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Photo Essay

GE offers glimpse of its future Fort Point home

By Jon Chesto Globe Staff,August 21, 2018, 9:04 p.m.
A view from one of the upper floor levels with Fort Point Channel and Boston in the background at the new General Electric HQ on Necco Court Boston under construction.
A view from one of the upper floor levels with Fort Point Channel and Boston in the background at the new General Electric HQ on Necco Court Boston under construction.David L Ryan/Globe Staff

If only the folks who toiled at New England Confectionery Co. in Fort Point a century ago could see their candy factory now.

The two buildings on Necco Court are being renovated to be General Electric Co.’s new headquarters. The project will merge the two into one 95,400-square-foot structure, using a glass-enclosed lobby to integrate both buildings.

The complex will feature an open working environment, a roof deck on the sixth floor facing the skyline, a bistro on the first floor that will be open to the public, and two old pedestrian bridges that are being restored, one to connect the buildings and one to house work areas.

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A look at the interior of the old New England Confectionary Co. factory on Necco Court.
A look at the interior of the old New England Confectionary Co. factory on Necco Court.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

GE expects to relocate employees from nearby Farnsworth Street once construction is finished in mid-2019. However, the company is in the midst of a radical restructuring and has for now delayed plans for a 12-story tower next to the former Necco buildings.

“The one thing that absolutely has not changed is our commitment to Boston,” GE vice president Ann Klee said Tuesday during the first media tour of the construction site. “As GE is evolving, this is a great place for us, and will be for decades to come.”

Crews restored the exterior brickwork at GE’s future home.
Crews restored the exterior brickwork at GE’s future home.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Klee declined to give a start date for the new building, other than to say it would be after the Necco conversion project is done.

Also being restored: handrails in the building’s stairwell.
Also being restored: handrails in the building’s stairwell.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
After neighbors rallied against its demolition, GE decided to keep this pedestrian bridge that connects two buildings in the complex.
After neighbors rallied against its demolition, GE decided to keep this pedestrian bridge that connects two buildings in the complex.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
Crews worked on one building’s exterior brickwork as the footbridge (in green) loomed in the background.
Crews worked on one building’s exterior brickwork as the footbridge (in green) loomed in the background.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff
A rendering of the completed complex, which will contain 95,400 square feet of space. GE says it still plans to build a new 12-story building on an adjacent lot, but that project is on hold.
A rendering of the completed complex, which will contain 95,400 square feet of space. GE says it still plans to build a new 12-story building on an adjacent lot, but that project is on hold.General Electric Co.

Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonchesto.