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

Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

vanshnookenraggen said:
Ruining the building to keep the facade is an empty gesture and not historic preservation. If you want to build a tower that compliments the base then go ahead but this feels more like the architect got pissed off they had to accommodate history.
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I guarantee this tower would have looked like the W at street level if the facade had been demolished.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Van,

I see your point from an academic theoretical point of view, but I'm still counting my blessings that the wharf buildings were not demolished. Also, to address Ron's comment, from Congress St. vantage, I think Exchange Place is an extremely akward marriage of old and new. It looks like the historic facade was just glued onto a Houston skyscraper, but overall I think State Street is much better off with the facadomy.

I think Atlantic Wharf has done a better job at preserving the historic fabric and the pedestrian interaction with the older buildings will be much the same as it was before the tower was constructed. Could it have been better, yes, but I'm not complaining.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I'm not saying that a facadomy can't work, I'm just saying it doesn't work here. A facadomy, to work, needs to connect two different architectural vocabularies, doing minimal damage to the past while speaking to a new and modern future. This is very hard to do even for a talented and experienced architect. I'm 100% sure that the base of this building would have been alien and devoid of life had the old wharf buildings not been saved but that doesn't mean the tower can also be soulless.

This tower, to me, represents everything that is wrong with modern architecture: it dogmatically ignores the past when it could seamlessly co-exist and it doesn't have the balls to be true to itself (no decoration).

I honestly don't want to put too much of the blame on the architect (though they deserve some). It was probably the developer who thought it was a good idea to stick a flag poll on there.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

But from the street level (the most important part of any project for me) the facadectomy saves this building.
Yeah, the tower portion maybe be shit (it doesn't bother me as much as it bother you although I'm not particularly moved to defend it either)

The closest example that I keep rehashing is 101 Arch. I hate the tower portion of that building, but I love walking down that block of Summer St. And to me that is far, far more important. I have a feeling this building is going to work in the same way.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

vanshnookenraggen said:
I'm 100% sure that the base of this building would have been alien and devoid of life had the old wharf buildings not been saved but that doesn't mean the tower can also be soulless.
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It may end up being soulless anyway --even with the old brick facade. As I recall, a previous ground floor occupant was a sailmaker. You can imagine he didn't generate much street life.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

vanshnookenraggen said:
I'm 100% sure that the base of this building would have been alien and devoid of life had the old wharf buildings not been saved but that doesn't mean the tower can also be soulless.
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It may end up being soulless anyway --even with the old brick facade. As I recall, a previous ground floor occupant was a sailmaker. You can imagine he didn't generate much street life (though it was atmospheric that his business was nautical in this place.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

^^If it is soulless that would be more the fault of the Greenway than the facade.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

^ Probably. Whatwver goes there, I doubt it'll contribute much to street life (hope I'm wrong).

What street? What life?
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I still say the old brick facade stands a better chance of generating a real street life than a W-like glass box facade ever could, no matter how 'honest' it may be.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

statler said:
I still say the old brick facade stands a better chance of generating a real street life than a W-like glass box facade ever could, no matter how 'honest' it may be.
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One of the problems was that the old brick building's floor was some steps above the sidewalk. With today's wheelchair code...
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Why? When new stores open in older buildings they don't need to retrofit the building (though sometimes they do anyway) up to new building code. I see no reason why this building would need to.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

^ The code official decides. What you see and what he sees might be at variance.

The architect's opinion counts not one whit.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

So all those basement shops on Newbury St could be shut down because they don't meet ADA code?
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

statler said:
So all those basement shops on Newbury St could be shut down because they don't meet ADA code?
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If an official chose to so rule, the law is clear --if the renovation is major. But you have to add in the Menino Factor --and the Common Sense factor. The law is an ass.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

Huh. Never knew that. Thanks.


So Atlantic Wharf could end up with permanently empty storefronts or shoehorned ramps stuck on the facade.

Interesting to see how it will play out.

Edit: Actually either of those scenarios is still better than a giant glass wall (or worse, a set back with a useless plaza) that would have been built sans facadectomy.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

^ Whenever I visit New York, I'm amazed at how much new construction violates the code. Clearly, this is not because code officials are unobservant.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

statler said:
Actually either of those scenarios is still better than a giant glass wall (or worse, a set back with a useless plaza) that would have been built sans facadectomy.
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I guess... if those are the only other options.

Consult Holyoke Center for alternatives.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

The only two realistic options.

The last time something was built in the Boston area with the creativity of Holyoke Center was, well...Holyoke Center.

At least this way we know we are getting an interesting street wall.
 
Re: Atlantic Wharf (formerly Russia Wharf)

I'm not understanding the objections to this building. Is it that it may or may not house a tenant that fails to activate the streetwall? That it may or may not have handicap ramps? I dont get it.
 
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