Atlantic Wharf (née Russia Wharf) | Atlantic Ave | Waterfront

Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Ron Newman said:
The Big Dig and Silver Line tunnel projects had this area tied up in construction during much of the last economic boom. Didn't the Channel club get closed and taken by eminent domain for one or both of those projects?
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The land the Channel club was on was taken by CAT/Tunnel (casting basin, I-90 construction) and then returned to Gillette in the early years of the 21st century. There was no forward motion in the years that followed, prior to the current economic downturn.

I'm not saying the climate isn't ripe for progress, given the level of public investment, rezoning, and tax breaks considered for development of this parcel. But I'm saying it has gone through many, many booms and remains a parking lot.

I doubt it will be developed until it is first sold by P&G to a new owner.

Ron Newman said:
is that the Stone & Webster building, between South Station and the Post Office?
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Right. The former Stone & Webster is now owned by Fidelity. The rehab was approved by the BRA while walling off an entire block, with a sign in the middle (at a locked door) that says something like "use entrance at South Station end of building." The restaurants inside can only be accessed from one end of the building, and only by people who have cleared security. It's a stunning failure of urban design principles, but not the first. The BRA has routinely approved projects that wall off entire City blocks -- another egregious example is at 300 A Street.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Besides the Channel club, what was on the Channel parking lots before they were parking lots?
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

In the early 1800's, rights to create this parcel in Boston Harbor were passed from the public trust to private enterprise. The land was filled by BWCo. somewhere around 1850.

In the early 20th century, a number of wooden structures populated the site. I believe some of the rail tracks moving through Fort Point both toward Fan Pier and toward the Fort Point Channel also traversed the site. A railway bridge over the Channel on the site existed at Mount Washington St., toward South Station. Some discussions about rebuilding a pedestrian bridge at the Mt. Washington Street location are raised every few years.

Gillette bought the parcel and a few adjacent buildings from BWCo. in the mid-2000's, before Gillette was acquired by P&G. At the time, Gillette was considering building a corporate headquarters on the site.

Gillette/P&G is building a public touch-and-go dock at the seawall of the Channel parcel, as part of mitigation agreements for completion and restoration after the CAT/Tunnel project (Harborwalk was another negotiated amenity). CAT/Tunnel provided infrastructure improvements upon restoration of the site. I think work on the dock commences this year.
 
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Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Thanks. What is a 'touch-and-go dock' ? Did Gillette tear any of BWCo's buildings down?
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Touch-and-go means that you can drop off and pick up your friends without someone yelling to get the hell off their property. If I'm not mistaken, the next closest touch-and-go dock anywhere on the coastline allowing public dropoff is in Dorchester. All others have been privatized and/or have limitations on public access (Courthouse). To boaters, myself included, this is a big deal, as it is to paddlers who will be able to put in at the Fort Point dock.

Gillette bought the property from BWCo. well after all the structures had been torn down. I remember the Channel itself as a nightclub and for a short time as a strip club before it was razed somewhere in the latter part of the 1990's.

*** NOTE: I corrected an error in the earlier post regarding the year of Gillette's purchase of the BWCo. parcel. It was somewhere around 2005, not mid-1990's. The Channel was razed before that purchase. ***
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Thanks, Sicilian. I had wondered if there used to be more blocks of brick warehouses -- I guess not. What were the wooden buildings used for?
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

A few brick buildings were demolished over the years, mainly at the edges of the district, none on that particular parcel.

One notable brick building that came down for CAT/Tunnel I-90 stood on the A Street side of the street. The lions of sandstone (or similar) that adorned the main entrance of that building were mounted by CAT in the park on Wormwood Street.

I think the wooden structures served a variety of uses, as did most of the brick buildings in Fort Point. The area served not only for wharf-related business, but also an array of light industrial uses, manufacturing, glassmaking, and the predominate use for many buildings was in the processing of wool. Summer Street was renown as "Wool Row" in the early and mid-20th century, when Fort Point was an international hub of wool trade. The factory buildings along Wormwood were a wide mix of uses.

For the landmarking of Fort Point, the Boston Landmark Commission hired a consultant to write a Landmark District Study Report. It is a phenominal document, not available online. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Fort Point history.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

One notable brick building that came down for CAT/Tunnel I-90 stood on the A Street side of the street
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was that Rapid Service Press? I recall that very few buildings were torn down for the Big Dig but this was one of them.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I don't recall Rapid Service Press, but just Googled it and found a postcard image with a reference.

http://cgi.ebay.com/South-Boston-Broadway-Bridge-Rapid-Service-Press-old-pc-/200567614923

There were quite a few 4C color shops on A Street in Fort Point ? including one I remember named CGI on lower A Street that was Boston's premiere Scitex operator.

