Brookline Infill and Small Developments

Yea the rivets and wrinkly surface texture definitely give it a cast iron vibe. Came out very nice.
 
stick n move said:
Yea the rivets and wrinkly surface texture definitely give it a cast iron vibe. Came out very nice.
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To be pedantic, cast iron can’t be riveted because the material is too brittle. In the era when steel rolling could not produce sufficiently consistent large shapes that met tolerances, many small steel sections would be riveted together to form large shapes. Nowadays we can roll those shapes no problem, but we lose the pleasing textured look of the riveted steel. One solution is to do what was done here: weld a bunch of small steel domes onto the rolled steel to mimic the look of riveted steel.
 
dhawkins said:
Not cast iron but original steel truss that looks like it has been riveted together. It Steel members were restored by a Rhode Island company. Here are some construction photos from the Brookline site. bridge Rehab

Carlton Street Footbridge
The bridge was designed by Alexis French, Olmsted’s collaborator in the design of Riverway and Olmsted Parks and Brookline’s first Town Engineer. The single-span steel truss bridge provides access between Brookline’s historic Longwood/Cottage Farm neighborhoods and the Riverway Park section of the Emerald Necklace.
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You know, I'm sure it was way more expensive to rehab the original structure, but man, it looks great and I am glad they did it.
 
stick n move said:
Balfour Brookline

U/C opening 2024
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“Located on a nearly four-acre site in Fisher Hill, a community first designed by the famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, that is steeped in history, Balfour’s senior living community at Brookline will combine the comfortable elegance and quality care that define “The Balfour Way.”

Balfour Brookline will feature independent and assisted living and memory care communities. You will enjoy all-inclusive services, including chef-prepared meals that meet an array of dietary needs, a robust catalogue of life-enriching programs and personalized concierge services. As with all Balfour communities, your safety, peace of mind and personal needs are of the utmost importance.

Once completed in 2024, Balfour Brookline will restore an important residential use to the historical Mitton House, a mansion that was once home to one of Boston’s most important merchants and later occupied by Cardinal Cushing College and Newbury College. The mansion is being lovingly restored, as designed by the world-famous Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) firm….”

“Within 190,000 square feet of new construction and 20,000 square feet of restoration to the historic Mitton House, the project includes 81 Independent Living, 38 Assisted Living and 40 Memory Care units.

https://www.hyminvestments.com/balfour-at-brookline/

https://www.balfourcare.com/brookline
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As even the cheap senior living developments can cost a resident $700/wk, I shudder to think of the fortunes that'll be spent to live in a RAMSA-designed Shady Pines...

That said, it's one hell of a swanky Shady Pines.
 
The latest on the Driscoll School. Getting close to complete. Great entry with benches for the kids to hang out (funny, I don't see the typical edge treatment to prevent skateboarding). Also, nice font for the signage.

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Looking left
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Looking right


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Some more shots from the back. I don't get the ultra long handicap ramp, it seems strange, like it wasn't planned for with all this wood railing, why not metal rail? Budget killer?

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Detail edges seem to be fairly tight, I don't see any sealants along the windows?
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A modern house up the street from the Driscoll school. The thin "cementitious" panel materials seems to be warping and cracking (mid way up the bay) after one year? Also, I see staining starting to happen at the top of the bay and around the fasteners. Hopefully these panels can be painted.
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Surprised that it passed at all, shocked that it came in at a 207-33 final vote. I have been very skeptical of Brookliners living their values in the past but credit where it's due here. I see that most of the added density will be along Harvard Street but I couldn't find the official map laying out the new zoning. Anyone have a link?
 
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I actually think this plan is somewhat unfortunate. They could have left Harvard alone esp between Beacon and Comm, and rezoned any number of adjacent corridors currently occupied by SFHs or low density buildings. I get that that was probably less realistic, but there is plenty of other area in Brookline to seriously up zone.
 
FK4 said:
I actually think this plan is somewhat unfortunate. They could have left Harvard alone esp between Beacon and Comm, and rezoned any number of adjacent corridors currently occupied by SFHs or low density buildings. I get that that was probably less realistic, but there is plenty of other area in Brookline to seriously up zone.
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Yeah, I get that. The corridor along Harvard St., and really for several blocks in each direction is already at a good density. Definitely fine to go bigger there, but it's not the part of Brookline that is problematic. I would push for significant upzoning at every D-Line station area, in addition to Harvard St.
 
Absolutely, Southern pastoral Brookline is basically on another planet, and the tiny enclave in the Northeast corner near BU is straight out of the gilded age. Still, the Beacon and Harvard corridors are a dense urban area with actual transit and amenities, not to mention it's walkable to Longwood, one of the economic engines of the entire Boston area.

I'm a density radical but moderate upzoning along this corridor will be a real great first step to adding some housing to the region. Even in Coolidge Corner (massively overrated) look at how many tiny one-story buildings line Harvard Street from the opening drone shot of this Globe article. That's a sleepy village! There should be well-built 5-story mixed use buildings all over the place.

apps.bostonglobe.com

Brookline homes: One wealthy liberal town reckons with its past

Brookline broadcasts an ethos of inclusivity, but it has become a preserve for the privileged. This is no accident, but the fruit of decades of exclusionary actions. Now facing a state mandate to allow more multifamily housing, Brookline faces a choice: What kind of town does it want to be?
apps.bostonglobe.com apps.bostonglobe.com
 
*Inhales deeply*

10 Farnsworth
Lower section of Watermark Seaport
Several developments on W 2nd street in Southie near Dot Ave
Inkblock area above Whole Foods
Infill new construction parts of FP3 on Congress and 21 Wormwood St in Fort Point
Tubman House on Mass Ave and Columbus
Arlington St Infill near Isabella St
244 Hanover St (infill) in the North End
Salem St infill near Prince St in the North End
A bunch of random little projects on surface blocks in Southie

In any case, it's not like the technology doesn't exist to make nicer small residential developments. I'm not on team plywood, but you're kind of telling on yourself if the response to "gee wouldn't 4 stories of residential in this dense area be nice" is just "NO DON'T DO IT, EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE".

Congratulations to Brookline. May they add badly needed housing stock to their town, built and priced at a level that's within their newly created zoning code.
 
Justbuildit said:
In any case, it's not like the technology doesn't exist to make nicer small residential developments. I'm not on team plywood, but you're kind of telling on yourself if the response to "gee wouldn't 4 stories of residential in this dense area be nice" is just "NO DON'T DO IT, EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE".
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I am kind of wondering how much % of the market rate units gets filled with people actually living there in those 5+1s.
 
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