Back in November 2006 much of Boston, USA was getting excited after it was announced the city would be getting a brand spanking new supertall skyscraper to call their very own to crown the skyline as a modern day pinnacle.
The principle of the project which was thought up by Mayor Thomas M. Menino, and he called for developers to put in their ideas for the site at 115 Federal Street, one of the last remaining land parcels left for development in Boston’s central business district.
In what could now be possibly classed as an omen, only one developer showed and interest, and the 349 metre tower proposed by Steven Belkin and designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano was given the wink that his tower could go ahead and everyone would love it.
Despite its simple rectangular appearance with regular and efficient floorplates, the tower would have been an elegant glass affair, so typical of Piano’s love of light and transparent facades, that promised to modernise Boston’s skyline.
Glass elevators were to run up the outside of the tower whisking people to the top to admire the stunning views and it was generally planned the new sparkly tower would become the hub for activity and fun in the area.
And so the saga of the non-starting tower began. From day one the tower saw little go right… First Belkin and his celebrated architect parted company, which is never a good thing for a project when it is supposed to be led by an architectural visionary.
Bad luck continued when Belkin and the city could not agree on a price for the land the tower would sand on, already occupied by a garage that would need demolishing. Then financing became a problem for developments with a price tag over $10 million and things got worse.
Finally after two years and many blows death has come and Steve Belkin is now selling the site which is estimated at $5.6 million, not much when compared to what could have been generated had the tower been built. 
