Intercontinental Hotel

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Actually, I think Vivien Li and her gang stole the rights to all waterfront property from rightful land-owners and handed them to the Commisar of Land Use at the Kremlin, um, I mean City Hall.

Seriously, I don't think you can "own" waterfront property anymore in Boston - she has it set up so that the developers have to cede their lawful rights to the Harborwalk - or at least grant permanent access to the public.

I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing... but it is communism at its most basic form - the state seizure of privately-owned land.
 
I have a request.

Does anyone have any picture of the tall cement vent structures that were on this site prior to the building of the Intercontinental Hotel? I'd like to see the property pre-construction.

Thanks!
 
castevens said:
I have a request.

Does anyone have any picture of the tall cement vent structures that were on this site prior to the building of the Intercontinental Hotel? I'd like to see the property pre-construction.

Thanks!
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9660-catvent.jpg


Its vent building #3. Here is a link to the picture on the contractor's site.

http://www.walshgroup.com/projectl.aspx?ProjectID=313

Just, think, that vent doesn't have scrubbers installed. With scrubbers, it would be a new Tommy Tower.

I think this aerial shows the vent tower rising, and does it also show the Silver Line tunnel?



As I recall, this was a very deep hole; as many feet below surface as rose above the surface.
 
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Live Local's Bird's Eye Views are taken before the Intercontinental was built. It's like a time machine.

intercontinental_vent_4.jpg


intercontinental_vent_3.jpg


intercontinental_vent_2.jpg


intercontinental_vent_1.jpg
 
Great pictures Briv.

The Big Dig project used to have an extensive set of construction pictures, often updated monthly. But the galleries are gone. I'm surprised that the MTA doesn't put up an historical archive of the construction.
 
Thank you too briv! very helpful

So now the functionality of those vents (releasing the toxic fumes from the tunnels below) is now built into the intercontinental and released from the top of the new hotel?

(or, are the actual vents still standing within the new hotel?)
 
castevens said:
Thank you too briv! very helpful

So now the functionality of those vents (releasing the toxic fumes from the tunnels below) is now built into the intercontinental and released from the top of the new hotel?

(or, are the actual vents still standing within the new hotel?)
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The steel frame for the hotel went up around the vents. From Briv's pictures, I'm 98% percent sure that is the Silver Line tunnel on the SE corner of the site, which means it also runs under Russia Wharf. Wonder how much the MBTA paid for that easement?
 
So does any one know the status of the land and lawns at the rear of the hotel, is it private or public?
 
My guess is semi-public (public access, privately funded maintenance).

Stop by with a Frisbee or whiffle-ball -- see what happens.
 
The lawn area is most likely hotel property, as part of the ground rights lease. They have a bar out there, do they not?

The alleys and walkway next to the water are public, the latter is part of Harborwalk.
 
Wow, I never knew the vents were that tall. This building is even better than expected then, it looks great and it blocks a potential eyesore. I never noticed any vents there ever, as I only saw the hotel post-construction. Totally hidden, you would have no idea unless you knew. Perfect.
 
BarbaricManchurian said:
Wow, I never knew the vents were that tall. This building is even better than expected then, it looks great and it blocks a potential eyesore. I never noticed any vents there ever, as I only saw the hotel post-construction. Totally hidden, you would have no idea unless you knew. Perfect.
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Agreed. Now if they can make the one in the center of Atlantic Ave into an Apple Store like one of our esteemed posters had proposed . . .
 
Are there filters/carbon scrubbers in the vent buildings or are they just big chimneys?
 
^^ Nope. UFP's getting spewed out all over the place.

I'd stay away. Certain death, y'know.
 
Actually, due to a fire set in an abandoned Interstate tunnel in West Virginia -- the air inside the tunnels is at least as clean if not cleaner than street-level downtown City of Boston air.

The Fed's set some awesom fires down in W Va -- and then they designed the massive Big Dig ventilation system to handle the toxic emissions of the "world-class" fires (when in 5th gear) -- so that even when in 1st and 2nd gears there is a tremendous volume of air moving through the tunnels

Contrast the I-93 or I-90 today with your remembrance of the "Old South Station Tunnel" -- especially on a bad Ozone day in the summer

I had the privelage of coming back froim RI one August through the Ol' STT -- when a truck dropped a crate of industrial-syle scissors as it was entering the Ol' STT Northbound -- everything in the tunnel just behind the truck had multiple flat tires -- or was stuck behind a vehicle (including numerous buses) with flats. For quite a while nobody bothered to turn-off their engines -- so I spent 2 hours breathing in hot tunnel air (never been quite the same since)

Anyway --the pix of the vent towers were spectacular

Anybody got any earlier pix of the giant hole with its massive superstructure rising up from 120 feet below ground

The first time I saw it -- I was deeply impreseed -- and ever since I've always thought that there was a massive missed opportunity to film some superhero crawling around in that hole -- might have paid for a good part of the BIg Dig!

Westy
 
As an aside to the pic just posted (great shot!), tonight at 9:00 PM is a Reggae Champagne Party in RumBa and the usually-exclusive Moulin Rouge lounge. I may or may not be there. Talk to a stranger, it could be me.
 
Hey that's a great shot.. worthy of being on their website's front page. I'd email the webmaster your pic and see if you get any response.....
 
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