33 Arch Street
33 Arch Street is a contemporary highrise in the Financial District and Downtown Crossing neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts. The building was completed in 2004 after three years of construction, which began on June 5, 2001. It is tied with the State Street Bank Building as Boston's 20th-tallest building, standing 477 feet (145 m) tall, and housing 33 floors. The 33rd floor is 392 feet (119 m) above grade and the top of the cooling tower screen is 429 feet (131 m) above grade. It was designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects. History. The builders had proposed  a transparent glass building but ran into opposition from the historic Old South Meeting House. When the building was completed, it had a hard time finding tenants due to an office space glut and stood vacant upon completion. By 2005, 56% of the office space was rented and the average rent on a monthly parking space was $350. In March 2010, 33 Arch Street was awarded the LEED Gold designation from the U.S. Green Building Council. In November 2010, the building was selected as BOMA's 2010-2011 Outstanding Building of the Year in the 500,000-1 Million Square  Feet category. Design and features. The building has views of Boston Common, the Charles River, City Hall Plaza, and Boston Harbor. 33 Arch Street offers over 600,000 square feet (56,000 m) of office space and has 850 parking spaces in its underground parking garage. Architecture. The building has a unique wing shape to maximize the use of its tight footprint. The building strikes a balance with its surroundings and neighboring buildings through the use of the granite stone facade used to add to continuity of the urban streetscape. Yet, it is distinct from its neighbors by the extensive use of  metal and glass in its exterior. The building facade features grey granite, glass and aluminum cladding. Twenty floors cantilever over adjacent retail space and a garage, which is connected to parking on the first six levels. The roof has a distinctive top that sets it apart from nearby flat roofs in the skyline. It features a curved penthouse and roof fins. The building uses four levels of external bracing transfer the enormous loads of the high building into the small base. The bracing continues through the parking levels to the foundation; perimeter and internal moment frames act as the lateral  system above the braced levels. The building was the first to be built in downtown Boston under new Safety Guidelines-Subpart R for steel.