Pinnacle at Central Wharf (Harbor Garage) | 70 East India Row | Waterfront | Downtown

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stellarfun said:
I think it is a very attractive solution for a difficult site.
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I am pleasantly surprised that you are not still stumping against this project. Maybe I was wrong about your overall motivations here.

Now let's just hope it's economically feasible to build it!
 
Anybody know of Mark Sandman from the Cambridge/Boston-based band Morphine? He played a 3-string bass guitar, he removed the other strings (and removed the guitar completely from the band). Why limit himself to only 3 strings? Because he felt that creative people are more creative when boxed in. Give an artist 128 colors and they can do a lot, but limit them to 4 and see what they come up with. It changes how the mind works and our very approach to creativity. His explanation for removing strings from his bass stuck with me.

I feel like the crazy confines of this site created the same effect - it forced a level of creativity on Chiofaro Company and KPF that really shines through here. I can't wait to land at Logan airport and see this standing sentry over the harbor. While One Dalton mars the Back Bay skyline with it's harsh, unfinished/uncrowned stub-top look, this design creates a real statement from the ground level, through its mid-levels, and all the way up to its unique crown.

The design finds that elusive line between dazzling and demure. This may be the first truly great piece of architecture over 500 feet since... well... I guess we could all fight about the end of that statement. Big win for Boston. Exciting!
 
Mike02125 said:
Anybody know of Mark Sandman from the Cambridge/Boston-based band Morphine? He played a 3-string bass guitar, he removed the other strings (and removed the guitar completely from the band). Why limit himself to only 3 strings? Because he felt that creative people are more creative when boxed in. Give an artist 128 colors and they can do a lot, but limit them to 4 and see what they come up with. It changes how the mind works and our very approach to creativity. His explanation for removing strings from his bass stuck with me.

I feel like the crazy confines of this site created the same effect - it forced a level of creativity on Chiofaro Company and KPF that really shines through here. I can't wait to land at Logan airport and see this standing sentry over the harbor. While One Dalton mars the Back Bay skyline with it's harsh, unfinished/uncrowned stub-top look, this design creates a real statement from the ground level, through its mid-levels, and all the way up to its unique crown.

The design finds that elusive line between dazzling and demure. This may be the first truly great piece of architecture over 500 feet since... well... I guess we could all fight about the end of that statement. Big win for Boston. Exciting!
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Yea, its definitely nice, but unfortunately 0% of buildings over 500ft are built as first... 2nd and 3rdly proposed. Im interested to see what we end up with.
 
Mike02125 said:
This may be the first truly great piece of architecture over 500 feet since... well... I guess we could all fight about the end of that statement.
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Millennium Tower? - Maybe, if you ignore the unfinished roof, which from many views is hard to ignore...
1 Dalton? - The tower itself is better than the location or the ground level. Loses points for still being unfinished, and the lack of lighting. But... probably? From the West it blows my mind.
Bulfinch Residential? - I don't know about great, let alone truly great, but it's definitely solid and a relatively original design/facade treatment.
Hub Office Tower? - Too soon to tell, but truly great is a stretch and a half. I think it will be pretty good.
Winthrop Square? - NOT GREAT.
Bulfinch Office? - Certainly has potential to be great.
South Station Tower? - NOT GREAT.

In short, maybe Millennium Tower, probably 1 Dalton, likely Bulfinch Office Tower. I think we can all agree that we are doing pretty well these last few years!
 
DZH22 said:
Millennium Tower? - Maybe, if you ignore the unfinished roof, which from many views is hard to ignore...
1 Dalton? - The tower itself is better than the location or the ground level. Loses points for still being unfinished, and the lack of lighting. But... probably? From the West it blows my mind.
Bulfinch Residential? - I don't know about great, let alone truly great, but it's definitely solid and a relatively original design/facade treatment.
Hub Office Tower? - Too soon to tell, but truly great is a stretch and a half. I think it will be pretty good.
Winthrop Square? - NOT GREAT.
Bulfinch Office? - Certainly has potential to be great.
South Station Tower? - NOT GREAT.

