Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

Ah, that's what was going on behind Dado Tea for all this time.
There was a construction fence there for months now...
 
Smartiro said:
Ah, that's what was going on behind Dado Tea for all this time.
There was a construction fence there for months now...
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Months. I'd say over a year by now.

Anyone know if there are any plans for the old Harvard Square Theater?
 
aaaaaa said:
The empty Taco Bell in Inman Sq. (168 Hampshire, I believe) is being torn down right now.)
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How bad is it that I was absolutely, completely devastated when it closed? Its my favorite fast food. Its awful I'm saying this but it was the only reason I ever trecked out to Inman Square. On the bright side now I get to contribute to the traffic on the Revere Beach Parkway...

God I love Taco Bell...

OT: I hope the Harvard Square theater gets reopened as a single screen as it once was, perhaps with the potential for theatre as well as movies. Do the bones of the original theater exist or was it gutted when it was turned into a multiplex?

Also, I had heard the original box office faced onto Mass Ave. How was this possible?
 
Yes, the entrance to the Harvard Square Theatre used to be on Mass. Ave. -- I think where C'est Bon is now. It got moved some time in the early 80s.

There is no reason to ever go to a Taco Bell when we have Anna's, Boca Grande, and Felipe's, all within reasonable walking or biking distance of Inman Square.
 
Ron Newman said:
Yes, the entrance to the Harvard Square Theatre used to be on Mass. Ave. -- I think where C'est Bon is now. It got moved some time in the early 80s.

There is no reason to ever go to a Taco Bell when we have Anna's, Boca Grande, and Felipe's, all within reasonable walking or biking distance of Inman Square.
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Olecito is in Inman Square :)
 
I was just reading about that new venue, it was saying that it would have capacity for 525 people and that Cambridge hasn't had a venue of that size since House of Blues closed in 2003. I was wondering though how many can Middle East downstairs hold?
 
I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it will be the 2nd largest in Cambridge to Middle East Downstairs, which I think is 575? In any case it certainly will be the largest in the Harvard Sq. area compared to Club Passim and Lizard Lounge and whatever else there is.
 
today
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Boston02124 said:
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tmac9wr said:
How in the world did these brick fortresses ever come into style? It always boggles my mind when I see them planted all around the city. There's virtually no redeeming qualities to them from an aesthetic standpoint. At least with stuff like brutalism I can understand why some like it. I may not agree with them in most cases...but I at least "get it". For the brick masses like this, the Four Seasons on the Public Garden, and the massive growth near it which covers both Charles Street and Stuart St--nearly 1/3 of an entire city block--I will never understand the reasoning.
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I know I'm responding seven months late, but I wanted to help you fill in the blanks, tmac. Two factors were behind the rise of these things. Number one was that modernism had simply become stale and derivative by the mid-'70s, giving us banal bunkers instead of bold bunkers.

But the other point is more illuminating -- when the energy crisis hit in October 1973 it sent prices on nearly everything through the roof, and concrete was no exception. We were already deep into the stagflated '70s when it hit, so the developments that didn't get axed almost invariably ended up being sheathed in cheaper brick from then on. That's why right around 1974-75 concrete facades fall off the face of the earth and brick is suddenly everywhere.

As for why they stuck with this look for a good 8-10 years, I couldn't tell you. These things scream compromise.
 
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^
The other factor regarding the plethora of red brick was the influence of the Bicentennial, when Boston was featured nationally and the "Boston Brick" style of the 18th/19th C was thought to "brand" Boston's unique feel. We also got the lovely Transportation Building at this time, one of the most vile uses of brick in the city, and the Kennedy School, equally repressive in Cambridge. I agree....as much as I like brick, it can and is over-used and frequently misused, especially as prefab panels.
 
Padre Mike said:
^
The other factor regarding the plethora of red brick was the influence of the Bicentennial, when Boston was featured nationally and the "Boston Brick" style of the 18th/19th C was thought to "brand" Boston's unique feel. We also got the lovely Transportation Building at this time, one of the most vile uses of brick in the city, and the Kennedy School, equally repressive in Cambridge. I agree....as much as I like brick, it can and is over-used and frequently misused, especially as prefab panels.
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Dukakis had won the support of the brick layers union in the previous election. Even the lentils are brick.
 
Someone, way back in olden days of ArchBoston, had a great post about how large expanses of brick simply don't work. It needs to be broken up regularly and repeatedly.

I wish I could I could remember who posted it, it was a well written argument.
 
Large expanses of anything don't work. Need some variety. And you know, windows, doors, and spaces for people to live, work and play.
 
kz1000ps said:
I know I'm responding seven months late, but I wanted to help you fill in the blanks, tmac. Two factors were behind the rise of these things. Number one was that modernism had simply become stale and derivative by the mid-'70s, giving us banal bunkers instead of bold bunkers.

But the other point is more illuminating -- when the energy crisis hit in October 1973 it sent prices on nearly everything through the roof, and concrete was no exception. We were already deep into the stagflated '70s when it hit, so the developments that didn't get axed almost invariably ended up being sheathed in cheaper brick from then on. That's why right around 1974-75 concrete facades fall off the face of the earth and brick is suddenly everywhere.

As for why they stuck with this look for a good 8-10 years, I couldn't tell you. These things scream compromise.
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Thanks for the info! Now let's knock these shit heaps down!
 
statler said:
Someone, way back in olden days of ArchBoston, had a great post about how large expanses of brick simply don't work. It needs to be broken up regularly and repeatedly.

I wish I could I could remember who posted it, it was a well written argument.
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The way you describe the post somehow makes it sound very Ablarc-ian.
 
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