Toby -- I used to like Bromfield Street when it had the camera shops, pen shops and watch repair places -- but those are mostly gone with the rise of Amazon and Iphones
Now it just seems run down and ready for some serious revitalization -- a slim tower right on Washington with a nice human sidewalk interface both to Washington and Bromfield might be a stimulant for the rest of the street to rise again
No question they've thinned out, which is too bad. You are right that the Sherman's/City Sports building is a blight. Where I disagree with folks on the other side of the matter is whether a tower is good for the street.
As for "fixes" for "DTX", this corner wouldn't even be on a list of fixes, which would include addressing the brutalist Woolworths, the ocean liner called Macy's, the declining Corner Mall, the "Barnes and Noble" vacancy, St Anthony's Shrine, the nasty little Utile/7-11 tree stump, homelessness, the stink of urine...and on and on.
I'll look forward to seeing the drawings nonetheless!
No question they've thinned out, which is too bad. You are right that the Sherman's/City Sports building is a blight. Where I disagree with folks on the other side of the matter is whether a tower is good for the street.
As for "fixes" for "DTX", this corner wouldn't even be on a list of fixes, which would include addressing the brutalist Woolworths, the ocean liner called Macy's, the declining Corner Mall, the "Barnes and Noble" vacancy, St Anthony's Shrine, the nasty little Utile/7-11 tree stump, homelessness, the stink of urine...and on and on.
I'll look forward to seeing the drawings nonetheless!
I don't get the love for Bromfield Street. There are numerous retail spaces that have been vacant on that street for at least a decade now. It could use some new life and could be so much better than it is.
I think we just have different concepts of what we consider to be good urbanisim.
Empty store fronts and downmarket tenants are temporary conditions. Demolition is permanent.
Both the West End and the North End were complete and utter shitholes when the West End was razed. Do people regret not razing the North End?
Darwinism works on cities too. Buildings are born or die, for better or for worse, based on an inescapable market evolution whether up or down. Bromfield right now has lots of escalating economic pressure on it and soon enough something will have to give.
Darwinism works on cities too. Buildings are born or die, for better or for worse, based on an inescapable market evolution whether up or down. Bromfield right now has lots of escalating economic pressure on it and soon enough something will have to give.