BU Development Thread

chrisbrat said:
I do appreciate bdurden's points -- and Brown's -- but I still think there should be considerable thought to solutions *other* than demolition. We already lost a BU-owned pre-war building that served as a gateway to Kenmore and the city in favor of the WHOOP mess; while the potential fuckup at this address would be less visible and less soul-crushing, it'd still be a real loss of some of the characteristic architecture that makes Boston what it is.

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They could always do a facadectomy and incorporate it into the Pardee building.
 
I recall as far back as 2001 they were eyeing demolition of thst building. Between Brown’s comments and deferred maintenance, that still seems to be the case.

I would have to see what an alternative would look like before coming down heavily on one side or another of a plan.
 
bdurden said:
I recall as far back as 2001 they were eyeing demolition of thst building. Between Brown’s comments and deferred maintenance, that still seems to be the case.

I would have to see what an alternative would look like before coming down heavily on one side or another of a plan.
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The building is a cousin to the "lone tenement" on Lomasney Way in the West End. While a very interesting facade, it was intended to be in a row of similar buildings, not standing by its lonesome in the middle of a college campus. I don't know if there were other similar apartment buildings on BSR that BU demolished eons ago or if it was built there in anticipation of future buildings being built.
 
ritchiew said:
Rather than plan to demolish it's prettier buildings, I wish BU would fight like hell to demolish Storrow Drive. Getting rid of our riverfront highway would open a lot more green space for the BU community.
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Or a more radical and cost prohibitive plan to deck over a portion of Storrow leading over to the Charles.
 
bdurden said:
Or a more radical and cost prohibitive plan to deck over a portion of Storrow leading over to the Charles.
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Reminds me of demands a few years ago from students that the MBTA put the Green Line in a tunnel under Comm Ave. That would cost a billion dollars or so in order for students to be able to look at their phones while crossing the street.
 
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TomOfBoston said:
Reminds me of demands a few years ago from students that the MBTA put the Green Line in a tunnel under Comm Ave. That would cost a billion dollars or so in order for students to be able to look at their phones while crossing the street.
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It’s not a terribly crazy idea for improvements to the Green line.
 
chrisbrat said:
I do appreciate bdurden's points -- and Brown's -- but I still think there should be considerable thought to solutions *other* than demolition. We already lost a BU-owned pre-war building that served as a gateway to Kenmore and the city in favor of the WHOOP mess; while the potential fuckup at this address would be less visible and less soul-crushing, it'd still be a real loss of some of the characteristic architecture that makes Boston what it is.

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If they could do a facadectomy it would eliminate the fire escapes, which I doubt were original to the building. I do not mean build a 12 story building around the facade but something respectful to what that stretch of BSR could have been.
 
Warren Towers renovation and construction of Pardee School of Global Studies to be first projects started from new Institutional Master Plan

Mostly a recap of what has already been discussed regarding the updated masterplan, however this caught my eye:

"A pedestrian bridge is expected to be constructed over I-90 and the commuter rail tracks, from Harry Agganis Way to the Charles River. This will provide “a needed connection for the community to the river,” according to the Plan."

By building "over" I-90, this would imply that the pedestrian bridge would need to be built into StuVIII, high enough up to scale over the interstate which is already elevated along this section.
 
I would have expected StuVi III to be built before the Warren Towers renovation. BU will be eliminating 600 beds each year for three years. Do they have a surplus of housing now?
 
bdurden said:
Warren Towers renovation and construction of Pardee School of Global Studies to be first projects started from new Institutional Master Plan

Mostly a recap of what has already been discussed regarding the updated masterplan, however this caught my eye:

"A pedestrian bridge is expected to be constructed over I-90 and the commuter rail tracks, from Harry Agganis Way to the Charles River. This will provide “a needed connection for the community to the river,” according to the Plan."

By building "over" I-90, this would imply that the pedestrian bridge would need to be built into StuVIII, high enough up to scale over the interstate which is already elevated along this section.
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The elevated highway right there needs to be replaced and the plan is to replace it at-grade. So the pedestrian bridge going over the highway won't be as high as you're thinking. The new pedestrian bridge bridge is a part of that "Allston Multimodal Project."

I-90 Interchange Improvement Project & West Station | Allston

(forking a new thread) Upcoming public meeting: April 10, 6:30pm Jackson Mann Community Center Auditorium, 500 Cambridge Street, Allston http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/EventCalendar/tabid/409/ModuleID/1140/ItemID/1648/mctl/EventDetails/Default.aspx
archboston.com

Also, there are lots of renderings of the planned pedestrian bridge. This video maybe show it (and the new highway) clearest.
 

