Bulfinch Crossing | Congress Street Garage | West End

Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

That "art" needs to be loaded onto the spaceship and both, blasted off into infinity.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I was trying to understand why there are jersey barriers around it and I think I figured it out - to oncoming traffic the slope of the thing is almost like a ramp. If a car went out of control of got into an accident there going about 20-30 mph, and it hit that "sculpture" the car would literally be launched into the air.

My other guess is that the owners did that so that the artwork would be even uglier than it is so that they can tear it down without people caring. They can remove the graffiti on it and they choose not to.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

pelhamhall said:
I was trying to understand why there are jersey barriers around it and I think I figured it out - to oncoming traffic the slope of the thing is almost like a ramp. If a car went out of control of got into an accident there going about 20-30 mph, and it hit that "sculpture" the car would literally be launched into the air.
Click to expand...

That would be really fun to watch.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

You people just don't understand art.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I understand it - it represents the ugliness in my life. It accomplishes this artistically by being both ugly and in my life.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

No wonder it's so hard securing funding for public art in Boston.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

On a related note - who else misses the lollipop sculpture at 100 Summer Street? Damn you Equity Office!!
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

This city needs a lot more kinetic sculpture.

Hopefully the Lollipop was saved and is safely in storage somewhere.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Where did Equity move it to, and why?
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

^^ So they could put up that boring corporate glass canopy that is there now.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

100 Summer Street was the former headquarters of Blue Cross - when they moved to the Landmark Center, Equity purchased the nearly vacant building and instituted a repositioning campaign to market it for multi-tenancy.

I remember the Equity folks showing us the presentation and talking about how the lollipop sculpture "had to go" because it was ugly and 1970s. Personally, I hated to see it go, but it is their property, they own it, and they should be able to decorate it how they see fit.

I found it on Google search, it's in Roxbury near Shawmut Avenue now:
http://www.daleyblog.com/weblog/images/pops.jpg
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

^^ Good news.

Too bad the sculpture didn't go with their 'branding' campaign. Downtown got a little less interesting when they removed it.

At least they didn't trash it.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I hadn't noticed that sculpture for years, and I just realized I use to skateboard on it (as someone else mentioned doing above). It's awesome for skateboarding--they should move it to the planned skate park under the 93 ramps. I think there it would actually work as art.

And Pelhamhall, I can appreciate your sensitivities regarding the Senator. On the other hand, I have a close relative who is struggling with the same awful disease he has, so I've got my own sensitivities. Moving on.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Agreed - in fact, I would think "The Lollipop Building" could have been a very strong branding campaign and the sculpture could have been a focal point. 100 Summer Street? Bla, bla, bla. Although commercial real estate has really only jumped on the bandwagon with branding over the past ten years or so - can't really blame Equity for not being at the forefront of a trend that hadn't really started yet.

I've mentioned before that there are two projects (not in New England) that I am working on and really getting excited over how architecture and branding come together to brand environments. When it's done right, it's really cool. When it's done badly, everyone rolls their eyes and wants to kill the developer. It's hitting the big time in the Miami and NYC markets, and Boston is dangling a toe in the water - not quite ready to jump in, but testing the waters.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I miss the "high tack" grandeur of the Lollipop.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

So is anybody going to this Gov Center Garage redevelopment community meeting tonight? I'll be out of town, wish I could make it. Would love to hear any updates.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Bankers & Tradesman - June 16, 2008
Owners Want to Demolish ?Berlin Wall? of Boston

By Thomas Grillo
Reporter

A controversial icon of Boston?s 1960s urban renewal could face the wrecking ball.

Owners of the Government Center Garage want to replace the concrete eyesore with One Congress Street, a mix of hotel, office, condominiums and retail. Erasing the city?s largest parking lot would reconnect the North End and the Bulfinch Triangle neighborhoods with the downtown.

?That building is like the Berlin Wall and we want it demolished to create a destination that fits into the fabric of the city,? said Stephen G. Kasnet, chief executive officer of the Raymond Property Co. ?But you won?t find a place with better public transportation infrastructure anywhere in Boston.?

Last year, Bulfinch Congress Holdings, a subsidiary of the Boston-based developer, paid $243 million for the 11-story facility adjacent to the Haymarket MBTA station. The building previously sold for $118.5 million in 2000. It includes 2,310 parking spaces, 275,000 square feet of office space and several retailers.

Kasnet said the timing could be right to bulldoze the building because the facility?s largest office tenant will end its lease in 2010. Located adjacent to the Haymarket MBTA station, the site offers transit connections to the commuter rail, and the Green and Orange lines

?We have lots of ideas, but nothing is set in concrete,? he said. ?The question is what proportions of office, retail, hotel and residential makes the most sense. But if we cannot reach consensus on what is appropriate for the site, we could live happily with a new tenant in that building and reexamine the idea in 10 years.?

For years, North End and West End residents have complained that the garage has blocked light and pedestrian access to and from the downtown.

Jane Forristall, a member of the West End Council, a group formed by nearby condominium building associations, said she applauds the developer?s wish to raze the facility.

?People will be very glad to see it go,? she said.

Robert O?Brien, president of the Downtown North Association, a group of businesses, condominium associations and community organizations, said his members are thrilled to learn the building will come down.

?Everyone wants to see the garage go and something better put in its place,? he said.

If approved, One Congress Street would be the latest development to be built on land cleared by demolition of the Southeast Expressway to make way for the Big Dig. More than 1 million square feet of office, residential, retail and hotel are under construction or in the planning stages for the area overlooking the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

?We have lots of ideas, but nothing is set in concrete,?
Click to expand...

I'm glad to hear that. Brick, stone, wood, anything but concrete for the replacement, please!
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

^^Now you've gone and hurt Beton's feelings!
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Id like to see something modern that engages the pedestrian on the greenway. This is a gateway into the North End. This is also a gateway into the West End and Downtown areas. Something bland with trees and sidewalks isn't going to cut it. It's time someone takes a bold step into a new vision for Boston. Especially in this area. Light shows, markets, nooks, crannies, cafes, ANYTHING except for TREES. Facade facing the greenway and Avenir should be turned into something VERY engaging. Something that makes people want to come to the area, not just for the food and old architecture but for the BOLD new idea that can come about. I'm not very happy crossing from Haymarket back into the North End everyday. I'm so bored..........
 
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