Kenmore Square North (WHOOP) | 533-541 Commonwealth Ave | Fenway

It's nothing great but it certainly isn't the anti-Christ it's being made out to be. Anger at the demo has a lot to do with the negativity.

I agree that the demo didn't help, but it's still a pretty poor effort. 128 soulless architecture in a downtown square that we should be making our best effort to promote good architecture and placemaking. This is doing the exact opposite. The brick work - ouch. The apologetic curve in the upper 2 stories to make the Citgo sign somewhat visible - ouch again.
 
8/2/21
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I wouldn't say I've every truly defended this building in the past; I probably said it wasn't as bad as others were saying. But I have to be honest that now I really do see the terrible quality. It wasn't really a bad design, but the execution is bad.
 
I'll probably be banned forever from aB for saying this, but I like it.
I kind of do, too. The geometry is actually pretty cool. But the faux brick pattern on the facade just seems really wrong. I can understand the thought process, that a building with very modern angles and envelope shape should not have a retro look to the exterior. Perhaps that part will grow on us. But I just have a lot of trouble getting past the way the brick tiles stack one directly above the other.
 
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^ Alternatively, I was down there in early June and was told by a few friends that it's "so ugly" and asked "why do architects keep making stuff this bad?"

I gave them a good rant on developers.
 
This is probably an overworn cliche on ArchBoston, but this building really does belong in an office park on Route 128 somewhere, NOT in Kenmore Square.
 
Even in photos from arguably the best photographer on this board, the building look cheap in the context of its neighbors. Perhaps the developer is gambling that those neighbors will be replaced in time with equally cheap buildings.
 

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