By Thomas Grillo
Banker & Tradesman Reporter

More than a year after plans were withdrawn for a hotel and condominium tower in Boston’s Theater District, a new developer has proposed a 24-story office building for the same site.

Boston-based Eastat Realty Capital has filed plans with the Boston Redevelopment Authority for 374,708-square-foot office building at a parking lot behind the Jacob Wirth Restaurant that will include 247,725 square feet of office space on floors 6 through 24. The proposal, dubbed 45 Stuart and located at 31-45 Stuart St., also offers 1,845 square feet of retail, a café on the ground floor and mezzanine level and a 174-space garage.

The historic eatery near Washington Street, which specializes in German food, will undergo a major renovation as part of the proposal.

Last year, Boston-based Weston Assoc. withdrew plans for their project at the location due to “market conditions.”  Weston had signaled its intention to build a 28-story building in a parking lot adjacent to the restaurant. If approved, the 340,000-square-foot development would have contained 112 hotel rooms on the first six floors, 181 luxury condominiums on the upper levels and 219 underground parking spaces.

But the plan drew strong criticism from two neighborhoods that border the Theater District. The Chinese Progressive Association opposed the project, noting that the tower’s proposed height was nearly twice the legal limit. The Bay Village Neighborhood Association complained that the project was another example of “piecemeal development” that provided little pedestrian-friendly activity on La Grange or Stuart streets.