‘Boston attracts great tenants': Lego cuts the ribbon on new Back Bay headquarters
David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
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Lego first announced its move to Boston in January 2023, though its roots in New England are deep. The company originally established itself in the region by opening a manufacturing site in Enfield around 50 years ago. More recently, Lego started building a massive new factory for its colorful plastic bricks in Virginia, along with a nearby distribution center.
Lego decided to relocate the corporate jobs that remained in Enfield to Boston because it became increasingly tough to attract talent in suburban Connecticut.
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'By being in Boston, we are able to tap into a global talent pool that will help us develop and grow our business further,' Lego chief executive Niels Christiansen told the crowd on Thursday. 'We are investing in the long term.'
About 300 people work for Lego in Boston today, and another 300 still need to make the move. Lego has enough room for more than 800 workers in this office, and plans to fill the remaining 200 or so spots with new hires. The call center work that has taken place in Enfield is being shifted to Arizona, and the company is still looking for a home for its Enfield model production team.
The Boston move was personal for Lego chief commercial officer Colette Burke, who recalled how she lived and worked here for two decades and became a US citizen in 2003 at a Faneuil Hall ceremony. Her family often strolled past Nancy Schon's Make Way for Ducklings sculpture. Now, Lego has recreated that scene with its own version in the lobby of its new office. Another local nod: There's a Lego made to look like a miniature version of Gov. Healey among the dozens of Lego figurines hanging on one wall near the elevators.
A view camera (right) and an antique telephone are among items made from legos were on display at Lego's new North American HQ in Boston.
David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Burke announced that Lego will give $5 million to Boston charities over two years, to existing charitable partners such as the Museum of Science and Boston Children's Museum and new ones, such as the Boston Public Library system. Most notably, Burke announced a $1 million gift to BPL as part of that broader contribution. It was unclear how much of an increase this amount represented from Lego's previous levels of charitable giving in Boston.
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'I am thrilled about this moment,' Wu told the crowd. 'Boston has always been a community of builders.'
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Healey said that Lego's decision to relocate to Boston affirms the state's reputation for education and innovation.
'Lego's putting their mark right here in Massachusetts, and in Boston, is a sign of that,' Healey said.
It's also a sign of the type of building that's attracting new office tenants in the slow market these days. The ribbon-cutting was a proud moment for Samuels & Associates, with several executives in attendance. They pointed to the tower's amenities, including outdoor terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows with spacious views, its distinctive interior and exterior architecture, and its location on the edge of the Back Bay, across the street from a Green Line station, as reasons for why they attracted two marquee tenants when the market was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
'It shows, even in a tough market, if you build the right things,' principal Steve Samuels said, 'Boston attracts great tenants.'
Jon Chesto can be reached at
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