Allston-Brighton Infill and Small Developments

In other news, the latest Mt Vernon project:
13363715733_9255ef659f_c.jpg
 
Thanks for the pic, Matthew. Is the white on the facade behind the blue crane the final finish or is that just insulation/weatherproofing? Or wait...is the brown the final finish?
 
I don't recall. Brown maybe, since that would be closer to the other projects.
 
Harold Brown plans $200k upgrade to Twin Donuts in Brighton

win Donuts, a 1950s-era landmark and long-serving restaurant in Allston’s Union Square, will undergo a major face lift this spring, compliments of renowned Boston developer Harold Brown.

Brown's company, The Hamilton Co., purchased the 3,212-square-foot property at 501 Cambridge St. for $250,000 in 1985, and now plans to spend about $200,000 to renovate the building. The project is expected to include a new 1950s-period facade.

“The property is a gateway to Union Square and it’s the first thing people see when they come to Allston,” said Brown, Hamilton’s chairman and CEO. “The Twin Donuts sign has become an icon in the neighborhood, like the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square, and we think it's time for some improvements."

Smara Tilkin, the architect on the project, said the restoration is being done to coincide with Hamilton Co.’ s 60th anniversary this year. The doughnut shop will remain open during the renovation, which is expected to start next month and will take six weeks to complete.

Brown, 89, has long had a soft-spot for doughnuts. Before he founded his real estate company, Brown was the owner/operator of three doughnut shops in Greater Boston in the 1940s including one in Cambridge's Central Square Cambridge, Somerville's Davis Square and another in Illinois. Brown sold the properties, then known as “Brown’s Food Shops,” when he was called into military service during the Korean conflict.

“Twin Donuts is very dear to Harold,” said Carl Valeri, Hamilton’s president. “He loves the location, the concept and the service it provides.”

The shop is leased from Hamilton and operated by Sou Pang, who bought the business from the previous owners with her late husband in 2001.
Click to expand...

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/r...-brown-plans-200k-upgrade-to-twin-donuts.html
 
Interesting. Those suburban "gas station-like" retail buildings in Union Square are terrible. Sadly, redevelopment would thoroughly destroy the business as it is. :/

It looks like his company is going to build the 40 Malvern street project with 48 units. Unless some "community objection" comes out of the blue (sigh), but nothing unreasonable has come up so far, not even at preliminary meetings.
 
Where's marty mcfly and his hoverboard?

0321twindonutsrendering1.jpg


Polishing the stainless and putting some glass brick under the windows is nice. Everything else is Sonic on steroids.
 
Interesting proposal...it seems Mr. Brown is sensing his time is nearly up and feels like throwing a couple hundred thousand of his dollars away over a purely emotional venture. I mean, the building isn't in that bad of shape, is it? And he doesn't stand to make a penny more in rent off Twin Donuts, does he?

I'd much prefer we see Davem's idea take root here (for a split second your render had me fooled, Dave) but hey...who the hell am I to pooh pooh an aging man with money to burn and a gleam in his eye.
 
anyone know why they're clearing this land ? its off the off/on ramp to the Mass Pike Harvard owns it I believe?
 
On Thursday, March 13, 2014 12:51 PM, "Brophy, Patrick" <patrick_brophy@harvard.edu> wrote:
An update on CSX property operations:
Under the arrangement(s) of the real estate transaction between Harvard University and CSX Transportation (CSXT), testing and evaluation must occur on the former ROMAR property at 100 Western Avenue prior to the remediation and ultimate transfer of that parcel to Harvard University.
As part of the plan to prepare the site for future use, and because of its proximity to the Spangler Parking lot at the Harvard Business School (HBS), CSXT and its contractors will be installing injection and extraction wells in the Spangler parking lot over a three (3) week period beginning Monday, March 17 and ending on Thursday, April 3, 2014. To accommodate this work, a number of parking spaces will be blocked in the lot each day. The highest volume of this work will be done during the HBS Spring Break to minimize impact on the community as much as possible.
Upon completion of this preliminary work, a two foot by two foot (2’X 2’) steel cover will be secured over each well, level with the ground surface.
 
Edit: ^^^Mr Mattison explains the activity quite well.
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That is Harvard-owned land. There were trucking company warehouses there. Trucking company has moved west, with CSX having closed its Allston freight yards.

Picture of the area when the freight company was there.
http://www.romartrans.com/locations/boston/

Harvard intends to use part of the site as a conference hotel, but that's not immediate. Demolition removes a potential hazard, as there was no plan to maintain the buildings.
 
stellarfun said:
Edit: ^^^Mr Mattison explains the activity quite well.
________________________________________
That is Harvard-owned land. There were trucking company warehouses there. Trucking company has moved west, with CSX having closed its Allston freight yards.

Picture of the area when the freight company was there.
http://www.romartrans.com/locations/boston/

Harvard intends to use part of the site as a conference hotel, but that's not immediate. Demolition removes a potential hazard, as there was no plan to maintain the buildings.
Click to expand...
that's a lot of developable land there in that pic!
 
Great pix, kz. Nice to see the new development and increased density in this area. The architecture isn't half bad either.

kz1000ps said:
13634255794_ca9fc6cee8_b.jpg
Click to expand...

I hate this canopy condition so much. The single support looks absolutely ridiculous.
 
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