Seaport developer working to revive District Hall with updated facilities, expanded mission and new name

WS Development is working to re-open District Hall at 75 Northern Ave. in the Seaport, but with a new name and with a mission that will include offering space to non-profit and community groups that have nothing to do with tech, now that the Innovation District turned Seaport is an actual neighborhood.

WS explained the new role of the Seaport Innovation Building at a Boston Licensing Board hearing this morning.

The company is seeking one of the small number of all-alcohol licenses the state recently granted the city, licenses that, unlike the larger number of "neighborhood" licenses could be resold on the open market, but for which the Seaport is not eligible.

The new license would let WS hire a new restaurant and catering operator to replace the Briar Group, which previously ran Gather and Brew in the building. The licensing board has said it will start reviewing applications for new liquor licenses across the city after Dec. 6 - its deadline for requests for the new licenses.

WS Senior Vice President Yanni Tsipis emphasized the revived center would continue as a meeting place for tech entrepreneurs to gather and exchange ideas. "There's a stunning need for this kind of an incubator, if you will, to continue the growth we see in the Seaport and the city going forward," he said. The iconic public lounge in what was once "the world's first freestanding innovation center" would continue, he said

But Tsipis and Rebecca Donner, who previously managed District Hall and would manage the new innovation center, noted the changes in the Seaport since District Hall opened in 2013 in what used to be a sea of parking lots - it's become a neighborhood. And so along with all new AV and networking facilities, reconfigured meeting rooms and more staff, the remodeled building would offer "a much more diverse range of events," Donner said.

Tsipis said that WS is ready to commit $600,000 over three years to provide space to non-profits and community groups, even if they have nothing to do with technology.

Through aides, state Sen. Nick Collins and state Rep. David Biele supported the application. An aide to City Councilor Ed Flynn said he also supported the proposal, but cautioned that WS needs "to do better job" communicating with local residents and elected officials.