The Last Empty Lot | 161 Commonwealth Ave | Back Bay

How did this building get approved without some Alucobond content?
 
Looks like somewhere rich people would live

1% All the way

However -- if you put it in the SPID -- totally inappropriate

Indeed almost anywhere by itself -- inappropriate -- its just proper for Comm Ave.
 
^ wow. that almost looks like a re-hab, not new construction.

Found$ -- agree I'm waiting for the episodes of This Old House on Comm Ave with the building team finding a Fitz Henry Lane in the attic for the episode of Antiques Roadshow and Jim Crockett redoing the beds in front for the Victory Garden

It's easy to wax nostalgic about seeing something like this --- but these kinds of buildings must be used with great judiciousness. You can not just locate one of these at random like a drunken reveler flinging darts a pub
 
1% All the way

However -- if you put it in the SPID -- totally inappropriate

Indeed almost anywhere by itself -- inappropriate -- its just proper for Comm Ave.

Of course it would be inappropriate by itself in the SPID. That's why there needs to be 1,000.
 
Jim Crockett died years ago. For him to be weeding the beds would quickly make Comm Ave a shrine, mega tourist-destination for the re-incrnates, Lombard St. in spades.

This building is a testament to those trades who, given the opportunity, can still build a building in the old-school way.
 
Jim Crockett died years ago. For him to be weeding the beds would quickly make Comm Ave a shrine, mega tourist-destination for the re-incrnates, Lombard St. in spades.

This building is a testament to those trades who, given the opportunity, can still build a building in the old-school way.

Stel -- I forgot Julia cookin up something in the kitchen and Nohhhhm is buildin a new potting bench for Jim
 
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How come old school brickwork could be built without expansion gaps?
 
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How come old school brickwork could be built without expansion gaps?

Just going off what someone said in the Liberty Mutual thread a year or more back, but it all boils down to moisture: a brick wall that's three-plus bricks deep admits almost no moisture, thus no need to allow for freeze-thaw expansion and contraction, whereas a brick facade is a relatively flimsy thing that admits plenty of moisture...
 
In some places, like here, that's exactly what you want. Applause.

Exactly. Due to restrictions, we're not gonna see any ultra-modern buildings going up here (though it'd be cool to see something like that). They went all-out on the materials and it looks great.
 
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Let's hand the show over to this killer solarium for a minute...

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It's kind of like John Goodman -- a great character actor that manages to steal whatever scene they show up in.

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Anyway

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I thought having steps up to the door with no ramp on a new building was a no no?
 
The building is ADA compliant when you enter from the rear alley, as are most Back Bay brownstones that have undergone rebuilds or renovations.
 

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