Two Boston skyscrapers, currently in its final stages of constructions, announced that they are deliberately removing their 4th and 44th floors out of respect to their Chinese investors' superstitious beliefs.
Curbed reported that the 699-foot Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences One Dalton has also incorporated other principles of feng shui in its design. The building, which is $750 million in the making, will be Boston's third-tallest tower upon its completion next year.
Likewise, the 60-story Millennium Tower in Downtown Crossing, to be opened this year, will also skip the ominous floors.
This is a common practice in China and other Chinese countries, as the number four is considered unlucky. In most Chinese dialects including Mandarin, number four's pronounciation is similar to the pronunciation of the word "death." In the U.S., 13 is the inauspicious number and the Millennium Tower will also be ommitting it.
"As is typical in many projects in the United States, Millennium Tower Boston doesn't have a 13th floor. Additionally, out of respect to our Asian owners, there is no 44th floor in the building,'' Jeff Nead, a spokesman for Millennium Partners, told the Boston Globe.
According to real estate experts, this is a sign that the spike in luxury developments in Boston is attracting more investors from China and Asian countries. In fact, 30 percent of One Dalton's 185 condominiums were reportedly purchased by international buyers.
Undoubtedly, China's impact on the international economy is resounding. In Las Vegas, the Wynn Hotel and Casinos and the Encore resorts even skipped the whole 40th to 49th floors.
"The goal is to be aware of and respectful of cultural preferences beyond our own,'' said Justine Griffin, spokeswoman for Carpenter & Co. of Cambridge.
