Village Automotive Group breaks ground on $13M Boston Volvo flagship store

Ray Ciccolo’s Village Automotive Group has broken ground on a $13M project slated for completion in December of 2017, when the company’s flagship store Boston Volvo will relocate to 61 North Beacon Street in Brighton, just east of its current location at 75 North Beacon Street.

The new site of Boston Volvo will utilize a total of 42,000 square feet on three floors of the 71,300-square-foot, existing brick building. The new location will include a service write-up area on the basement level (accessed through the rear of the building), a main showroom on the street level and an additional showroom space on the second floor. The remaining 28,000 square feet on the third and fourth floors will continue to be occupied by office tenants, and a 1,300-square-foot retail store front will be added on the ground level. Boston Volvo will retain 18,500 square feet at 75 North Beacon Street for its vehicle service facility.

Built in 1925, 61 North Beacon Street served for nearly 50 years as the New England regional headquarters for International Harvester. It subsequently housed the world headquarters for New Balance, prior to that company’s move to their new headquarters on Guest Street. The adaptive-reuse project will preserve the attractive, red brick facade with original architectural details such as stone lintels, metal cornice, cladding, masonry, interior columns, decorative cast concrete features, arched windows and stone window sills.

“This area has significant historical associations with Boston's early twentieth-century automobile industry,” said Village Automotive Group President and CEO Ray Ciccolo. “The project will return this historic commercial building back to its original use as an automobile showroom, complete with sales offices and service write-up area, and enable us to provide an even better experience for our Volvo customers.”

Village Automotive Group has been working with Arrowstreet of Boston for the stores’ architectural needs, and CM&B of Danvers, MA is handing the stores’ construction.