By 1929 Filene's expanded the flagship building, converting the whole block around Washington, Summer, Hawley and Franklin streets into one department store.

After the store closed, the building was marketed and was eventually bought by Vornado Realty Trust of New York.

This allowed the developers of the site to rip out the building's interior, leaving the exterior to stand on its own.

However, when the project ran out of money, the site was left completely gutted and missing walls from the razed 1951 and 1973 additions.

The project also includes a glass tower next door, which will contain 450 luxury residences and another 95,000 square feet (8,800 m2) of retail space.