Cambridge Crossing (NorthPoint) | East Cambridge/Charlestown | Cambridge/Boston

Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

JeffDowntown said:
It is something of a leftover of the historical chocolate business in Cambridge and Charlestown.
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JeffDowntown -- Yes and No

East Cambridge had a lot of Candy, not just Chocolate manufacturing, but it had the Deran Confectionery and of course NECCO -- But it also had fasteners, woven rubber hose, boilers and tanks, cookies and biscuits, and a fair amount of meat packing

East Cambridge was a veritable manufacturing Big Kid on the Block -- most of those companies and their employees are of course gone -- mostly totally although some like NECCO moved to somewhere else such as Revere

From a corporate history of NECCO [with my highlight in bold]
  • 1847
    a young English immigrant and progressive thinker, Oliver Chase, invented the first American candy machine, a lozenge cutter. After a period of initial success selling his exciting new candy, he joined forces with brother, Silas Edwin, and founded Chase and Company, the pioneer member of the NECCO family.
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  • 1901
    Chase and Company, merged with both Fobes, Hayward & Company and Wright & Moody to officially form the New England Confectionery Company ... Over the years, NECCO prospered, producing many well known products, but its success was propelled by its most beloved candy: NECCO Wafers.
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  • 1902
    NECCO Sweets moves into a newly built manufacturing plant at Summer and Melcher Streets in Boston, the then largest factory devoted exclusively to confectionery production in the United States. Its four large buildings, each five stories high, contain an enormous five acres of floor space.
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    -- Future home of GE
  • 1927
    NECCO moves its plant to Cambridge near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....At the time, it is the largest factory in the world devoted entirely to the manufacture of candy.....Containing the most modern equipment for temperature control as well as the latest mechanical devices for efficient manufacture, these buildings push NECCO to the forefront of the industry.
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    -- Future home of Novartis
  • 1929
    Deran Hintlian acquires the Windsor Confectionery Company in Somerville, MA and the Murray Confectionery Company in Boston and begins manufacturing chocolates, sugar panned almonds, Brazil nuts, and peanuts.....
    [*] 1936 Seeking a bigger location, the Deran family moves its business to 134 Cambridge Street in Lechmere Square in Cambridge.
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    -- essentially across the street from Superior Nut
  • 1942
    In support of the United States WWII effort, NECCO turns over a portion of its plant for manufacture of war materials, and it also uses its candy facilities to provide rations and other emergency specialties for the armed forces.
    [*] 1945 ....With the end of the war, NECCO returns to civilian production. The factory’s modernization program, designed to make the NECCO plant the most modern and efficient of its kind, commences.....
    [*] 1970 ....Deran Candy is sold to the Borden Corporation, one of the largest food organizations in the world. Borden later renames the company Borden Candy Products.
    [*] 1990 NECCO acquires Stark Candy Company. With the acquisition, the Sweethearts Conversation Heart brand, along with NECCO's existing Sweet Talk line, make the company the leading manufacturer of conversation hearts. As a result of this purchase, NECCO also becomes the owner of the Mary Jane brand, which sees tremendous growth in its peanut butter kisses and salt water taffy lines.
    [*] 1994 NECCO acquires peanut butter kisses and salt-water taffy assets from the Glen Candy Company and incorporates them into its beloved Mary Jane operation. Additionally, NECCO purchases Borden Candy Products, formerly known as Deran Candy, and renames it Haviland Candy.
    [*] 1996 NECCO acquires the assets of Falcon Candy Company of Philadelphia, bolstering NECCO’s strength and dominance in the peanut butter kiss and salt water taffy categories. To commemorate the start of its 150th anniversary celebration, NECCO unveils its newly painted Water Tower atop the NECCO facility on Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge. The Water Tower is painted to replicate a classic roll of NECCO Wafers and quickly becomes a treasured part of the local skyline.
    [*] 1999 NECCO acquires the assets of Clark Bar America, Inc., makers of the Clark Bar, a popular chocolate coated peanut butter crunch candy bar.
    [*] 2003 In an exciting move that points to a future of expansion and innovation, NECCO relocates from Cambridge to a new 810,000 square-foot plant in the nearby Boston suburb of Revere, MA. This new location houses all three Massachusetts facilities as well as an extensive new warehouse.
    [*] 2004 NECCO obtains the license for Squirrel Nut Candies from the Squirrel Brand Company, which dates its history back to 1888 with humble beginnings in Boston and Cambridge. Following this development, NECCO begins to manufacture Squirrel Nut Zippers and Squirrel Nut Caramel Chews
    [*] 2010 NECCO asks fans to submit suggestions for new sayings to include in the Sweethearts lineup and receive an overwhelming amount of submissions. The top two entries, “Text Me” and “Tweet Me,” are added to the annual mix, reflecting the Valentine’s Day candy’s blend of classic signs of affection with contemporary forms of communication between loved ones.
    [*] 2012 Zombie Food makes its eerie debut at Halloween. These milk chocolate brains, hearts, and feet filled with oozy red caramel are an instant fan favorite for the spooky season. In addition to Zombie Food, the Clark line is expanded with the mouth-watering introduction of Clark Bites, a bite sized version of the Clark Bar, NECCO’s classic real chocolate and real peanut butter candy bar. These two sweet debuts stand out as NECCO’s most innovative, and delicious, product developments in recent years.
    [*] 2013 The beloved Clark brand is revamped with bold new packaging and an exciting branding initiative, launched first in Charlotte, NC. Both the Clark Bar and Clark Bites are featured in a refreshing television and digital campaign that challenges fans to answer the question: “Are you Clark enough?”
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from the Superior Nut website [my highlights in bold]
Superior Nut Company started in 1929 and was incorporated in 1933. Nubar Hintlian founded the company which began in the basement of a movie theater in Ball Square, Somerville, Mass. It was basically a one person operation whereby Mr. Hintlian roasted a small quantity of nuts during nighttime and sold them during the day to retail stores. During the 1930's most salted nuts were sold by drug stores and variety stores.

