
Plans show new renderings of Great Scott, O’Brien’s redevelopment
The new plans show O’Brien’s entrance moving to face Cambridge Street, while two retail spaces will face Harvard Avenue.

Iconic Allston venue Great Scott and O’Brien’s Pub, its longtime sister club, will share a new mixed-use building at the pub’s corner, complete with Great Scott’s “modern take on iconic green fabric awning,” according to plans featuring new renderings.
Developers behind the reemergence of the music venue submitted their plans to the Boston Planning and Development Agency for review last week. Now, newly filed plans show the venues’ proposed look as a mixed-use building with 139 residential units.
Great Scott, which opened at 1222 Commonwealth Ave. in 1976, was known for billing up-and-coming acts like Charli XCX, MGMT, Phoebe Bridgers, and Jack Harlow before they made it big. The venue was forced to close during the pandemic and was replaced by a Taco Bell.
The new Great Scott will have a capacity of 300, while O’Brien’s Pub will have a 75 capacity, according to a letter of intent filed in December. The 17,870 square-foot mid-rise building will be nine stories, according to the 225-page plan filed with the BPDA.

The new plans show O’Brien’s entrance moving to face Cambridge Street, while two retail spaces will face Harvard Avenue.

To help address noise concerns, Great Scott won’t have windows, and O’Brien’s will be “acoustically treated,” the plans detail. O’Brien’s will be similarly sized, but the stage and speaker system will be moved away from the doors.
“While noise levels within the venues will be at levels typical of indoor live music spaces, the Project will be designed with the intent to mitigate material “noise leakage” from the performances to nearby residences,” the plan said. “The ceiling/floor assembly above the venues will be acoustically designed in an effort to prevent disturbances to the residents above.”
Residents can attend two virtual Impact Advisory Group meetings to discuss the proposed plans from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 10 and Feb. 24. There is also an online public comment portal open until Feb. 27.
Construction will begin four to six months after approval and is expected to take 18 months.
Great Scott and O’Brien’s did not return a request for comment about the new plans.

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