Nubian Square Ascends project replaces office and lab space with training and arts facility

Overview

Updated Oct 28

The Nubian Square Ascends project is getting smaller. The office and lab building in the approved plan is now a two-story building owned by a nonprofit, with workforce training upstairs and a cultural and performing arts center on the ground floor.

Nubian Ascend Partners points to rising construction costs, higher interest rates and a weak office market. The revised plan lifts housing from 15 units to at least 150 on two sites, lets the developer pursue up to $50 million in state money, and targets a July 2027 groundbreaking.

Why it matters

For Roxbury, the lost office and lab space means fewer daytime jobs and a slower path to the neighborhood's long-awaited revival.

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Key Indicators

135,000 sq ft

Office and lab space dropped

The original design set aside 135,000 square feet for offices and labs; the new plan replaces it with a smaller training and arts facility.

150

Minimum housing units in revised plan

Up from 15 units in the original plan, now split across two sites.

$50M

State funding the nonprofit structure unlocks

Money earmarked in the Massachusetts economic development bill, which the developer can now seek.

July 2027

Targeted groundbreaking

For the workforce training and cultural center, pending city approval of the changes.

75%

Scale reduction reported by the Boston Business Journal

The Boston Business Journal reported the project is being cut by 75% from the earlier proposal, with the office and lab building falling from six stories to two.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Richard Taylor

Chairman of Taylor-Smith Cos. and managing partner of Nubian Square Ascends

Pushing a two-story training and arts building, with groundbreaking targeted for July 2027

Tamara Roy

Project design principal, Stantec

Lead designer of the original signature building

Organizations Involved

Nubian Ascend Partners LLC

Real estate development firm

Seeking city approval for a smaller training and arts building after dropping the office and lab component

The ownership team behind Nubian Square Ascends in Roxbury.

Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA)

City development agency

Approved the project in December 2021; reviewing the revised plan

Boston's urban planning and development approval agency.

Stantec

Global design and engineering firm

Lead design partner on Nubian Square Ascends

Global design firm leading master planning and signature building design for the project.

Taylor-Smith Cos.

Real estate development firm

Chaired by Richard Taylor, the lead proponent of Nubian Square Ascends

The development firm chaired by Richard Taylor, who is pushing the scaled-down Nubian Square Ascends plan.

Timeline

2021 October 2026

5 events Latest: October 22nd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

October 2026
Developer swaps office and lab building for two-story training and arts facility
Latest Redesign

Richard Taylor said the new building will be nonprofit-owned, with job training for life sciences, AI and robotics above a cultural center. The plan also raises housing to at least 150 units and targets a July 2027 groundbreaking.
October 22nd, 2026
March 2023
BPDA board gives project final designation
Approval

The board gave Nubian Ascends Partners final designation for the mixed-use hub, the Boston Globe reported.
March 2023
2023
Developer targets year-end groundbreaking
Milestone

Richard Taylor says he aims to finalize financing and break ground by end of 2023.
2023
December 2021
BPDA gives initial approval to Nubian Square Ascends
Approval

Boston.com reported in October 2026 that the agency first approved the development in December 2021.
December 2021
2021
Stantec releases detailed design plans
Design

Plans call for culinary marketplace, 135,000 sq ft of office and lab space, and 300-space parking garage.
2021

Scenarios

Revised Nubian Square Ascends breaks ground

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Boston.com, MassDevelopment reporting

Nubian Ascend Partners files revised plans with the BPDA, secures financing for the smaller training and arts facility, and starts construction on the Washington Street parcel. The culinary marketplace component may remain but the office and lab portion is gone.

Project stalls as financing fails again

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: Local development watchers

The developer cannot secure financing even for the scaled-down design. The city-owned parcel stays vacant, and the BPDA or Nubian Ascend Partners announces the project is indefinitely postponed or cancelled. A smaller community-led alternative could emerge.

Office and lab demand rebounds, larger design returns

Unlikely Resolves by Q2 2028

Discussed by: Commercial real estate analysts

If Boston's office and lab markets recover, the developer could seek to restore some office or lab space in a future phase. This would require a new BPDA filing and new financing commitments.

Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

2002-2009

Columbus Center air-rights project (2002-2009)

A planned $1 billion-plus air-rights development over the Mass Pike in Boston's Back Bay, with condos, a hotel, offices, and retail, spent years in permitting. The 2008 financial crisis froze financing, and the developer defaulted in 2009 without building.

Then

The project collapsed and the developer defaulted on its obligations.

Now

The air-rights parcels remain undeveloped, a cautionary example of ambitious Boston projects that depend on private capital.

Why this matters now

Like Nubian Square Ascends, a large, approved Boston development failed to break ground when financial conditions turned. The comparison shows how capital markets, not just demand, decide which projects get built.

2021-2024

Greater Boston lab space boom-bust (2021-2024)

Developers across Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston rushed to build lab and office space during the life-sciences boom. As interest rates rose and biotech venture funding cooled, lab vacancy climbed and dozens of projects were shelved or redesigned.

Then

Lab vacancy in Greater Boston rose sharply; developers pivoted to residential or other uses.

Now

The correction reset expectations for lab development, making financing harder for new projects.

Why this matters now

Nubian Ascends' office and lab component was part of this boom. Its collapse reflects the same market turn that has reshaped lab development across the region.

2015

Bolling Building anchor move (2015)

Boston Public Schools moved its headquarters into the former Ferdinand building in Dudley Square, now Nubian Square. City officials hoped the anchor office tenant would trigger private investment across the neighborhood.

Then

Little immediate private development followed; the neighborhood stayed quiet after business hours.

Now

The move laid groundwork for later housing and commercial projects, but momentum built slowly over years.

Why this matters now

It shows that public anchor projects alone have not historically been enough to spark Nubian Square development, a challenge the scaled-down Ascends plan now faces.