During the late 1930's the company moved its operations to a small 2 story building in Charlestown, Massachusetts. Its line of customers expanded to grocery stores, ice cream makers and candy stores. Harry Hintlian, the founder's son, remembers going to work with his father during the summer school vacation. At 8 years old, son Harry, now the company's president remembers working on a small packaging line producing jars of salted nuts. In the 1940's the company's packages consisted of glass jars and cellophane bags. We began the production of peanut butter and peanut brittle during this period.

In 1950 the company moved to a much larger, 5 story building in downtown Boston as it's business expanded. It was not until 1952 that the business started producing vacuum packed cans of nuts. These "tins" of salted nuts today occupy most of the company's production capacity. But also early in the 1950's the company expanded its production of peanut brittle to include a cashew brittle, "cashew crunch", "peanut crunch", "almond crunch" and other specialty nut candies. These were made in copper kettles and rolled out to cool and temper on solid marble tables.

In 1979 the company moved it's operations to a modern 4 story plant in Cambridge, Massachusetts where it is currently producing a broad range of nut products in many different packaging sizes. Its customer base has expanded to include every type of business that serves every food consumer market. Distribution is coast to coast and overseas.
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Interestingly there does seem to be a family name in common between Deran Hintlian, the founder of Deran and Nubar Hintlian. the founder of Superior -- and both companies were founded in 1929 with Sommerville roots

So -- after all the above the answer is probably not --- although it can't be excluded that Superior may have sold some nuts to Deran, one of the companies ultimately incorporated into Necco
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

This was all my fault. Sorry. :(
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

statler said:
This was all my fault. Sorry. :(
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You did! ;)

Regardless, something happens there which involves unbranded trailers at least a few times per week, since I bike past there regularly and see activity (but, as previously noted, *only* during business hours: otherwise it looks nearly derelict).
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

BLDUP said:
J. Derenzo Companies breaks ground on NorthPoint’s next residential development: http://www.bldup.com/projects/avalon-north-point-phase-two

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Barf. A precast landscraper.

The vacant lot was better.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

shmessy said:
Barf. A precast landscraper.

The vacant lot was better.
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Given the odd shaped parcel and (apparent) street-level activation, I actually think it looks ok.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

shmessy said:
Barf. A precast landscraper.

The vacant lot was better.
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Look, a well proportioned contemporary version of back bay Boston.

I am glad it wont be a vacant lot any longer.

(was that too sarcastic) (seriously, this is a very handsome proposal at this point and I am not sure how we know that it is going to be crappy precast) (likely it will be crappy hardy board)

cca
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

cca said:
Look, a well proportioned contemporary version of back bay Boston.

I am glad it wont be a vacant lot any longer.

