Bulfinch Triangle Infill & Small Projects

Canal Street was also quite lively with people during the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
 
whighlander said:
Opportunity is definitely there!

Actually, even during the Big Dig {now referred to as the BIG DUG} -- you heard it first hear / er here -- sorry a bit of a pun -- but I digress again {see the MFA thread -- I think I might have had a bit too much of Christmas Cheer ? if that is possible -- but once again I digress}

This year Canal Street was alive with people {especially in the Summer -- and that was true even though the sports teams had packed up and gone golfing for their respective off seasons {unfortunately no post season for a near generation for either team -- but once a-gain I digress}}

Canal Street ? could be a lot more -- just needs the Greenway to be open and carrying a flux of visitors {both local and tourists}

I think Canal Street can evolve to offer a sort of outdoor food court with a great mix of dining styles -- everything from sit down casual to fine dining, as well as a place to grab a snack or a ?brewski? and recover from the trek up from South to North Station along the Greenway

With the noise and structures of the Expressway and the T gone and buried -- Canal Street has the potential to become the gateway to both the North Station Area {from the Financial District and the North End from the North Station Area}

Westy
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I agree westy - theres really no reason for this not to get a rebirth - cool old pre-war buildings shouldn't be sitting dormant like this.

for as bad as the scar in the middle of the triangle is, has anyone heard of any infill projects on the west (Merrimac st) side? I took an unfortunate walk through the area the other day and was really horrified at the holes. what boggles me is, for as much as people complain about charles river park, shouldn't we make what surrounds it as dense/urban/mixed-use/prewar boston (whatever your fancy) as possible?

and yes, I cut through CRP yesterday on foot for the first time -what a friggin dump...
 
There have been a few in that area over the last decade - the Onyx Hotel and the building that houses Anthem, for example. Some of the lots may be too small to be economically viable for development without merging them with other buildings, which introduces complications. I wonder if the city will step in at some point and turn some into pocket parks.
 
^ No lot is too small for development. Check out some of New York's sliver buildings. Some are forty stories on the footprint of a town house.
 
Well not every building needs to be 40 stories

I think the Bulfinch Triangle in particular ought to stay under 10 stories to provide a transition to the dense-but low Euro-style North End from the North Station area that should be tall and dense

Westy
 
Right. And beyond the issue of scale, there's simply not the insane value of New York real estate to propel such unorthodox projects.
 
Scale adheres to footprint, not height. A sliver building is quite dainty, while many of Bulfinch Triangle's lumps waddle corpulently.
 
Scale only adheres to footprint if you're considering buildings individually, and not the importance of, say, retaining a relatively consistent roofline.

In New York, the streetscape is defined by the erratic roofline. The idea for the Bulfinch Triangle seems to be to maintain a consistent height - a sort of Parisian scale overall.
 
czsz said:
Scale only adheres to footprint if you're considering buildings individually, and not the importance of, say, retaining a relatively consistent roofline.
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That's a separate issue from scale. A building that exactly matches it neighbors' rooflines can be badly out of scale. There's an example in Streetwalls of Paris (the sheer, mirror glass building on the boulevard leading to the Tour Montparnasse).
 
I wouldn't say those are separate issues. That glass building, for example, would be far more offensive if it were taller. At least it maintained some aspect of its surrounds' scale - height being every bit a part of scale, on the neighborhood level.

But I digress. Part of the issue is that the lots in question are smaller than the ones in Manhattan usually are - some can barely squeeze in six cars. How tall would a tower of 500 square foot studios have to be to be profitable? I think a tower of those dimensions might look slightly more comical than the silver on Eighth Ave.
 
Tour Montparnasse is the ultimate atrocity in Paris -- ANY OTHER building that is near to it {almost without limit} is only a minor nuisance by comparison

Since Boston has the height that Paris as the core city lacks -- it is necessary for Boston to be careful in its judicious use. One should cluster height near Transit and along major streets that can handle major traffic.

Thus the original BRA concept of the 'High Spine" {circa Kevin White} that would parallel the Turnpike from the Pru on toward South Station {a lot of it on air rights over the Pike} and the natural high density Cluster of Towers in the Financial District, cluster of mid towers around Mass General and similar cluster near Harvard Med..

On the other hand -- No one would tolerate a 40 story tower on Newbury Street let alone Comm Ave. in the middle of the BackBay.

