CambridgeSide Galleria Reno/Redev | First Street | East Cambridge

So I had been curious about how they were going to support the added load of the new upper floors on the former Sears side. For those like me interested in geeky structural engineering stuff: if you look closely you'll notice that they are reinforcing all of the interior columns with cast-in-place concrete surrounding the columns. They're also (as I noted upthread) removing and replacing the exterior columns with much beefier steel ones. Last observation is that they replaced the construction wrap with new render images of the improved facade design (hopefully confirming that's what we're getting):

css-221.jpg
css-222.jpg
 
So BestBuy and TJMaxx are both in the wing that would be demo'd to make way for the new 150 CambridgeSide residential building:
cs150-2-png.21291

(As described in more detail upthread: http://archboston.com/community/thr...-first-street-east-cambridge.5786/post-421234)

Recently I noticed a stretch of storefronts on the upper level being consolidated to create a new home for TJMaxx in the core mall (some existing stores were moved to create this; e.g., Newbury Comics moved downstairs, others already vacated):
cs-tmx-1.jpg


^So this TJMaxx move seems precursory to starting the new 150 CambridgeSide building. However, I've seen nothing regarding BestBuy. My hope is that something similar would happen for them; it'd be nice to keep a (perhaps smaller format) BestBuy here, but I have no sense of whether that's happening.
 
I never knew that this work was taking place!!! :unsure:
 
I never knew that this work was taking place!!! :unsure:

Yes, the whole area around the mall will be quite different in a couple of years, for better or worse. I think better. While we're losing the big box stores, the stretch along First St. always had an atrocious streetwall, which is now supposedly going to feature ground floor activation along this block of first and removal of all above ground parking. Also the project features a nice chunk of residential (though much of the additions are life sciences labs). I'd say it's a net improvement, all things considered.
 
Yes, the whole area around the mall will be quite different in a couple of years, for better or worse. I think better. While we're losing the big box stores, the stretch along First St. always had an atrocious streetwall, which is now supposedly going to feature ground floor activation along this block of first and removal of all above ground parking. Also the project features a nice chunk of residential (though much of the additions are life sciences labs). I'd say it's a net improvement, all things considered.

I wonder what the anchor stores will be, if there are going to be any of them. :unsure:
 

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