The Victor | 110 Beverly Street | West End

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JohnAKeith

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Don't know if we have a separate thread for this, sorry.

Simpson Close To Breaking Ground On Bulfinch Project
Banker & Tradesman
by Jim Cronin

Simpson Housing could begin construction on its $140 million mixed-use project in Boston's Bulfinch Triangle neighborhood within the next two weeks ...

The Victor, as the development is called, was stalled in 2008 when the economy tanked. As the economic climate has improved and lending for projects has slowly opened up, the firm dusted off its plans and are ready to build 286 rental apartments with 17,000 square feet of retail on Parcel 1 of the Rose Kennedy Greenway ...
Click to expand...

Total project is 365,000 SF.

Source: http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/news145707.html
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Is this the proposed residential next to the Avenir?
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Wow what a box. Looks like something out of an office park in Medford.
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Truly the architecture of incompetence. Worthless.
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Premier apartment housing? Is that a step below luxury? That's a positive step if it is.....
Is that the gold or platinum credit card in comparison to the diamond?
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

This is a 1st floor plan pulled from the project's original PNF:
simpson_housing_floor1_plan.jpg


The Avinir side of Haverhill Street is already pretty much completely taken up by dead streetwall -- a handful of MBTA entrances/exits and emergency egress. The Victor will now treat Haverhill even worse, facing it with garage entrances, loading docks and more MBTA entrances/exits, thus rendering the street a permanent wasteland.

Why are dead street-levels, and a lot of times, dead entire streets, becoming so commonplace in new Boston developments?
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Oh thats lovely. Haverhill has all the MBTA entrances, so lots of foot traffic....

And they decide to make it the loading dock/parking street.

A+

But so beverly isnt left out, they make the parking entrance a tunnel?

Thanks BRA, great oversight.
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

That really is pretty atrocious. Isn't Haverhill one-way and Beverly two-way? Make one parking entrance and have it be on Beverly. Move the ramp (and thus dead wall) to the Beverly side. Put in the resident entrance and retail space where the Haverhill entrance/dead wall would be. This would at least balance out the dead space and help maximize activity around the entire place.
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

The article does not say whom or what the development is named after. (Maybe just someone in the developer's family?)
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Sounds like they were going for a jazz-age-y sounding name.

Too bad they couldn't carry that theme over to the architecture.
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

I'm confused why they're listing "MBTA/MTA." On Valenti Way they also have "MTA egress" listed. Isn't the MTA long gone?
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

I am actually going to defend the loading dock area for this specific street. Big buildings need service areas and in an area that lacks alley ways you have to stick them somewhere. If one building already has their service docks on a little used side street then I don't see the problem of sticking another one there. Not every street in the city needs to be hopping with life. There is a basic logistical reality that isn't pretty but having a single, small street like this used as an alley is better than filling the other streets with double parked trucks and bags of garbage.
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

I was going to make a joke about the NYC MTA but I don't know enough about the system to pull it off. :/
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

Beverley St. has axial views of the Zakim and the Custom House Tower. If there is going to be a "money" side of the building, its clear why they picked this one.

Also, given that theres a huge subway station and a 12 lane highway under the building, its fair to bet that those parking ramps go up, not down...
 
Re: Bulfinch triangle

I hear you, Van, but what this shows is the continuing influence of "superblock mentality." Yes, there will be a street - an alleyway if we're being honest - between the Avenir and the Victor, but for all intents and purposes it will not be a part of the neighborhood experience - it's the totality of these two landscrapers put together that will characterize the area.

The only part of the plan which may prove me wrong is the fact that the MBTA entances and exits will face this street. This seems weird - imagine if Hynes station opened into the mid-block alley! - but who knows, it may overcome the alley-ness of the street and define it as a public space.

One other observation: every single side of the Avenir is completely, absolutely, dead streetwall. Unless there are plans for retail that haven't come about yet...?
 
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