[ARCHIVED] Harbor Garage Redevelopment | 70 East India Row | Waterfront | Downtown

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Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

czsz said:
Um, but Johnson lived here when he wasn't in CT or NY (they just put the plaque on his old house in Cambridge). And the Palladian windows were an expression of the classical kitsch that was tres chic at the time. Thankfully Johnson actually knew how to do pomo professionally; you can't ever really take those windows seriously. Stern's miniature State House dome on Boylston St., on the other hand, looks like a cartoon.
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Thank you. The dude was a douche but he knew what he was doing.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

The comments on boston.com are some of the most ridiculous comments I've ever seen in my life. These aren't some 12 year old cursing like its xbox and offending everyone they can: I was reading an article on the decriminalization of MJ and some guy was saying that people who smoked weed were "hardened criminals" and "should be thrown in the clink" - How people have these thought processes is beyond my comprehension. Don't listen to the pyschos on boston.com.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Mike said:


Nearly all of the lost parking spaces would be replaced in an underground garage, Chiofaro said.
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Oh thank heavens!
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

The two underground levels of that garage are leased/deeded to the residents of Harbor Towers. All of those spaces would have to be replaced in any redevelopment.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Aren't they condos? I think they would have to buy out every unit before they could redevelop them. Unless there is something in the condo agreement.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Actually, I don't really care for International Place. The only thing I like is the entrance on the Greenway. The circus tent-esque tops are rediculous (also they're about the only thing I can see from my roof deck, and they're lit up too bright to ignore). Harbor Towers on the other hand, I really like (although the private swimming pool could/should go).
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Harbor Towers shouldn't be knocked down..however I think it would be a great idea to redevelop the base of the towers.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I kinda like the Harbor Towers, though they suffer the same problems of concrete construction of their time. I also don't think, given how the two towers are positioned, that any new towers would be a detriment.

I also think that the two adjacent Greenway Parcels here should be developed. You don't need a park across the street from another park!
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

The comments on boston.com are some of the most ridiculous comments I've ever seen in my life. These aren't some 12 year old cursing like its xbox and offending everyone they can: I was reading an article on the decriminalization of MJ and some guy was saying that people who smoked weed were "hardened criminals" and "should be thrown in the clink" - How people have these thought processes is beyond my comprehension. Don't listen to the pyschos on boston.com.
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When the Globe reported that Out of Town News might close, all the comments were in the vein of "serves those Cambridge libruls right!"

Are all the online Globe commenters just spammers who work at the Herald (or are they just, specifically, Howie Carr?)

Actually, I don't really care for International Place. The only thing I like is the entrance on the Greenway.
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You mean with the giant gothic lanterns that look like they were stripped from the gauche McMansion of a 1980s Dallas oil exec?

Harbor Towers looks like the PROJECTS that were built in the 70's.
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Jesus no. T your ass down to Jackson Square and look at the manifest cheapness of real projects. Harbor Towers look like high quality construction by comparison. They remind me of the high-density portions of Canadian cities more than Cabrini Green.

I also think that the two adjacent Greenway Parcels here should be developed. You don't need a park across the street from another park!
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Normally I'd agree, but we wouldn't have had the Public Garden if this rule had been followed as a general principle.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

czsz said:
Normally I'd agree, but we wouldn't have had the Public Garden if this rule had been followed as a general principle.
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The Public Garden/Common is different as they act as one entity (the same could be said for the two North End parks on the Greenway). Having a nice park like the one at Harbor Towers or Columbus Park across the street from a glorified highway median is different.

But this is a discussion for another thread.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

czsz said:
You mean with the giant gothic lanterns that look like they were stripped from the gauche McMansion of a 1980s Dallas oil exec?
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I think they look more like they were ripped off of Mt. Doom, and yes, I do like them (maybe I listened to too much heavy metal as a kid).
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

The lanterns are a replica of those on the BPL...my understanding is that this was part of the design philosophy employed by Philip Johnson in the design: PoMo whimsy...note the varied neo classical windows on some of the facades.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I actually like IP. I think Rowes Wharf and IP are good signature pieces that defines Boston. Just look TV show Boston Legal.

Philip Johnson Design was priceless.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I really don't understand the fight against height here, unless the FAA opposes it.

I had the old 60s drawings from the original three Harbor Towers plan. The third tower was taller and wider than the two existing towers.

I think Harbor Towers are ugly as prominent gateway buildings to the harbor. As repetitive, concrete, in-the-background structures, they'd be fine.

Many people in the know don't hate International Place (IP) or even Philip Johnson's design. Their contempt seems aimed at Chiofaro, the man. It comes from old wounds. That man has cultivated some serious derision. I liked the man. I'll say no more. Said too much already.

I think most of those critical about IP got on the Palladian window, gaudy, Dynasty-era, POMO hating bandwagon and really have nothing reasonable or unique to say about why the entire complex of the IP buildings' designs offend them. As somebody else said, it was a product of its time. Let's learn from that and not do it again.

Johnson did say some famous quote, I cannot recall it exactly, that he did what was asked of him and designed an amount of space in a manner that had no business being in that location.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I didn't like the Int'l Place windows at first, but I've grown to accept them over time.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

The 2 kinds of people that seem to hate IP most are architectural snobs and anti-dvelopment types. Fortunately I am neither and therefore have always loved IP. I think it rivals Liberty Place in Philly. So there, I said it.

And I can't believe there is any fear of height or anything that would ruin the precious black hole of the greenway. My guess is that most of you have doubt that anything iconic or tall would even get approved, so you're just saying these things so that you don't feel let down later.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

I don't want something as high as the Harbor Towers. Monoliths where nothing goes in and nothing comes out.

Rowes Wharf is dense; it's borderline successful. It goes, what, 20-stories?

Higher than that for the Aquarium garage, and I'd be disappointed. Not the right place for something like that.
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

IP is one of the very, very few PoMo buildings I really, really, really like. Did Johnson do the BHH at the same time (was BHH part of the IP development)? They look almost identical.

I'm really angry at Streetview right now, instead of giving me beautiful panoramic Greenway vistas, I get to look at the tile in the tunnel...
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

Rowe's Wharf is "borderline" successful? It may not be perfect but I think most people would deem it an absolute success. What about it do you object to?
 
Re: New tower at Aquarium parking garage.

It blocks off the Harborwalk in an intimidating way so that most people feel as though the walk stops there, when in reality it goes all the way to South Boston ... and beyond.
 
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