In short, maybe Millennium Tower, probably 1 Dalton, likely Bulfinch Office Tower.
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I think my biggest issue with Millennium Tower is that angular roof thing shape is such a gimmick that it's popped up in almost every major global city. It's just so... generic. For me, One Dalton commands such an important place in our skyline that there's no excuse for it to be so basic and unfinished - especially at night. What a waste. The side view of South Station Tower is a big fat visual stain. Bulfinch Office Tower has a possibility to be special, I agree on that one. And I know this makes me 'bad at architecture' but I still love the Federal Reserve ladder.

This building has the possibility to be something special. Let's hope the Boston-process doesn't Boston-it-down to just another Boston-blah.
 
stick n move said:
Yea, its definitely nice, but unfortunately 0% of buildings over 500ft are built as first... 2nd and 3rdly proposed. Im interested to see what we end up with.
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So much like 50 Sudbury, the building so incredibly edifies its surroundings.
The key feature for the tenants has always been the stunning, 360 views.
But i question if this is a place holder, because the sexy, pleats would seem to crop the horizontal visual range.
That's not desirable.
 
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Vulvic and phallic at the same time; a blossoming choad
 
Seems like the usual bait and switch. The previous design was much nicer, but probably just existed to get through some approvals.
 
Comments are fun. It's either so great that there's no way it will get built or just plain terrible and should never have even been proposed.
And no, not new here. Just seems more extreme than usual.

tangent said:
Seems like the usual bait and switch. The previous design was much nicer, but probably just existed to get through some approvals.
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Can't tell if this is sarcasm or just completely misplaced.
What previous design was nicer? The 2009 version? It didn't receive any approvals.
Any version you've seen between then and this weren't even allowed to be submitted much less receive any approvals.
The previous designs were all before the MHP set new rules for what was allowed on this site so they aren't even comparable as none of them would be allowed.
 
This is design is horrible. I wished the original 2 towers with the connecting roof was going to be built or something along that design. Hopefully this at least gets modified into something that looks great from the harbor.
 
Equilibria said:
I believe 600 feet is the hard cap. It's probably why the crown looks so low-profile.
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Equilibria -- the recently filed PNF gives 585 for highest occupied level and 600 for the "architectural top" -- that suggests maybe there are things touching 610 to 615?
anyway -- 500 plus pages of details of everything you would and might could possibly want to know -- except When

Harbor Garage Redevelopment | Boston Planning & Development Agency

Learn about the BPDA's development review process, view information about development projects in the BPDA approval pipeline, and learn how you can get involved.
www.bostonplans.org www.bostonplans.org
2020-01-22_Project Notification Form (PNF)_Harbor Garage Redevelopment.pdf
bpda.app.box.com

2020-01-22_Project Notification Form (PNF)_Harbor Garage Redevelopment.pdf | Powered by Box

bpda.app.box.com bpda.app.box.com

I'm guessing there is some suggestion to daDon and Jr that this will happen during this cycle -- the cost of producing the PNF itself must be several million $ with all the hundreds of pages of traffic studies, etc.
 
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I see hints of International Place, the Library Tower in LA and the tobasco bottle we'll be getting at South Station.
 
Let's put it this way -- the Taxiing View from Logan is going to be "Mahvelous"

The existing view is dominated by mostly lowish stuff in the foreground with the Financial District behind and above and the distant Back Bay Towers.

Now -- we will add a companion to the Customs House right on the water as well several others close enough to be seen nearly top to bottom -- new State Street, South Station and Winthrop with a clump of others near North Station
 
whighlander said:
The existing view is dominated by mostly lowish stuff in the foreground with the Financial District behind and above and the distant Back Bay Towers.
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And that's exactly the way it should remain. I stand by what I said before, a tower of this size should not be standing at waters wedge, it should be on the other side of the Greenway.

For what its worth, I am impress with the design. Don and his team did a good job. Lots of rave reviews here.
 
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