinancing for a trio of office towers at Reston Station, according to a company release.

The Reston-based company arranged a $350 million financing package for the first three office towers built at Reston Station, a 60-acre, mixed use project near the Wiehe-Reston East Metro Station.

The office towers at 1900, 1902 and 1906 Reston Metro Plaza are anchored by tenants like Google, Neustar, Rolls-Royce North America, and ICF Global.

Comstock received roughly $2.6 million in debt and equity origination fees, which are charged by the lender for compensation for a loan application.

The package includes $312 million by a Blackstone subsidiary and $43 million with a DivcoWest subsidiary. The three buildings are 84 percent leased, according to a company release. READ MORE

PUBLICATION: THE REAL DEAL LA

JH Snyder sold 202K sf building in North Hollywood

UPDATED, Sept. 8, 1:33 p.m.: DivcoWest has added a fourth property to its Los Angeles County office portfolio — this one a 200,000-square-foot complex in North Hollywood’s Arts District, The Real Deal has learned.

In a joint venture, DivcoWest and GPI Companies paid $92 million for the building at 5250 Lankershim Avenue, sources told The Real Deal. DivcoWest declined to comment on the transaction. Seller J.H. Snyder Company did not respond to requests for comment.

J.H. Snyder bought the glass complex from the City of Los Angeles’ Community Redevelopment Agency in 2008, records show. Kaiser Permanente and co-working firm Regus both occupy space there.

The acquisition is something of a departure for DivcoWest, which has sold a number of office properties across L.A. County in recent years. In the spring, the firm said it would spend $250 million to acquire single-family rental homes across Western U.S. states, in a partnership with Atlas Real Estate…READ MORE

PUBLICATION: AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL 

Unico sells first ground-up development in Texas capital, looks to other ‘opportunities’

San Francisco-based DivcoWest, part of the joint venture developing the 66-story 6 X Guadalupe tower in downtown Austin, has acquired Bouldin Creek, a 170,000-square-foot, class A building in South Austin.

The sale was completed in July but announced Aug. 23. Financial terms were not disclosed. READ MORE.

Newly-completed Bouldin Creek combines large, flexible floorplates with a host of amenities both inside and out

 AUSTIN – August 23, 2021 – DivcoWest has completed the purchase of Bouldin Creek, a newly constructed, 170,000 square foot Class A boutique office building in one of Austin’s most sought-after and vibrant neighborhoods at the intersection of South Lamar and W. Oltorf.

Completed in February, Bouldin Creek is a state-of-the-art five-story building that features 50,000 square-foot flexible floorplates with tremendous views of downtown Austin. Multiple outdoor terraces and a rooftop deck allow tenants the ability to bring work inside out for al fresco meetings, social gatherings, or simply for some R&R space. The property also features numerous outdoor amenities and areas for entertaining as well as a standalone café building.

“We have long believed in Austin as a center of innovation and creativity and are delighted to add to our portfolio in the city. High quality office assets with a focus on health, wellness and productivity, like Bouldin Creek, are seeing the strongest leasing tailwinds in the market today and are among the best positioned assets for future growth,” said Michael Provost, DivcoWest’s head of investments for the Southwest region.

For employees that value the outdoors and health and wellness, the LEED Gold Certified property is surrounded by two acres of green space covered with shade trees, running/walking trails and access to a natural creek. It also has a Walk Score of 83 being within easy walking distance of world class restaurants, eclectic shops, arts and entertainment venues and quality for-sale and rental housing in Austin’s trendy Bouldin Creek neighborhood. The building’s BikeScore is 93 and is a quick 1.2 mile ride from downtown via dedicated bike lanes.

In addition, Bouldin Creek is an amenity-rich property that offers a fitness center, private lockers and shower facilities, bike storage, plentiful parking with a 3.85/1000 parking ratio and EV charging stations. The building also delivers an abundance of natural light with its floor-to-ceiling windows and brings inspiration to those within with its locally painted murals in its interiors.

 

About DivcoWest

Founded in 1993 by Stuart Shiff, DivcoWest is a vertically-integrated, real estate investment firm headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Menlo Park, and Austin, TX. Known for long-standing relationships and experience across the risk-spectrum in innovation markets, DivcoWest combines entrepreneurial spirit with an institutional approach to deliver real estate solutions and opportunities. Since inception, DivcoWest and its predecessor have acquired nearly 50 million square feet of commercial space – primarily throughout the United States. DivcoWest’s real estate portfolio currently includes existing and development properties in the office, R&D, lab, industrial, hospitality, retail and multifamily spaces. www.divcowest.com

PUBLICATION: MULTI-HOUSING NEWS