Boston VS Minneapolis (Split from Fan Pier Thread)

kennedy

kennedy

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kz1000ps said:
A truly breathtaking skyline.
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Flew in yesterday, and it's got a hell of a lot more impressive skyline the St. Louis or Minneapolis. I was also surprised to find that the most recognizable building, from the air, was the Federal Reserve. I could hardly make out the Hancock or the Pru. Probably because it has the strongest contrast with the rest of the buildings around it.
 
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^^^ I didn't think Minneapolis had that bad of a skyline. Small downtown area, but it does a decent job of building up from the outsides in to the center. Good height differential. I couldn't name a single building (aside from the monstrous Metrodome), but I don't live in the twin cities. If I did I bet I could.

Taken from the roof of the new Gophers Stadium at the UMN campus BTW.
 
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Hell of a lot more pathetic looking from the air. Much more green, much less density. But I think most places probably look that way from the air.
 
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SeamusMcFly said:
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^^^ I didn't think Minneapolis had that bad of a skyline. Small downtown area, but it does a decent job of building up from the outsides in to the center. Good height differential. I couldn't name a single building (aside from the monstrous Metrodome), but I don't live in the twin cities. If I did I bet I could.

Taken from the roof of the new Gophers Stadium at the UMN campus BTW.
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They also (Minneapolis) have taller buildings than we do! Nice pix of the skyline^^
 
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I always love Minneapolis skyline. Not only are they tall, the designs of the most distinguishable towers there are far from plain and boxy. IMO, Minneapolis has a far superior skyline than Boston, not size wise, but the aesthetically pleasing look from the ground..
 
Re: Fan Pier

Boston02124 said:
They also (Minneapolis) have taller buildings than we do! Nice pix of the skyline^^
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Really? I questioned this statement, so I looked it up. Minneapolis has eight buildings exceeding 500 feet with another one proposed. By contrast, Boston has sixteen building above 500 feet, with another seven in proposal.

I do, however like the Minneapolis skyline. Even though small, it is so highly concentrated that it looks quite dramatic.
 
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Boston02124 said:
They also (Minneapolis) have taller buildings than we do! Nice pix of the skyline^^
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Some tall buildings in downtown Boston would be nice...oh wait there are some proposed, and height seems to be the biggest public design concern (aside from the obvious financing topic) these ambitious developers have to deal with. At least that's what I hear at community meetings. I think it's time.
 
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riffgo said:
Really? I questioned this statement, so I looked it up. Minneapolis has eight buildings exceeding 500 feet with another one proposed. By contrast, Boston has sixteen building above 500 feet, with another seven in proposal.

I do, however like the Minneapolis skyline. Even though small, it is so highly concentrated that it looks quite dramatic.
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Yes thats true! but they do have three taller buildings than Boston(as dos'e Charlette,Atlanta ,Pittsburg, all smaller cities) and I have to agree with KentXie they have a much(not bigger) nicer skyline!
 
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riffgo said:
Really? I questioned this statement, so I looked it up. Minneapolis has eight buildings exceeding 500 feet with another one proposed. By contrast, Boston has sixteen building above 500 feet, with another seven in proposal.

I do, however like the Minneapolis skyline. Even though small, it is so highly concentrated that it looks quite dramatic.
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He is probably referring the top three skyscrapers in Minn. which when compared to the top three in Boston, Minn. emerges as the winner.
 
Re: Fan Pier

SeamusMcFly said:
...if the article on the BCEC expansion has any influence, they would get the hotel parcel up and moving.
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Seriously, why haven't we heard any news on the teardrop parcel? (semi-rhetorical question)

I didn't think Minneapolis had that bad of a skyline. Small downtown area, but it does a decent job of building up from the outsides in to the center. Good height differential.
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That's why I like Minneapolis' skyline and why Boston's leaves me non-plussed. I look at the shot Boston02124 posted and I see one boring plateau wheezingly fade into another. Be still my heart.

I don't care if your tallest tower is twelve stories, as long as there's a logical and dramatic step-up in height to the cherry-on-top tallest building, the eye will be happy. Philly, LA, Charlotte, Chicago's multiple peaks, Lower Manhattan pre-1955.... those are attractive skylines, and the number of towers breaking the 500 foot mark has nothing to do with it.
 
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kz1000 I look at the shot Boston02124 posted and I see one boring plateau wheezingly fade into another.I think it depends where it's viewed said:
http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn80/boston02124/boston%20skyline/loganbostonfromdeerIsland.jpg[/IMG]
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I don't care if your tallest tower is twelve stories, as long as there's a logical and dramatic step-up in height to the cherry-on-top tallest building, the eye will be happy. Philly, LA, Charlotte, Chicago's multiple peaks, Lower Manhattan pre-1955.... those are attractive skylines, and the number of towers breaking the 500 foot mark has nothing to do with it.
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^^Thats why the Back Bay skyline works!
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Very nice skyline, but I like how Boston's is more scattered. This seems a little too centralized to me. Nice compact little city.
 
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The Homerdome is going to be demolished after this year's Twins season ends, no?
 
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Still like Boston's better.
 
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Well you got to admit Minneapolis has some nicer looking buildings old and new!
 
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Oh for sure, but it just looks sort of regular. Boston's isn't very architecturally exciting, but taken as a whole it just seems more unique.
 
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Some decent buildings aside; Minny has a horrible skyline....it's not even really a skyline.

It's a downtown chaotic cluster of disproportionate skyscrapers characteristic of all mid west cities not named Chicago.

I'm not a big fan of Boston's harbor skyline but at least it's legit in terms of depth and size. Plus the real money shot is obviously the Charles River view....and that obviously lacks the volume of tall buildings....

Skyscrapers that are being built in nearly every American city do not make a skyline or a city....

It's silly talk when people start to gabble about other places building skyscrapers as though they are actually doing something 'advanced'...when all of these places are still trying to catch up to the older, denser cities in terms of urbanity and street life.
 
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boston has a much more unique skyline.
I could easily confuse mineapolis with 500 other cities.
 
Re: Fan Pier

Ron Newman said:
The Homerdome is going to be demolished after this year's Twins season ends, no?
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Not sure the plan, although I have taken to saying it will be deflated instead of demolished. The Vikings still play there, and I think their lease is still active. The last I heard was that they would be building a new Vikings stadium if they have funding (and city approval), and build it on the existing dome site utilizing some of the existing structure.

The Vikings would then potentially play at the Gophers stadium for a couple seasons during construction.
 
Yeah, I've heard that and seen renderings, but I'm pretty sure they were having a really hard time getting funding.
 
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