BOSTON–A prominent retail property in Boston’s Back Bay is headed to auction next month, according to reporting by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ). The vacant building, located at 795–799 Boylston Street, sits at one of the city’s busiest intersections and has a long track record of turnover among national brands.
The 14,000-square-foot, two-story property, most recently assessed at more than $13 million, will be auctioned on December 9 by Paul E. Saperstein Co., BBJ reported. The building is owned by a trustee representing the estate of the late Nancy Hennessey.
According to BBJ, the site “was formerly a Capital One Cafe, before Capital One moved a few blocks down Boylston to the former Tannery store.” Prior to that, the building had long served as the Back Bay home of Anthropologie, which eventually relocated to Newbury Street. In more recent years it has been used as a pop-up retail space.
The building sits at the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Streets, near the Boston Marathon finish line, an area that has experienced significant retail churn. BBJ reported that nearby closures and transitions include Crate & Barrel at 777 Boylston and the former Forum restaurant, which is now a Raising Cane’s. The space once occupied by Max Brenner has since become a Verizon store.
Directly across the street, the Mandarin Oriental has also evolved its dining lineup. BBJ noted that Gordon Ramsay’s Ramsay’s Kitchen now occupies the location once home to Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud.
The property heading to auction also neighbors a major redevelopment site proposed by the Tavistock Group, which owns Abe & Louie’s and Atlantic Fish Co. on the same block. As reported by BBJ, Tavistock received approval in 2022 to build a five-story addition over the existing three-story structures. The project would introduce new office, residential, and retail space, along with a Swingers indoor golf venue and the first Boston outpost of the breakfast chain First Watch.
The December 9 auction will determine the future of one of Back Bay’s most visible — and currently idle — retail addresses. According to BBJ, the property’s vacancy highlights the ongoing evolution of a corridor that has seen both high-profile closures and new investments in recent years.
