Ron Newman
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Canal Street was also quite lively with people during the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
Opportunity is definitely there!
Actually, even during the Big Dig {now referred to as the BIG DUG} -- you heard it first hear / er here -- sorry a bit of a pun -- but I digress again {see the MFA thread -- I think I might have had a bit too much of Christmas Cheer ? if that is possible -- but once again I digress}
This year Canal Street was alive with people {especially in the Summer -- and that was true even though the sports teams had packed up and gone golfing for their respective off seasons {unfortunately no post season for a near generation for either team -- but once a-gain I digress}}
Canal Street ? could be a lot more -- just needs the Greenway to be open and carrying a flux of visitors {both local and tourists}
I think Canal Street can evolve to offer a sort of outdoor food court with a great mix of dining styles -- everything from sit down casual to fine dining, as well as a place to grab a snack or a ?brewski? and recover from the trek up from South to North Station along the Greenway
With the noise and structures of the Expressway and the T gone and buried -- Canal Street has the potential to become the gateway to both the North Station Area {from the Financial District and the North End from the North Station Area}
Westy
That's a separate issue from scale. A building that exactly matches it neighbors' rooflines can be badly out of scale. There's an example in Streetwalls of Paris (the sheer, mirror glass building on the boulevard leading to the Tour Montparnasse).Scale only adheres to footprint if you're considering buildings individually, and not the importance of, say, retaining a relatively consistent roofline.
Not so sure about that. At 50 stories it would register as a monument, and monuments are supposed to be disruptive. That building trumpets it failure by not fitting in --precisely because of and in spite of its toadying height. It's the architectural equivalent of a fart.I wouldn't say those are separate issues. That glass building, for example, would be far more offensive if it were taller.
Not to worry; the economic unviability of such a building half-filled with fire stairs and elevators would eliminate that as a possibility.How tall would a tower of 500 square foot studios have to be to be profitable? I think a tower of those dimensions might look slightly more comical than the silver on Eighth Ave.
A new neighborhood taking shape around North Station and TD Banknorth Garden is poised to take another big step forward.
Hines Raymond LLC has filed plans with City Hall to build a mid-rise office complex that will feature the first new downtown supermarket in years.
The development team wants to build a 10-story office project that will also include an unusual centerpiece - a 57,000-square-foot Stop & Shop.
The $100 million-plus project is the third plan to move ahead in the so-called Bulfinch Triangle, reclaimed rail and highway land a few blocks from North Station that was freed up after the end of the Big Dig.
A supermarket has been a longstanding demand of residents in both the new condo buildings near North Station and the nearby West End, North End and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, said Bob O?Brien, executive director of the Downtown North Association.
O?Brien?s group represents the interests of the new residential enclave taking shape around the North Station rail and entertaiment hub, with 2,000 units already built or in the pipeline.
?The logo for the Bulfinch Triangle is ?live, work and play,? ? O?Brien said. ?It is going to be a very interesting, edgy community that has a tremendous amount of cultural, education and employee resources,? he said.
The proposal, a joint venture between Texas tower builder Hines and the Raymond Cos., a local developer, is the latest in a flurry of new development in the area.
Simpson Housing recently unveiled plans to build a 283-unit apartment and retail complex on another Bulfinch tract, while the Avenir, another Bulfinch apartment high-rise, is slated to open next year.
The Strada, a condo high-rise, opened a few years ago on Causeway Street.
David Perry, a top Hines executive, said he is bullish about the project?s prospects, even in the face of concerns about a possible weakening in the office market. The complex will be pitched at tenants looking for an alternative to expensive downtown tower suites, he said.
The emphasis on office space is relatively new. Hines Raymond originally proposed apartments, but decided to go with offices instead due to the downturn in the residential market, he aid.