The Boston Planning & Development Agency granted Millennium Partners tentative designation to develop Winthrop Square, a one-acre parcel in the Financial District. The developer plans a $1B, 750-foot tower; currently there's a vacant four-story parking garage on the site. That height would best the Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences, now under construction at One Dalton St, by 10 feet. Winthrop Square Tower would thus be the third-tallest building in the city and region, the Boston Business Journal reports.

Handel Architects designed the structure. At the base of the building will be “The Great Hall” (pictured)—a distinctive gathering place and focal point for activity. According to Handel, the new “urban room” is intended to be inherently civic in scale and function. It is a public connector, conceived as a signature space finished with warm stone paving, shimmering metal panels and transparent glazing. [BBJ]