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

Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Look at those 1st three pictures and tell me the facadectomy was a bad idea.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I walked past this tonight and was wondering what on earth they were thinking with the massive light on top. Ugly as sin and completely out of place in the skyline.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

statler said:
Look at those 1st three pictures and tell me the facadectomy was a bad idea.
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That building, the Peabody & Stearns, was not a facadectomy. It was, for the most part, preserved. The other two were facadectomies. This doesn't change the sentiment of your post, which I agree with, whatsoever.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

@ Jass really like the last pix of Fan Pier,seeing it with the floors lit up at night change's the building abit,and make's a nice reflection on the channel. yesterday>
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Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

jass said:
Based on the lights, this building filled up FAST. As did the retail.
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And yet ONE Marina Park Drive is still half empty, despite opening a year before.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

datadyne007 said:
And yet ONE Marina Park Drive is still half empty, despite opening a year before.
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I think this was due to the fact that Wellington planned and rented space in this building before it was finished. Did Fan Pier have a major tenant as it was going up?
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

KentXie said:
I think this was due to the fact that Wellington planned and rented space in this building before it was finished. Did Fan Pier have a major tenant as it was going up?
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I thought there was a bunch of chat on this board because it was built on pure speculation. I don't believe there was an anchor tenant for the building.

Anyways, this building is a huge success. The facadectomy works, the materials are all good...it's just a very good project.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Asked before completion, and asked again...

Does a modern building standing in strong contrast to its base, especially one with such starkly sloped faces really benefit from additional adornments including:

1. Multi-colored LED uplighting
2. Cocktail sword shaped spire, diminutive in scale
3. Large white grids over both sides
4. Bright white cap

I'd suggest these flourishes are what generally define "gaudy" (no pun intended) and often distinguish bad art. My guess is that these elements were added to an original design by the property owner or at the request of a City official.

From the archive:

ThA78.jpg
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

"Anything less than the best is a felony..."

The scheme that was actually built was not the best. The earlier iteration with the V-braces was much more interesting. The gridded sides were resolved when they went around the corners.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Beton Brut said:
"Anything less than the best is a felony..."

The scheme that was actually built was not the best. The earlier iteration with the V-braces was much more interesting. The gridded sides were resolved when they went around the corners.
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Damn, I forgot how nice the original was.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Asked before completion, and asked again...

Does a modern building standing in strong contrast to its base, especially one with such starkly sloped faces really benefit from additional adornments including:

1. Multi-colored LED uplighting
2. Cocktail sword shaped spire, diminutive in scale
3. Large white grids over both sides
4. Bright white cap

I'd suggest these flourishes are what generally define "gaudy" (no pun intended) and often distinguish bad art. My guess is that these elements were added to an original design by the property owner or at the request of a City official.
Click to expand...


I like the base of the building but what you describe up above for Atlantic is exactly what I don't like.

4. Bright white cap is extremely annoying
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

"Bright white caps" have been popping up more and more these past ten years, the earliest example I know of being the ex-Bear Stearns tower in Midtown Manhattan; another high profile case would be Philadelphia's Comcast Center. They almost all universally suck--Atlantic Wharf included--and are an affront to buildings that actually have some nuance to their nighttime lighting schemes.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I finally walked around this building for the first time this weekend and I have to admit that the street level interaction between the new structure and the old buildings is really great. Also they did a VERY nice job on the renovations of the existing buildings. I still hate the tower section but I have to give credit where credit is due.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Time to check up on how the ground level has turned out:

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And some more lobby pics:

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Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I love the sort of "elegant structural expressionism" of that lobby.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

The street retail could be a bit more engaging and the back porch screams "ye olde colonial Boston" like some 1986 PoMo pile, but the elegant lobby almost makes up for it.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I wonder if the sidewalk is too narrow for outdoor seating on Congress.
 
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