Avenir

[xec]

This project is supposedly affected by the Chapter 91 snafu, but site work is going ahead anyway.

 

[bosdevelopment]

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[czsz]

I didn't know this involved taking down that 1-story building on Canal St. I guess that explains why it was never occupied by any stores.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz

The design isn't much, but it's nice to see the Bulfinch Triangle reconstituted, isn't it?

 

[dbhstockton]

Green Line connection to North Station

This is going to be slightly off-topic, but:

I'd like to know if there's any planned connection between the Green Line Station and the Commuter Station, as in some kind of underground concourse. My guess is no, but I find it slightly absurd every time I use North Station that I have to exit the Green Line and then walk outside through a no-man's land for about 100 feet and re-enter under the Garden. You'd think they would have included something like that when they built the thing. I'm not a native Bostonian, so I wasn't around when the new station was developed, but it seems like they had kind of a blank slate to work with. Oh well.

 

[justin]

A couple of years ago they opened a passageway under Canal St. and a headhouse next to the Garden. You still have to walk a bit to get to the Garden, so that may be what you're refering to. In 100 years when the old Garden parcel gets built up, this passageway will get you inside it.

justin

 

[kz1000ps]

xec pretty much covered the site already, but I feel like sharing my pics anyway.. from the 10th:

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Re: Green Line connection to North Station

I'd like to know if there's any planned connection between the Green Line Station and the Commuter Station, as in some kind of underground concourse. My guess is no, but I find it slightly absurd every time I use North Station that I have to exit the Green Line and then walk outside through a no-man's land for about 100 feet and re-enter under the Garden. You'd think they would have included something like that when they built the thing. I'm not a native Bostonian, so I wasn't around when the new station was developed, but it seems like they had kind of a blank slate to work with. Oh well.

There is. They planned on building a large North Station concourse like at South Station but it was going to be built at the same time as the hotel/office/condo tower above it and as you can plainly see that hasn't been built so we are all still waiting.

 

[aws129]

B is for Bland

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

As bland as this is I think that it fits in well with its surroundings. If it does that at least I will say it is a success.

 

[singbat]

if the 1-story row in these pictures is going away i'll be sad to see it go. would have been nice to see it incorporated. with the trees and small shops that was one of the nicest stretches of the area.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

***Eagerly awaits an ablarc super-post on cute 1-story buildings in cities***

 

[briv]

Good riddance. IMO, the single-story commercial building is the scourge of Boston urbanism.

 

[Ron Newman]

I don't know how old the single-story building is, but it at least dates back to when the elevated Green and Orange Lines emerged right behind it. Might even go back further, to the time when steam trains crossed Causeway Street in that corridor to terminate at Haymarket. (Before that, there was a canal, and before that, this was part of the Mill Pond.)

In recent years, it has contained mostly MBTA-related offices.

In any event, I'd like to see it either go away or have four or five floors put on top of it.

 

[singbat]

***Eagerly awaits an ablarc super-post on cute 1-story buildings in cities***

consider it primarily a vote of no confidence in the new stuff coming in.

and, wouldn't it be nice to see a layered street scape that pulled back and up from something as intimate, laid back and main street as what this row was a few years back. wasn't "cute" as much as coffee, shave, bar, and haberdashery. why should that conflict with density and an urban scale?

i'm all for the land owner doing whatever makes a legal buck, but aesthetically there was an interesting base that was unlike pretty much anywhere else in the downtown -- they could have leveraged that.

 

[tobyjug]

avenir

I'd guess 1910-1920 on the one story building. It looks like 89 Canal St on the City's on line assessing records. (cityofboston.gov/assessing/search/) The hard copy property record card would have the actual date, but the on line info is less detailed.

 

[czsz]

The one story building had limited use because it lacked depth, and it seriously crowded the sidewalk too. It didn't help that the owner mandated uniform awnings and filled it with offices rather than shops. I can't even remember when there was a time its contents had any positive effect on the neighborhood.

 

[kennedy]

I love Avenir. It could be more inspired. And there should be a connection type tunnel concourse thing a ma jigger between North Station and the Green line. And Avenir complements the Celtics offices, which are slightly more shapely. It would be cool if the green metal part would be like, painted white, or even better, mirrored blue glass for them fancy penthouses. With an eco roof.

 

[czsz]

The Green Line and North Station will be fully connected when the site in front of the Garden is built on. For now, the 30 feet of outdoor walking is not intolerable.

And Avenir complements the Celtics offices

Are you thinking of the Strada condos, across 93 from the Garden? I thought the Celtics' offices were in the Garden itself.

 

[kennedy]

No, the Celtics offices are actually in the building across the tunnel from the Garden. You know the building that has the huge Celtics banner? Well the Celtics offices are in the slightly newer building next to that one. My uncle works for them, he is the graphic designer or w/e. All the uniforms and logos and stuff.

 

[kz1000ps]

^ Right, and if I remember correctly, there's some kind of sports/ticketing agency in the building also.

The one story building had limited use because it lacked depth

Bingo. You can see in xec's photos that it was no more than 25 feet deep.