Illustration of a new Gillette Boston headquarters building beside brick warehouses on the Fort Point Channel at dusk.

Gillette Boston Headquarters: Fort Point Plans at 125 Years

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The Gillette Boston headquarters planned for Fort Point is moving from paper to design as the razor maker marks 125 years in the city. Procter & Gamble’s Gillette division is planning a new global headquarters and technical innovation center at 232 A St., a 2.4-acre waterfront parcel beside its longtime South Boston campus, according to city filings and company statements reported this fall.

The company celebrated its 125th anniversary on Sept. 28, and the Boston Business Journal reported on Oct. 7 that designs for the new building are still in early stages. “The vision is for the building to showcase the craftsmanship, science and innovation behind our brands, maintain a visible presence in Boston and create meaningful connections with employees, visitors and the community,” Kara Buckley, P&G Gillette’s vice president of community affairs, told the Business Journal.

Gillette Boston Headquarters: The Fort Point Site

The headquarters site has a history with the company. Gillette’s parent sold the parking lots at 232 A St. to life-science developer Breakthrough Properties in 2021 for $80 million, during the region’s lab-building boom. P&G has now bought the land back for $99.3 million, according to a report published by Breakthrough Properties. A Breakthrough spokesperson, Bud Perrone, said the sale closed at the end of July.

The purchase came with valuable permits. The Boston Planning and Development Agency board approved Breakthrough’s lab project in 2024, including about 125 underground parking spaces, a public park facing Fort Point Channel and a building height of up to 150 feet. Engineering News-Record, citing filings with the agency, reported that the development team had already scaled the project back from roughly 455,000 square feet and 180 feet to about 335,000 square feet and 150 feet after agency and community feedback. Other descriptions of the approved project put it closer to 325,000 square feet.

Under the plan described by ENR, Gillette’s building would rise about nine stories and consolidate research, engineering and business operations that are now spread across several buildings on the company’s Boston campus. P&G has said it plans to invest nearly $1 billion in the headquarters project. The Boston Business Journal, in a report republished by NBC Boston, put Gillette’s combined investment in the Boston headquarters and its Andover plant at $1.5 billion.

Design Team, Waterfront Park and Flood Protection

ENR reported that Boston architecture firm Payette is leading design, with Reed Hilderbrand on landscape architecture and Stantec as civil engineer. VHB prepared the transportation analysis, which projects roughly 1,260 daily vehicle trips once the building is fully occupied, while planners expect many employees to arrive by transit from South Station and the MBTA’s Broadway station.

Because the parcel sits on Fort Point Channel, flood protection is part of the approved design. Breakthrough committed to a vegetated “resiliency berm” meant to manage stormwater and add elevated flood protection for the immediate area and the wider South Boston neighborhood. The company has said the new facility will add green space, sidewalks, bike lanes and Harborwalk improvements. ENR described about 1.5 acres of publicly accessible open space.

“This investment reflects our commitment to Gillette’s future and to Boston, where the brand has called home for more than a century,” Gillette chief executive Gary Coombe said in a statement when the investment was announced.

What Happens to the 31-Acre South Boston Campus

The headquarters is one piece of a larger shift. According to ENR, manufacturing at the facility carrying the “Gillette World Shaving Headquarters” sign is moving to P&G’s campus in Andover, and plans are underway to redevelop the roughly 31-acre South Boston campus into a mixed-use district with housing, retail, lab and office space. That campus sits inside the “100 Acres” planned development area, one of the largest development zones near downtown.

Jessica Hughes, managing director for Tishman Speyer in Boston, called the move “a major, long-term investment in Boston” and “further testament to the city’s enduring appeal as a hub for innovation and economic development.”

Our Take (Opinion/Analysis)

This section is analysis and reflects the view of The Boston Report. A legacy manufacturer choosing to put its global headquarters on Boston’s waterfront, rather than following its factory to the suburbs, is a meaningful vote of confidence at a time when the city is wrestling with high office vacancy, as our look at the downtown Boston office market shows. The bigger long-term story may be the 31-acre campus left behind: if it becomes housing and retail, it could reshape Fort Point and the nearby Broadway area. The watch items are timing, how much of the campus becomes housing, and whether the public open space arrives on schedule. Local businesses near A Street, already navigating the conditions in our Boston small business economy report, have a lot riding on those answers.

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