761-793 Boylston Street | Back Bay

[BronsonShore]

The facades:

https://www.universalhub.com/2021/developer-wants-add-five-new-floors-some-three

BTW, the Crate & Barrel appears to have started life as a very attractive parking garage (h/t to lostnewengland.com):

 

[whighlander]

BTW, the Crate & Barrel appears to have started life as a very attractive parking garage (h/t to lostnewengland.com):

Great find BronsonShore -- I always enjoy when people can find "lost Boston" pix
A lot of things were different in the Back Bay about 100 years ago -- there were still a couple of stables on Newbury Street

 

[Equilibria]

PNF:

2021-03-09_Project Notification Form (PNF)_761-793 Boylston Street.pdf | Powered by Box

bpda.app.box.com

Seems kind of 70s-ish, but saving the facades is worth it.

 

[stick n move]

Looks good to me.

 

[Bananarama]

Predictably generic.
But at least the street façade is being fully maintained!

 

[stefal]

It will inevitably go through a few revisions being in the Back Bay... Could use a cornice, and a better material/treatment of material for that red-orange part.

 

[393b40]

Yea it's fine. I'd love to see the Capital One building redeveloped at some point. Could be a nice little slim five or six story corner building.

 

[Life Coach Mike]

Height, check. Expansive windows, check. Balconies, check. Brick, too orange...needs more of a brown tone, then the brown trim won't stand out so much. Sufficient respect for old facades, check. I also wish for a cornice of some sort, quiet, yet dignified to finish the top.

 

[Life Coach Mike]

Yea it's fine. I'd love to see the Capital One building redeveloped at some point. Could be a nice little slim five or six story corner building.

I was thinking the same thing...match the height of the white building across the street at the corner (formerly a Sylvester Stallone attempt at a nightclub).

 

[RandomWalk]

So what do folks speculate will be the NABB comments?

 

[Plen-T-Pak]

I was thinking the same thing...match the height of the white building across the street at the corner (formerly a Sylvester Stallone attempt at a nightclub).

What do you mean by "Sylvester Stallone attempt at a nightclub"? This is over my head.

 

[dirtywater]

What do you mean by "Sylvester Stallone attempt at a nightclub"? This is over my head.

He is referring to Planet Hollywood, in which Stallone and others, such as Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and Schwarzenegger, were investors. The building was originally built for Planet Hollywood, but I think the company filed for bankruptcy before the building was occupied and it became a Fidelity Investor Center instead.

 

[BronsonShore]

Yea it's fine. I'd love to see the Capital One building redeveloped at some point. Could be a nice little slim five or six story corner building.

There is no way that any new construction on that spot would have better street-level interaction than what's there now.

 

[cden4]

Needs a stronger cornice and stronger corners, but otherwise ok. I'm just glad they're preserving the existing facades.

 

[DigitalSciGuy]

So what do folks speculate will be the NABB comments?

• it's too modern
• it's too tall
• you're ruining the character of the neighborhood
• can you imagine the shadows this will cast on Newbury Street???
• there's too much density
• where will all these people put their cars?

 

[bbfen]

Am I wrong thinking NABB can comment (as is the right of any private citizen), but they don't actually have jurisdiction? Boylston is outside their veto power, right?

 

[HelloBostonHi]

Am I wrong thinking NABB can comment (as is the right of any private citizen), but they don't actually have jurisdiction? Boylston is outside their veto power, right?

Anything North of Boylston, including this property, is in the Back Bay Architectural District, so it'll at minimum require an approval from The Back Bay Architectural District Commission (BBAC). Unsure about NABB.

 

[fatnoah]

I'll be sad to the C&B go. It was my go-to for furniture when I lived in the area. For heavier pieces, they'd always let me borrow a dolly or some other wheeled contrivance to get it to my place. There aren't many options for simple, attractive, and reasonably affordable furnishings in walking distance.

 

[dirtywater]

Anything North of Boylston, including this property, is in the Back Bay Architectural District, so it'll at minimum require an approval from The Back Bay Architectural District Commission (BBAC). Unsure about NABB.

Yeah. BBAC will have to approve. NABB will have input, but does not have veto power.

 

[eswwaa]

Plan: Back Bay stretch to gain 5 stories, keep historic facades (boston.com)