Berklee Expansion Plans | Back Bay

VAST impovement over what is there now

The entire corridor along Mass Ave from Boylston to Huntington is a key part of the cityscape which is underdeveloped
 
the east side may be underdeveloped, but the west side is overdeveloped; I'd rather have what was there before Church Park was built.
 
Ron, can you explain that a bit more? I see a big gap on the west side of Mass Ave. due to the Turnpike, whereas on the East side it is mitigated by the presence of the Boylston St. overpass. Further North and South seem about the same until you reach the Symphony Hall area.
 
HenryAlan said:
Ron, can you explain that a bit more? I see a big gap on the west side of Mass Ave. due to the Turnpike, whereas on the East side it is mitigated by the presence of the Boylston St. overpass. Further North and South seem about the same until you reach the Symphony Hall area.
Click to expand...

Ron just hates Church Park.
 
I don't see any gap between Boylston and Huntington on the west side of Mass. Ave. It's all buildings.
 
Where is there a gap on the East side, other than the Christian Science plaza? I think we can excuse a gap for an iconic plaza/world religion headquarters.
 
Huh, you're the one who brought up 'gaps', in your post above at 3:37 pm. All I did was reply to it.
 
My comment about the gap was regarding the gap on the "over developed" west side. I don't really see either side as more developed than the other, but you stated a disparity. I'm trying to get at your thought process, and thought maybe you were observing gaps in the street wall. If that's not the basis for your comment, then I don't understand your observation.
 
The Church Park building is ugly and out-of-scale, compared to the row of buildings that it replaced. I didn't say anything about gaps.
 
HenryAlan said:
So ugly equates with under developed? Okay, got it.
Click to expand...

No, Church Park is on the West Side so it would be in the "overdeveloped" zone of Ron's analysis. As I said, Ron doesn't like Church Park.

I saw this debacle coming. You're both on different pages and can't seem to understand what each other is saying.
 
Ron Newman said:
I don't see any gap between Boylston and Huntington on the west side of Mass. Ave. It's all buildings.
Click to expand...

The former Sovereign Bank building on the corner of Mas Ave and Westland Avenue. The next big gap is the gas station on the corner of Columbus Avenue.
 
That was a row of many smaller individual buildings. I don't think any of them were as tall as Church Park, and none of them dominated the neighborhood.

Not that I'd want to knock down Church Park now, but hopefully we'll never replicate it either.
 
Mass Ave from Boylston to Huntington and Huntigton from Boylston to where the Rt-9 Highway begins -- should be "mini-High Spines"

However -- apropriate care should be taken not to bury the icons such as Symphony & Horticultural Hall, Jordan Hall, MFA, NU main buildings and Wentworth main buildings.

All the rest should be developed to maximize the use of the Green/Orange line infrastructure and relatively good access to/from the Turnpike (despite the lack of good East bound entrance and westbound exit)
 
I think this is starting to happen. Huntington Ave. is definitely taking on more height.
 
Continuing off-topic, the odd lot is the one behind Symphony Hall, the building that (used to be?) a bank but is now an office for the Symphony (I think, fundraising/development?). It's small, but I'm surprised it couldn't be redeveloped. There's a parking lot behind there, if memory serves.
 
The Symphony would like to close off that part of St. Stephen Street to construct a new addition. One reason is the need for more facilities for female musicians, not an issue when Symphony Hall was built.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top