691 Mass Ave | South End

Re: 691 Mass Ave

Truly Amazing

40 years ago an old shell of a building in the South End was going for $5,000

If I' had a $1,000,000 (which of course was a pipe dream) I could of bought about 200 of them

with some shrew horse trading and judicious deal making -- I'b be a billionaire these days

Oh well -- that was a nice dream
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

I walked by this a few days ago and approve of it 100%. It's a great addition to Mass Ave, filling in what was once a critical hole in the streetwall.
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

almost finnish>
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Re: 691 Mass Ave

almost finnish>
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not quite Scandinavian but the color is very similar to a Finnish Spitz though!

I kid! I kid!
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

Excellent shot, 02124 - I think you've captured it extremely well.

Something seems ill-proportioned about the streetscape to me. The sidewalks seem too narrow and unadorned for the heights and density of the buildings here, don't they?
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

whighlander said:
Truly Amazing

40 years ago an old shell of a building in the South End was going for $5,000

If I' had a $1,000,000 (which of course was a pipe dream) I could of bought about 200 of them

with some shrew horse trading and judicious deal making -- I'b be a billionaire these days

Oh well -- that was a nice dream
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No you wouldn't have gotten particularly rich. Every townhouse was a money pit after years of neglect, SRO conversions, and heroin addicts always burning the places down accidentally or intentionally.

Before the uber real estate bubble unrealistically overvalued everything, starting in the mid 1990s, it wasn't a cakewalk to make a profit in this neighborhood restoring old properties.
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

Shepard said:
Something seems ill-proportioned about the streetscape to me. The sidewalks seem too narrow and unadorned for the heights and density of the buildings here, don't they?
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They are too narrow, and note the lack of trees.
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

jass said:
They are too narrow, and note the lack of trees.
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They cut the sidewalks back for traffic years ago which totally destroyed the grand feel of the Georgian square that was there. It's my pipe dream (among many others) that one day they repair the street by eliminating a traffic lane or two.
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

jass said:
They are too narrow, and note the lack of trees.
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The Mass Ave rehab project might bring some trees. The sidewalks are being redone.

This side of Mass Ave also has that great offset linear park a couple blocks away from here too.
 
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Re: 691 Mass Ave

My pipe dream would be to entirely restore Chester Square, and move the traffic and buses over to Northampton, Lenox, and other parallel streets. (As it was before Chester Square was ruined.)
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

Thats quite the narrow sidewalk
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

I was referring to the buildings. I actually think the planters are a minor weak spot. I would have liked to see some kind of ornamental metal fencing -- but contemporary -- consistent with the rest of the South End. They're conspicuously incongruous without them. Also looks sort of rinky-dink, IMO.
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

^ agree,still nice to se this gap finally filled! Now if the Alexander Building down the street is renovated,Mass. ave will have come along way since I arrived here in the early 80's
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

It is amazing how much of a difference the missing stoops make.

High wrought iron fences might help by adding a little height to the front of the building but it will still look a little off.

A small price to pay for fairness in accessibility, I guess.
 
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Re: 691 Mass Ave

In this case I agree with the use of flowers beds over fencing as a setback. The flower beds are subtle elements of separation, whereas a fence would have turned this into a fortress.
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

briv said:
What a gorgeous stretch of street. They hit the bull's eye with this one.
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I still think it's an eyesore. My eyes have adjusted a bit to the color, and I think it'll look better with a little bit of wear & tear...but I still can't get over the pattern of the terra cotta.

However Boston02124 has done a great job of making it look presentable in those pictures. Nice shots.

P.S. The terra cotta is just a skin, so theoretically they could change the color/pattern in the future, correct?
 
Re: 691 Mass Ave

thanks^ they're only drive-by shots(I was a passenger,before someone gives me shit) :)
 
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