ON THE EDGE: Because of The Moxy’s small footprint, the building projects outward above the first story, creating a cover over the entry and allowing for more hotel rooms on the upper floors. 

Designing the Theater District’s forthcoming Moxy hotel took some actual moxie. After all, the challenges were many. The tower is on a tiny footprint—about a tenth of an acre. It’s also wedged between Boston’s century-old brick theaters and Chinatown’s bustling restaurants. To reach financial feasibility, some 346 rooms would need to fit into a very narrow 24 stories. And to top it all off, the building would have to look good.

“It’s like designing a Swiss watch—every piece and part has to fit perfectly,” says Harry Wheeler, principal of Group One, which led the design of The Moxy by Marriott.

DRIVE THROUGH: A food truck reconfigured as a vending machine is slated for the lobby. Photo: Studio Rendering Inc

INSIDES OUT: A mix of exposed pipes and old-time theater decor will lend an industrial, theatrical feel. Photo: Studio Rendering Inc

But images of what’s to come next summer—a slender high-rise that will flirt with the glassy W Hotel across the street—are striking. Inside, the place promises interesting digs, with 175-square-foot “micro” rooms—many that spy on the Statehouse, downtown and even Blue Hills Reservation.

Says Wheeler: “This is a gateway for the Theater District.”

The Moxy 240-242 Tremont St., Boston