However, a 40 story BU Tower on Comm Ave past Kenmore is ok or even the possible 40-50 stories on the corner of Mass Ave and Boylston adjacent to the Pike {although the T would need beefing-up}. Beyond the Financial District -- City Hall Plaza and the extension to the Congress Street Garage would be an ideal site for a Super Tall.

Similarly a 40 or 50 or even 70 story Tower next to TD Bank North Garden {particularly a slender one {even 80 stories} would be ok -- but you don't want it in the Bulfinch Triangle or even on the other side of Causeway Street on the North End side of Canal Street.

Westy
 
czsz said:
I wouldn't say those are separate issues. That glass building, for example, would be far more offensive if it were taller.
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Not so sure about that. At 50 stories it would register as a monument, and monuments are supposed to be disruptive. That building trumpets it failure by not fitting in --precisely because of and in spite of its toadying height. It's the architectural equivalent of a fart.

How tall would a tower of 500 square foot studios have to be to be profitable? I think a tower of those dimensions might look slightly more comical than the silver on Eighth Ave.
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Not to worry; the economic unviability of such a building half-filled with fire stairs and elevators would eliminate that as a possibility.
 
I dont remember who mentioned the plastic Jersey barriers infront of the Tip O'neil building, (too lazy to search) but they've since been replaced by these gargantuan concrete topiaries and a few concrete benches. it looks really odd, but honestly anything to make the area look less like a construction/combat zone is good enough for me!
 
According to my brother (who works in that monstrosity), all the cement stuff is "anti-terrorism decor."
 
Maybe it is time to split this thread as new projects get closer to construction, like Avenir.
A new neighborhood taking shape around North Station and TD Banknorth Garden is poised to take another big step forward.

Hines Raymond LLC has filed plans with City Hall to build a mid-rise office complex that will feature the first new downtown supermarket in years.

The development team wants to build a 10-story office project that will also include an unusual centerpiece - a 57,000-square-foot Stop & Shop.

The $100 million-plus project is the third plan to move ahead in the so-called Bulfinch Triangle, reclaimed rail and highway land a few blocks from North Station that was freed up after the end of the Big Dig.

A supermarket has been a longstanding demand of residents in both the new condo buildings near North Station and the nearby West End, North End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, said Bob O?Brien, executive director of the Downtown North Association.

O?Brien?s group represents the interests of the new residential enclave taking shape around the North Station rail and entertaiment hub, with 2,000 units already built or in the pipeline.

?The logo for the Bulfinch Triangle is ?live, work and play,? ? O?Brien said. ?It is going to be a very interesting, edgy community that has a tremendous amount of cultural, education and employee resources,? he said.

The proposal, a joint venture between Texas tower builder Hines and the Raymond Cos., a local developer, is the latest in a flurry of new development in the area.

Simpson Housing recently unveiled plans to build a 283-unit apartment and retail complex on another Bulfinch tract, while the Avenir, another Bulfinch apartment high-rise, is slated to open next year.

The Strada, a condo high-rise, opened a few years ago on Causeway Street.

David Perry, a top Hines executive, said he is bullish about the project?s prospects, even in the face of concerns about a possible weakening in the office market. The complex will be pitched at tenants looking for an alternative to expensive downtown tower suites, he said.

The emphasis on office space is relatively new. Hines Raymond originally proposed apartments, but decided to go with offices instead due to the downturn in the residential market, he aid.
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http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/view.bg?articleid=1070504
 
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Does anybody know which parcel this is? On Page 6 of this thread there is a map of all the developable parcels in the Triangle Below Causeway ;-)

Which parcel is this slated for?
 
Another question about this area...
Anyone that frequents this part of town probably knows about the excellent little hole-in-the-wall eatery Mulligan's. Unfortunately they were recently forced to close down and yesterday was their last day of business. According to the people who worked there, Mulligan's was forced out so a Holiday Inn Express can be built. I would imagine the Burger King next door is also slated to be torn out, as it's part of the same half-block building.

Has anyone heard anything about this or have pics, renderings or something concrete? I'm curious what this area may end up like as it has plenty of potential with all the other new developments, the elevated T being torn down a couple years back, and the Garden right there.
 
Does that mean the Mulligan's building would be torn down or renovated?
 
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I'm only an armchair economist, but I have to wonder what Holiday Inn is thinking seeing as how they already have a giant building over by MGH.
 
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