Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

^ I agree that with 20/20 hindsight it was shortsighted to fill in. But it's amusing to think that when Cambridge eliminated its canals it was doing the equivalent of taking down its elevated central artery!

(Binney St = Greenway 1.0?)
 
kz1000ps said:
For that matter, pretty much everything from Binney to Main Street was obliterated.
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It was obliterated to make way for NASA's Electronics Research Center (the canal was filled between 1966-68), which was closed in 1970 (now it's the Volpe Center).
 
There's steel rising for what looks like a new apartment building with two bay windows on Mass Ave. between Harvard and Central. Anyone have any info?

EDIT: Found info - it's the "Hotel Veritas," at Mass. Ave. an Remington St.:

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http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridg...New-Harvard-Square-hotel-to-be-called-Veritas

Construction cam from its Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/HotelVeritas?_fb_noscript=1):

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And what used to be there (a green triple decker and an auto repair shop):

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.as...00&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=937544&encType=1
 
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What material will the yellow sections be? Considering how yellow it appears in the rendering, I'm getting flashes of the putrid pink precast used on the St. Elizabeth's addition in Brighton.
 
Another story would have been welcome. Maybe two or three.

That auto-repair shop was a perpetual blight. Thank God it's gone.

How was it able to hang on for so long?
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
Looks like another design-by-committy Cambridge clusterfuck.
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Actually if you read the comments on some of the news pieces it sounds like the neighbors are quite livid about the height and mass...surprise, surprise.
 
So the design probably wasn't derived entirely from community consensus. Although I suppose even "design by committee" will still result in some recalcitrant, Ned Flaherty style outliers.
 
^ Anxious to preserve the asbestos siding and the oil-soaked soil?
 
This little stretch of Mass. Ave. has seen some notable improvements in recent years --but they've been painfully slow.

Besides the Remington Street building (but why no shops?), the American Repertory mini-theatre/cabaret and the Inn at Harvard are improvements.

The former replaced a motorcycle dealership, and the latter a gas station.

Combined with Remington Street, this represents a considerable rolling back of Autopia.

That isn't nearly enough, however. When will the owner of the big stucco apartment building realize he needs ground floor shops?
 
ablarc said:
This little stretch of Mass. Ave. has seen some notable improvements in recent years --but they've been painfully slow.
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I agree, although I also think this sort of incrementalism is one of Harvard Square's strengths.

Besides the Remington Street building (but why no shops?), the American Repertory mini-theatre/cabaret and the Inn at Harvard are improvements.
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The Inn at Harvard doesn't have shops, either. It's short and set back considerably from the street by landscaping. The opponents of the Hotel Veritas cited it as an example of the scale they'd prefer for the neighborhood. They also seem to like vegetation for its own sake.

That isn't nearly enough, however. When will the owner of the big stucco apartment building realize he needs ground floor shops?
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I have a feeling there's something behind that stucco wall preventing it. Ground floor apartments facing an interior courtyard is what it looks like from an aerial view.

EDIT: What the site looked like before compared to the rendering:

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Looks like it roughly approximates the existying buildings' massing, with a little infill here and an additional story there. And do I see two off-street parking places?

Will this really be a hotel?
 
Indeed; I think replicating their massing was one of the promises they made to the neighbors.

I really hope they're not parking spaces after all this. They plan to have a bar/lounge, and it would make a nice spot for a patio if they can get the license.

And yes, a very small hotel - only 30some rooms.
 
czsz said:
Indeed; I think replicating their massing was one of the promises they made to the neighbors
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Goes to show how invariably stupid you can expect such judgments to be.

There was not a single occasion that I passed this site without lamenting the pitiful dimensions of that green building.

Like a withered hand.
 
czsz said:
I really hope they're not parking spaces after all this. They plan to have a bar/lounge, and it would make a nice spot for a patio if they can get the license.
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I've been briefed on the plans and happy to say those will not be parking spaces. Plan is to have a patio.
 
I love that it already has a description on Expedia that entirely sidesteps the fact that it's still under construction:

Hotel Veritas is a 30-room independent hotel located in Harvard Square offering intimate service in a hip Cantabrigian setting and is the only high-end small hotel in Cambridge. Guests are families of Harvard students visiting academics and other travelers to the Harvard Square area.The entire look and feel of the hotel is elegant and current but with a respectful nod towards our traditional and historic neighborhood. The guest rooms are designed with the fine detailing of an old New England residence and furnishings that are interesting contemporary pieces with rich fabrics and textures. The full marble bathrooms feature Etro bath amenities. The bed linens towels and robes are by Anichini.Our lounge called the Simple Truth is a relaxing space in which to enjoy a glass of wine or have a conversation with friends. The room features a stunning fireplace thirteen-foot-high windows and stone floor tiles reclaimed from a French chateau. A light snack menu is available in the lounge or through room service. The exterior of the hotel is a reconstruction of the private residence built in the 1880 s which was previously on the property. A four-story addition will be constructed with a design element reflective of the former stables that stood on the site. On-site underground parking is available.Rates include a simple breakfast wireless Internet access and domestic telephone calls.
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http://www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll/qscr=dspv/htid=2988851
 
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