Somerville Infill and Small Developments

Brad Plaid said:
371 Beacon St.
This gets a lot of scorn but when finally done it will be a decent little hotel and a positive addition to the neighborhood (and have a restaurant/bar?). It anchors the intersection and adds some substance to the immediate area. I like it considerably more now than when the unpromising renders first came out.
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i definitely appreciate your generous and optimistic reading of this building. At some point we’re all going to have to live with this building and accept that it is indeed in fact here to stay. But try as I might I just can’t find any redeeming quality. Its last hope is a bustling bar/restaurant.
 
RandomWalk said:
The irony of the history behind the Porter shopping center is so very Cambridge.
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Do tell, please.

Quick search results: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_Square
The 1952 construction of the center replaced the sprawling Rand Estate (photo around 1900)

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This was the 2nd train station built in 1897. It was behind the Lovell block on Mass. Ave and was eventually demolished to make way for a parking lot for the adjacent Sears Roebuck store. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_station

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The last of the Rands died in 1950, and she hoped to preserve the estate as a park. I believe it was offered it to the city with an endowment, and the city took a pass on it.
Today, many Cantabrigians would probably love to invent a time machine just to slap their predecessors silly.
 
RandomWalk said:
It’s better looking than Alucobond or Hardiboard. Although, after a few seasons of weathering it might look like trash.
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Actually…it appears to be concrete board. So I guess at least it will last a long time. Super heavy material…this little piece alone must weigh 5+ lbs.
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They're calling 105/103 Washington "Mallard Square". I have no idea where that name came from, but some of the other neighbors and I were joking it's named for the family of ducks that got stuck in the foundation during construction and had to be rescued by the fire department.
 
erom said:
They're calling 105/103 Washington "Mallard Square". I have no idea where that name came from, but some of the other neighbors and I were joking it's named for the family of ducks that got stuck in the foundation during construction and had to be rescued by the fire department.
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Almost definitely a reference to Somerville's Duck Village, but Duck Village is on the other side of Union SQ.
 
Oh interesting, I'd never heard of Duck Village - when I used to work in that neighborhood everyone called it Beaconville (with Beacon x Washington being "Beaconville Square").
 
At Central and Highland - all four stores have been Demo’d. I believe a cannabis shop has been permitted to fill the whole space. I assume Dunkin is staying.

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The auto body shop at Medford and Walnut is getting completely torn down. I asked the police officer nearby if he knew anything coming next, he said he thought he heard condos (of course) but wasn’t for sure. The property directly abuts the community path, not to mention is about a block from the Gilman T stop entry behind the high school - primo location.

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Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
The auto body shop at Medford and Walnut is getting completely torn down. I asked the police officer nearby if he knew anything coming next, he said he thought he heard condos (of course) but wasn’t for sure. The property directly abuts the community path, not to mention is about a block from the Gilman T stop entry behind the high school - primo location.

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Probably depends on the insurance payout. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/loca...rville-auto-body-shop-roof-collapses/2412336/
 
The Alpine Street building has been in that state for most of the year, pending approval of VE changes to the plans.
It was sold during construction, and the first set of owners didn’t quite adhere to the plans. The old Faulkner Brothers garage was supposed to repurposed for the base, but they demolished all but back and side walls.
 
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