(was that too sarcastic) (seriously, this is a very handsome proposal at this point and I am not sure how we know that it is going to be crappy precast) (likely it will be crappy hardy board)

cca
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While many of the S+T dwellers facing the tracks aren't happy about the construction (most of the loudest stuff will be finished soon), support for the proposal is rather strong (and the team is doing a good job keeping things clean and organized). Further, the Avalon folks said that a lot of the brick work would be real masonry, not precast, as I noted in my earlier summary.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

I think it looks fine, looks to have an engaging ground level, and its miles better than whats there. Its going to be buried within dozens of new buildings in a few years anyways.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

These are two of my most hated lots in Cambridge. Maybe only the south side of Binney competes in my opinion. Just one of those spots where you're showing off your city to a visitor and have to say "pay no mind to those tumbleweeds over there!"

Very glad these are getting filled in.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Globe: NorthPoint retail, office projects poised to begin soon

Boston Globe said:
Nearly a year after buying the 42-acre NorthPoint site, the developer DivcoWest is preparing to start construction “as quickly as possible” on an office building and redesigned retail center on what’s now an empty old rail yard where Cambridge, Boston, and Somerville meet.

Divco is poised to win approval this month from the Cambridge Planning Board on changes in NorthPoint’s development plan that includes a centralized “retail square.” The company is also preparing to start a new office building — perhaps as big as 390,000 square feet — that could open in 2019.
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Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Finally?? We do not have much retail at all right now. There is a small convenience store at the base of the Regatta (Museum towers) and a newer one in Avalon. But these stores cater mostly to NorthPoint residents and I cannot imagine that people from across Msgr. O'Brien Highway would use them. Currently our best options by foot are small stores on Cambridge Street, the plaza that contains the 99 Restaurant and Whole Foods in Charlestown, Twin City Plaza and the Cambridgeside Galleria. NorthPoint residents are drawn out into East Cambridge and Charlestown not the other way around. I believe that Divco West is going to try and change that.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

So this is in addition to the two new buildings currently under construction—but it doesn't say where this first new office building would be. Is Divco not doing those other buildings?
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

The commercial building would be built on the other side of the park across from Tango and Sierra buildings. The road would extend from Twenty/20 up to the new building.
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Equilibria said:
Latest update:

http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/...s/sp179mja6/sp179amdt6_devproposal2.pdf?la=en

Warning - big PDF, no renders, just maps. I'm not sure why they haven't filed plans for the buildings if they want to start construction ASAP.
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At our last meeting (about the time of the document that was linked further up the page), the story was that land preparation, new road orientation, and base utility installation would continue into the fall of 2016, with the build-to-suit laboratory's construction beginning next spring on the old L or M parcels, now combined as LM).

What they've been doing (introducing hundreds of tons of dirt - some from the Avalon project along Rt 28 - compacting, soil testing, road rerouting following Cambridge's approval of the new site plan, and utility connections from the Twenty|20 lines) is exactly what they said they'd be doing at this time.

The plan they explained to us is for building on parcel JK (along the newly approved, recently bedded, extended "North" First Street) and on the aforementioned parcel LM, which will get a new address along a road that hasn't been preformed yet, North Street. Following that, DivCo said they wanted to add some low retail (including a "cellular phone store", which was met with groans during the meeting - we hoped it was a joke - and non chain food for then newly occupied JK/LM folks).

It sounds like the Globe was either churning some mildly updated information or presenting news from inside sources who haven't addressed the existing NP community. I'd love for them to begin work on JK or LM soon, but if any of you who know construction take a look at what we see from our high vantage point, you'll see that it's unlikely for this season unless they really get moving in the second half. And it would mean a significant hasting of plans that DivCo said should be finished in late 2018 (those parcels), with the rest by 2025-2030.

Given that nearly all of the (non-NP) Zinc building is dark every night (and its spunky rooftop LEDs haven't been on for months), I suspect DivCo is not rushing, and is conforming to the original plan.

Sometimes I see the gent who briefed us leaving his office in the green box at the park's north end while walking the dog after work. The next time I see him I'll reintroduce myself and ask for an update or two...
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

ivyhedge said:
At our last meeting (about the time of the document that was linked further up the page), the story was that land preparation, new road orientation, and base utility installation would continue into the fall of 2016, with the build-to-suit laboratory's construction beginning next spring on the old L or M parcels, now combined as LM).
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Thanks for the info! The decision on the Cambridge Planning Board website isn't final - they sent the draft submission back with comments. The big one was that the lack of massing models and renders isn't acceptable, so the final document should have some more detail. I think that also supports the timeline you're talking about, though. All they said was that they'd start construction soon, not that they'd build any buildings.

I have to give them credit, though, for the street names. Other than the obligatory (but still annoying) Northpoint Boulevard, they all sound like real streets!
 
Re: NorthPoint Cambridge (The one that was train yards, the big plan.)

Shut up.
 
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