115 Federal St. (Winthrop Square)
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BostonSkyGuy
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castevens said:
You're the man CS. Every time I go to the Boston part of the site and see that animated skyline I cringe.
I mean seriously, people who view the skyline rankings must click Boston and think "What the hell, how is this city in/close to the top 50?"
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Patrick
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what skyline ranking?
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BostonSkyGuy
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Patrick
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Hey! I didnt see Portland, maine or Burlington, VT on that list!?!?! what gives?!?! :lol:
I would have to say that having seen both cities many times, boston beats montreal in terms of a skyline. Going into montreal over whatever bridge i always took was pretty breathtaking, but nothing compared to looking in my rearview mirror as i leave boston coming over the zakim ( i think)....the entire mirror fills up with skyscrapers...its pretty cool.
I would have to say that having seen both cities many times, boston beats montreal in terms of a skyline. Going into montreal over whatever bridge i always took was pretty breathtaking, but nothing compared to looking in my rearview mirror as i leave boston coming over the zakim ( i think)....the entire mirror fills up with skyscrapers...its pretty cool.
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BostonSkyGuy
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Patrick said:
I only mentioned the skyline rankings because I assume people view it who are unfamiliar with certain cities (myself included) and then see the Boston rendering and wonder how it's so high in rank.
The skyline ranking to me is kind foolish for a few reasons. You get rewarded by floors, not height. For example the Hancock Tower is 790 Feet, 60 Floors. South Station Tower will be 690 feet, and 40 floors. That's a 100 foot, 20 Story Difference. So based on their criteria that's an extra 150 points. South Station Tower= 50 Points (40-49 stories) and the JHT=200 Points (60-69 stories).
They should really just award it based on feet/meters. Say for every 25 feet you get 10 points or something. I don't know, I just think a "ranking" of skylines is subjective and the way they do it, if someone built 3, 100 story buildings, their skyline would rank higher than Boston's. Three Buildings don't make a skyline to me.
I don't know, I didn't mean to rant, I just find the ranking system humorous. It's at least a fair gauge I guess, but I think it's pretty subjective unless they can figure out a more even way.
And BostonSkyGuy, I have a preliminary skyline picture I'm about to submit.
It's not perfect yet, I'm working on the lighting, because the pictures I took the buildings from were shot on different days with different lighting.
It's not perfect yet, I'm working on the lighting, because the pictures I took the buildings from were shot on different days with different lighting.
KentXie
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Tower money to BRA?By Scott Van Voorhis
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
A rundown garage site Mayor Thomas M. Menino has targeted for a landmark Hub skyscraper could bring in more than $100 million in a sale or lease to a would-be builder, real estate executives said.
But who would control that windfall is far from clear. Critics also question whether any of it might go to critical efforts such as battling crime on Boston?s streets.
A longtime critic of City Hall?s development arm contends the politically powerful Boston Redevelopment Authority is poised to cash in - at the expense of taxpayers across the city.
With bids not due until November, city development officials say it?s too early to answer such questions. Still, the BRA, a semi-independent authority and a central player on the city?s development scene, is
overseeing the sale of the city-owned garage. And the BRA will eventually
take title to the city property, before conveying it to the winning
developer, a spokeswoman acknowledged.
?I don?t want the BRA to be deciding where our money goes,? said Kressel, head of the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods.
Seth Gitell, a spokesman for Menino, insisted that when the money is disbursed, the mayor will see that it goes to worthy civic causes. ?The revenues available will be unencumbered.?
However, the BRA?s track record when it comes to generating cash for city coffers is questionable, Kressel contends. Kressel points to Hayward Place, a key downtown parking lot that the BRA signed over to a developer three years ago for $23 million, with not a dime spent to date.