As I remember, the brick building on the USPS parcel that was demolished for I-90 was called "House of Bianchi," after the name of a wedding dress retailer on the groundfloor. It's possible a second building next to House of Bianchi was also demolished for I-90. You may remember a wooden restaurant called Deli Zioso on the corner of the USPS parcel, kitty corner from the A Street Deli. That building was demolished for CAT/Tunnel at some point around year 2000 but it was fairly modern construction so no one blinked.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

^Ron

Here's another image of the Rapid Service Press building at the west end of the Broadway Bridge (on the Boston side, not South Boston). It's roughly a mile from the I-90 tunnel and A Street parcel(s) we were discussing earlier.

This building was apparently demolished for Southeast Expressway construction to accommodate CAT/Tunnel changes.

bO9Z3.png
 
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Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

It's very sad when Atlantic Wharf is the most exciting development in the city.

Can't wait to see what Boston ends up looking like 20 or 30 years.
My prediction is the city of Boston will end up turning into an entire college campus in pretty much every location.

A couple 600ft Skyscrapers built.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

BostonYoureMyHome said:
Animation of the new BSA headquarters in the bottom:
http://www.bustler.net/index.php/ar...esign_new_boston_society_of_architects_headq/
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It's nice to see that when a large percentage of their members are out of or underemployed that the BSA decided it was the best time to build out lavish new office space. I'm sure the membership is going to thoroughly enjoy this expenditure for new and soon to be rapidly dated space. It's not like their dues could have been used to actually help the membership in need. Hell, in a few years when the rent on a waterfront space skyrockets, I'm sure the same members that were ignored during the recession are going to be very willing to fork over increased dues to maintain the space.

Heckuva job gentlemen!
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

"It's called a touch-and-go."

I'm used to calling these places "kiss-and-go".

But whatever you do in the privacy of your own car is your business ...
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Lurker said:
It's nice to see that when a large percentage of their members are out of or underemployed that the BSA decided it was the best time to build out lavish new office space. I'm sure the membership is going to thoroughly enjoy this expenditure for new and soon to be rapidly dated space. It's not like their dues could have been used to actually help the membership in need. Hell, in a few years when the rent on a waterfront space skyrockets, I'm sure the same members that were ignored during the recession are going to be very willing to fork over increased dues to maintain the space.

Heckuva job gentlemen!
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My guess is the Boston Society of Architects has been given the space for free or heavily subsidized.

This "Slipstream Public Exchange" is the outcome of a 5-year planning process through which the Boston Redevelopment Authority trumpeted it was requiring the creation of an array of world class facilities on ground floors of all waterfront buildings, destined to rival world-class cities from Hamburg to Sydney. Individuals can decide for themselves if this is a "world-class" destination.

The word "public" is itself used 10 times in the description of the BSA space. The BSA must keep up their end of the bargain, offering some type of attraction to visitors, in order to justify occupying the substantial space.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Sicilian said:
My guess is the Boston Society of Architects has been given the space for free or heavily subsidized.

This "Slipstream Public Exchange" is the outcome of a 5-year planning process through which the Boston Redevelopment Authority trumpeted it was requiring the creation of an array of world class facilities on ground floors of all waterfront buildings, destined to rival world-class cities from Hamburg to Sydney. Individuals can decide for themselves if this is a "world-class" destination.

The word "public" is itself used 10 times in the description of the BSA space. The BSA must keep up their end of the bargain, offering some type of attraction to visitors, in order to justify occupying the substantial space.
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Somehow I think the city will want the hefty tax revenue from a waterfront restaurateur in that location, in about a decade or so, over some architects' museum to ego. I also doubt any new owner of the property is going to appreciate losing a highly profitable lease space, when the market is no longer depressed, to some pithy agreement with the city. The whole deal is a boondoggle which is going to come back to bite the BSA in the ass.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

^Lurker

To be sure, the property owner ? initially Equity Office, was not going to be taken for a ride, nor was the BRA going to press Equity for a "world class" outcome. They made sure that the "groundfloor faciliites of accomodation" required on the parcel were approved on the 2nd floor. So the actual groundfloor can be the private uses, lobby and retail uses that take advantage of the most profitable spaces.
 
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