Back Bay Garage Tower | Dartmouth and Stuart | Back Bay

Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

I've never been a big fan of the Miami skyline. Compare Miami to a city like Vancouver, or Seattle and it's no contest; Miami loses easily imo.
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

But look that right outside the dense area it becomes very spread out or worse, a bombed out ghetto. This is unfortunately typical of many mid-to-large American cities. I'd be much happier to see a more gradual density gradient.

I've always felt this way about Chicago, which is part of why I never felt it was a very good cityscape in spite of it's impressive skyline. Strangely enough the overall density of both Miami and Chicago is pretty good, just a hair below Boston. Plus at least those cities have actual dense skylines downtown, which I think is much better than places like Seattle or LA which have symmetric skylines that photograph well but give no feeling of extended urbanity - just a centralized monolithic monument to our idea of "city" surrounded by single family homes and some low rise apartment buildings along the main roads. Most US cities fit this pattern as far as I can tell, and most of the towers downtown are office and not residential.

As for the ugliness of Miami's new buildings, the city is going to be underwater in a couple decades, why bother building anything that can stand the test of time? It's all about short term speculation!
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

As for the ugliness of Miami's new buildings, the city is going to be underwater in a couple decades, why bother building anything that can stand the test of time? It's all about short term speculation!

Couldn't you say the same thing about Boston? Are we somehow better protected from the rising oceans here than they are down there?
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Should we change this thread to:

1. "Let's bash Miami's skyline"
2. "Why can't we have 1000 foot towers"
3. "Boston would be 'world class' with a 1000 foot tower"

Or, get back on topic? Aside from the proposal, has the property owner talked about what they would put on the site above the train station?
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Couldn't you say the same thing about Boston? Are we somehow better protected from the rising oceans here than they are down there?

It's much more dire in Miami for a number of reasons, including the fact that the region is flat (highest point 12 feet), surrounded by water on all sides including a giant swamp from the west, built up mostly only along the coast and on a kind of porous limestone rock that water seems to move through easily. Rolling Stone did a long article on all these issues several months back covering them in depth. Dutch engineers who are familiar with water issues said that even New Orleans was in a more workable situation.
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Would the garage be getting replaced? No mention of that in the article...
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

It's much more dire in Miami for a number of reasons, including the fact that the region is flat (highest point 12 feet), surrounded by water on all sides including a giant swamp from the west, built up mostly only along the coast and on a kind of porous limestone rock that water seems to move through easily. Rolling Stone did a long article on all these issues several months back covering them in depth. Dutch engineers who are familiar with water issues said that even New Orleans was in a more workable situation.

Heheh: "Rolling Stone did a long article on all these issues several months back covering them in depth." Kind of like an ocean, am I right? Up top!
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

More like down low, I think.

On topic though, I almost don't care what gets built here if it can fix the air quality problems in the station.
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

It wouldn't surprise me to see Boston Properties propose some serious height here. With Transbay underway in SF, it would be quite the feather in their cap if they can pull off building the new tallest in two of the most booming, lucrative, and height-averse markets in the country, both of which have a current tallest dating back to the 70s.

You can be certain they are aware of this opportunity, and if I were running the show at Boston Properties, I would at least try. Mayor Walsh is clearly supportive of density, recently the BRA hasn't been shy about approving height despite neighborhood opposition, the site sits in the middle of the high spine and on top of a major transit hub, the FAA would likely allow 1000' if asked nicely, and the Boston market is hot.

Golden, golden opportunity.
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Would love to see a rendering of simon, csc, and 1,000 ft back bay garage tower...anyone?
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Would love to see a rendering of simon, csc, and 1,000 ft back bay garage tower...anyone?

Just for the heck of it throw in the Trinity Tower and that Mass Ave Parcel (12? 15? whichever is supposed to top 400').
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Would love to see a rendering of simon, csc, and 1,000 ft back bay garage tower...anyone?

As I mentioned a page or two back, I fully plan on creating some speculative Sketchup models and sticking them in Google Earth as soon as my computer is back from repairs. I already have models of Trinity, Parcel 12/15, CSC, and the Simon tower completed.

For the Garage tower(s) I'll probably build models from 600-1000 feet at hundred foot intervals. I'm speculating here, but a second and third building could be at around 400 and 275 feet, respectively.

Would a taller building be located closer to or further from the Hancock for the purpose of reducing *shudder* shadow impacts on Boston Common, the Public Garden, and Copley?
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

So BP has a great idea, goes to the city to work it out, and the city is supposed to then say "Thanks for bringing up this great idea and working it out with us. Let me now go see if others want to bid for it although they didn't think of it."?

This is nothing.
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

So BP has a great idea, goes to the city to work it out, and the city is supposed to then say "Thanks for bringing up this great idea and working it out with us. Let me now go see if others want to bid for it although they didn't think of it."?

This is nothing.

The Herald loves to sling dirt, on topics they don't understand.

This concept only works if you have control of the garage property and can combine it with Back Bay Station. Boston Properties has the long-term lease on the garage, so it's their project -- or it simply does not happen.
 
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Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

^And the comments followed the same suite (surprise surprise).
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Important Life Lesson: never read Herald comments.
 
Re: Back Bay Garage Tower (Dartmouth and Stuart)

Never read news article comments in general.
 

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