The Winthrop Square garage could be worth anywhere from $100 million to as much as $300 million, depending on the ultimate size of the project, according to informal estimates by city real estate executives. That value, in turn, has been created in part by Menino?s vocal and public support for a massive skyrise complex there, executives said.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
A rundown garage site Mayor Thomas M. Menino has targeted for a landmark Hub skyscraper could bring in more than $100 million in a sale or lease to a would-be builder, real estate executives said.
But who would control that windfall is far from clear. Critics also question whether any of it might go to critical efforts such as battling crime on Boston?s streets.
A longtime critic of City Hall?s development arm contends the politically powerful Boston Redevelopment Authority is poised to cash in - at the expense of taxpayers across the city.
With bids not due until November, city development officials say it?s too early to answer such questions. Still, the BRA, a semi-independent authority and a central player on the city?s development scene, is
overseeing the sale of the city-owned garage. And the BRA will eventually
take title to the city property, before conveying it to the winning
developer, a spokeswoman acknowledged.
?I don?t want the BRA to be deciding where our money goes,? said Kressel, head of the Alliance of Boston Neighborhoods.
Seth Gitell, a spokesman for Menino, insisted that when the money is disbursed, the mayor will see that it goes to worthy civic causes. ?The revenues available will be unencumbered.?
However, the BRA?s track record when it comes to generating cash for city coffers is questionable, Kressel contends. Kressel points to Hayward Place, a key downtown parking lot that the BRA signed over to a developer three years ago for $23 million, with not a dime spent to date.
The Winthrop Square garage could be worth anywhere from $100 million to as much as $300 million, depending on the ultimate size of the project, according to informal estimates by city real estate executives. That value, in turn, has been created in part by Menino?s vocal and public support for a massive skyrise complex there, executives said.
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BostonSkyGuy
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castevens said:
Great, I can't wait to see it. I'm not going to be so critical of yours, I just thought that the one that's currently up there is a bad representation. Thanks for putting the work into a new one, it seems like a pain in the ass reading the pdf you posted.
And looking at the overhead picture you posted, this building is going to be literally the centerpiece of the skyline. I didn't realize how central it is compared to all the other buildings.
So, if I'm reading this article correctly, it sounds like past deals have not gone the way they were planned and real estate has been left undeveloped while the money is pocketed for something else. Kressel doesn't want any money from the sale of The Winthrop Garage distributed until there is a def finite in place plan as to how it will be used. Well, that seems logical.
They should put the proceeds from the sale of this parcel, and any parcel for that matter into a public trust or endowment fund. That way, the money is protected and earmarked for the public, and a spending policy may be drafted and ratified by different groups. Also, this windfall could benefit the city in perpetuity. I wouldn't want to see all of the proceeds simply flow into the operating budget for the city.
The biggest problem is getting shots of buildings from far enough away that they look like they're straight up-and-down, as opposed to looking at the building from across the street so I'm looking UP at it.
I think it would almost be better just to take all the buildings from one of your panoramic shots.
Right now I'm deciding to just start over and make it perfect, the best one on emporis
I think it would almost be better just to take all the buildings from one of your panoramic shots.
Right now I'm deciding to just start over and make it perfect, the best one on emporis
TheBostonian
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Please share your drafts and imperfect results.
Well I took out all the buildings to start from scratch. I rowed crew through my first year of undergrad for Northeastern University, and I wanted to show Boston's great crew tradition (Head of the Charles, Harvard, NU, BU, etc) so I added a shell, plus a bunch of sailboats like those BU sailboats the clutter the head of the Charles River Basin
(btw I use clutter as a good word, I personally love it)
(btw I use clutter as a good word, I personally love it)
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BostonSkyGuy
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castevens said:...would have been nice to show you what I was talking about:
That's already better than what's up there. I love the skull team boat, I was looking at some other cities and noticed that the artist (probably someone from the area) added their own touches like the boat and wondered what we could add in the water area to make it uniquely Boston and you've nailed it. I'm impressed, If the buildings are as good as the water view, you're my new hero.
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