Arsenal Yards facts for kids
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| Address | 485 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Massachusetts |
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| Opening date | Expected completion in 2021 |
| Owner | Boylston Properties, Wilder Companies |
| Total retail floor area | 250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2) (planned) |
| Parking | Surface, garage |
| Public transit access |  MBTA: Route 70 |
Arsenal Mall interior, 2012
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| Address | 485 Arsenal Street, Watertown, Massachusetts |
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| Opening date |
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| Closing date |
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| Owner | Wilder Companies, Boylston Properties |
| No. of stores and services | 56 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 4 |
| Total retail floor area | 311,000 sq ft (28,900 m2) |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | none |
Arsenal Yards is a big new development in Watertown, Massachusetts. It's a "mixed-use" area, which means it has many different things in one place. You'll find shops, restaurants, offices, homes, and even a hotel here!
This exciting project is being built on the site of the old Arsenal Mall. It used to be called Arsenal Mall from 1983 to 2013. Then, for a few years, it was known as The Arsenal Project. Now, it's becoming Arsenal Yards. The whole construction is expected to be finished in 2021.
Contents
What is Arsenal Yards?
Arsenal Yards is designed to be a modern place where people can live, work, shop, and have fun. It will have a lot of space for different activities:
- About 250,000 square feet for shops and restaurants.
- Around 200,000 square feet for office spaces.
- A 150-room Hampton Inn hotel.
- 425 new homes for people to live in.
It's a great example of "smart growth" development. This means it's planned to use land wisely and make it easy for people to get around.
A Look Back: The History of Arsenal Yards
The land where Arsenal Yards stands has a long history. It was once the site of the Watertown Arsenal, which was important even before the Civil War.
From Arsenal to Mall
In 1983, a company called New England Development opened a shopping center here. They named it Arsenal Marketplace. It had popular stores like Marshalls and Ann & Hope. Later, Ann & Hope closed, and a Home Depot store opened in its place.
In 1999, another company, Simon Property Group, bought the shopping center.
Becoming The Arsenal Project
In 2013, two new developers, Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies, bought the mall. They decided to give it a new name: The Arsenal Project. This was the first step towards changing it from just a mall into something more.
The Big Change to Arsenal Yards
By 2016, the developers had big plans. They wanted to completely change the property into Arsenal Yards. This new plan was to create a whole neighborhood with many different uses for residents and visitors.
In January 2017, the local planning board in Watertown officially approved these plans. Construction began, and the opening was expected in late 2019. During the construction, some stores like Marshalls and the Home Depot stayed open.
Now, new and exciting places have opened or are planned to open. These include:
- Old Navy
- Gap Outlet
- Chipotle
- A new Shake Shack
- A Cinemaworld Majestic Cinema (movie theater)
- A Roche Bros. grocery store
- Ulta Beauty
Arsenal Yards is transforming into a vibrant new spot for everyone in Watertown and beyond!
Gallery
- Computer-generated images of Arsenal Yards upon completion