Finegold Alexander, Consigli and LeftField complete project at Boston University​

FAA-BUKilachandHall-RajDas4.jpg


“Boston, MA According to Finegold Alexander Architects, they completed the renovation and 9thfloor reconstruction of Kilachand Hall at Boston University (BU). The project, which began with a comprehensive study in 2014, has now reached its final stage, marking a significant milestone in the improvement of the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College facilities. Finegold Alexander worked on this project with Boston University, construction manager Consigli Construction Co., Inc., and owner’s project manager LeftField.

The goal of the 9thfloor reconstruction was to create flexible, fully accessible student study, gathering and co-curricular spaces for the students of Kilachand Honors College and additional Kilachand Hall residents. The design includes spaces designed with moveable, flexible furnishings where students can gather and study. A new seminar room supports the interdisciplinary pedagogy of the Honors College, as do small group study rooms – all with river and skyline views of the city. An acoustically isolated music practice room provides space for students to explore their musical interests within the floor.

Another major driver of the 114,650 s/f project was to address accessibility, and with the creative repurposing of found space on residential floors, the design incorporated accessible bedrooms and bathrooms. Significant life safety upgrades were integrated into the renovation, including the installation of an internal stair and two elevators to accommodate the increased occupant load on the 9th floor, allowing for the removal of exterior fire escapes. The exterior of Kilachand Hall received meticulous attention, with extensive restoration of the 1927 brick and cast stone exterior carefully restored. Infrastructure renewal, including the installation of a new emergency generator elevated above the university’s base floor elevation, further advanced the building’s resiliency…”

https://nerej.com/finegold-alexander-consigli-and-leftfield-complete-project-at-boston-university
 
stick n move said:

Finegold Alexander, Consigli and LeftField complete project at Boston University​

FAA-BUKilachandHall-RajDas4.jpg


“Boston, MA According to Finegold Alexander Architects, they completed the renovation and 9thfloor reconstruction of Kilachand Hall at Boston University (BU). The project, which began with a comprehensive study in 2014, has now reached its final stage, marking a significant milestone in the improvement of the Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College facilities. Finegold Alexander worked on this project with Boston University, construction manager Consigli Construction Co., Inc., and owner’s project manager LeftField.

The goal of the 9thfloor reconstruction was to create flexible, fully accessible student study, gathering and co-curricular spaces for the students of Kilachand Honors College and additional Kilachand Hall residents. The design includes spaces designed with moveable, flexible furnishings where students can gather and study. A new seminar room supports the interdisciplinary pedagogy of the Honors College, as do small group study rooms – all with river and skyline views of the city. An acoustically isolated music practice room provides space for students to explore their musical interests within the floor.

Another major driver of the 114,650 s/f project was to address accessibility, and with the creative repurposing of found space on residential floors, the design incorporated accessible bedrooms and bathrooms. Significant life safety upgrades were integrated into the renovation, including the installation of an internal stair and two elevators to accommodate the increased occupant load on the 9th floor, allowing for the removal of exterior fire escapes. The exterior of Kilachand Hall received meticulous attention, with extensive restoration of the 1927 brick and cast stone exterior carefully restored. Infrastructure renewal, including the installation of a new emergency generator elevated above the university’s base floor elevation, further advanced the building’s resiliency…”

https://nerej.com/finegold-alexander-consigli-and-leftfield-complete-project-at-boston-university
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The original Sheraton Hotel.
 
jass said:
The 9th floor originally was a pool.

Remember what they took from us
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Creepiest, dingiest pool ever — dark, depressing, shallow. Neither good for recreational purposes or exercise.

I’m sure those who use pools regularly prefer what replaced it on West Campus if for nothing else than 21st century standards of living.
 
The ninth floor as it was before the renovation had a good view of the Charles and was really a pretty decent study space, despite how dingy it was and how disgusting the windows were (they were filthy, and someone had apparently epoxied some cracks in them rather than replacing them, so there were these streaks). The whole building was in need of an update despite being successively renovated a few times in the last 20 years.

I would caution against using the wikipedia article too much as most info about the building is largely oral history, seems nobody has a really good written source on it.

Another bit of lore you guys might like -- there was a view from the ninth floor bathroom all the way into Fenway before the Whoop building was built. It was one of those really weird sightlines you never thoguth existed. I'll see if I still have a photo.

1708378719758.jpeg

Edited to add -- turns out the quality of the photo isn't incredible, but you get the idea.
 
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