Boston Properties Office Tower | 888 Boylston Street | Back Bay

Padre Mike said:
Hate to contradict. but the DeLue statue was always on the Boylston Side, exactly where it is to day.
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Yep. You're right. I double-checked and it has been on this side of the complex since it was commissioned.

It's the Christmas tree that used to be on the Huntington side - duh! :facepalm:
 
I'm having trouble reading between the lines on this one. Is the Arcade expansion and Towne redevelopment part of the greater 888 development? It makes sense that it would.

Bottom line = Whatever gets rid of that plaza.
 
Correct. I shouldn't have used such a strong word. However, all of these changes to the permiter to the.plaza should strongly suggest something.
 
It's strange that this doesn't mention the tower at all, but I am guessing that since this retail expansion was only just approved 10 days ago that the recent activity in the plaza is related to the tower. Then again, I am guessing these will happen concurrently. There was a group of about eight men and women in hard hats standing around the statue this morning, no doubt discussing its fate.

http://www.bostonredevelopmentautho...oard-moves-development-projects-forward-at-ju


New render on the project's BRA page. At least, I don't remember seeing it before.

http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/projects/development-projects/888-boylston-st
 
Looks to me like it did some sit-ups and lost its beer belly. I like it. The roof looks much better as well. Hard to tell if the plaza shrank or not.
 
Something about the render's perspective is terribly off. It looks at the same time just about twice as tall as the Hynes and yet also concurrently as tall as the Avalon towers. It's pretty confusing.
 
fattony said:
Looks to me like it did some sit-ups and lost its beer belly. I like it. The roof looks much better as well. Hard to tell if the plaza shrank or not.
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Definitely agree. I'm glad the 90s PoMo bulge is gone.


The tower is 242', yet only 17 stories because the lower floors are department retail and thus have a rather large FTF height. I agree that the perspective is rather wonky, as the existing 26-story Pru apartment towers (Boylston, Fairfield, Gloucester) are around 320'
 
The render seems to follow the recent trend of not accounting for perspective near the top of the building. It should appear to taper, but it doesn't.

I'm undecided about the new design. I liked the curve of the previous iteration, but this one seems a bit less set back from the street and appears to meet the plaza a bit better.

Is this by CBT? It reminds me a lot of Atlantic Wharf.

Also, what's up with that wacky cantilever over the mall exit?
 
Downburst said:
Also, what's up with that wacky cantilever over the mall exit?
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That cantilever is a classic Boston-fail snow and ice catcher, from an architect that never tested a design in the New England winter. it is designed to create icicles of death right over the entryway, thus requiring guards, signage and redirection to alternative entrances during those highly unlikely winter snow events.
 
Downburst said:
Also, what's up with that wacky cantilever over the mall exit?
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Right? I actually think I prefer the FESTIVAL MARKETPLACE facade to this midget spawn of waterside. The actual building's alright. I'm not particularly fond of either design, but Boylston's mostly an ugly hodge-podge of poorly executed styles, so this fits right in.
 
JeffDowntown said:
That cantilever is a classic Boston-fail snow and ice catcher, from an architect that never tested a design in the New England winter. it is designed to create icicles of death right over the entryway, thus requiring guards, signage and redirection to alternative entrances during those highly unlikely winter snow events.
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This is not scary. Detailed properly cantilevers like this are not a problem. I trust that CBT has worked enough in this environment to get it right. They are not hacks.

cca
 
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datadyne007 said:
I agree that the perspective is rather wonky, as the existing 26-story Pru apartment towers (Boylston, Fairfield, Gloucester) are around 320'
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Those 3 towers are only around 280'. They're slightly shorter than the Sheraton, which is 310'. They're also slightly shorter than the Avalon Exeter, which nobody seems to know the true height of but I think was between 310'-320'.
 
cca said:
This is not scary. Detailed properly cantilevers like this are not a problem. I trust that CBT has worked enough in this environment to get it right. They are not hacks.

cca
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I know CBT is a quality shop.

I do not know who did the cantilevers over the Huntington Avenue entrance to the Pru mall, but they are a total snow and ice fail. I am highly suspicious of entryway cantilevers working AT ALL in New England.
 
easyhe1.jpg
 
I like it and I'm happy to see the billowing facade gone. It made the building look like a leftover from 2002.

The only thing I'd change would be some more pronounced exterior detailing - heavy duty mullions, for example - to help echo the Pru a bit more. Otherwise, it's good.
 
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