Canopy by Hilton (née Haymarket Hotel) | Blackstone St | Parcel 9 | Greenway

Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

MBTAddict said:
Does anyone have any images or links to substantial info re: the DeNormandie proposal? I can't seem to find any links that work.
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whighlander posted some renders in the New Retail thread.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

From the Herald,

ec3afb_032412MUSEUM2.jpg

DeNormandie (apartments, mixed use)

0119a0_032412MUSEUM3.jpg

Upton (apartments)

30c593_032412MUSEUM1.jpg

Mormandy (a hotel)
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

I would take any of those over the tacky museum proposal.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

czsz said:
I would take any of those over the tacky museum proposal.
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I agree. Boston does not need another non-profit. The Boston Museum has funding problems and I've no doubt their proposal would be scaled back considerably. What is needed is more retail and life after 5:00 pm in that area.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

They are all pretty bland but still better than the museum.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

They all contain more or less the same food market (I think by requirement), so I don't see much reason to choose one over another.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Ron Newman said:
They all contain more or less the same food market (I think by requirement), so I don't see much reason to choose one over another.
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Ron -- there is one real problem with permanent housing and Haymarket -- functional incompatibility

Haymarket is noisy, odoriferous, crowded -- so what is compatible (worst to best);

1) None of those features are attractive to owners of housing -- they will complain -- so there can't be condos

2) nor is it good with offices

3) Rental is next as it doesn't have the ownership issues ... " well had I known ....... I would never have bought" effect similar to what is regularly encountered out here in the burbs concerning Hanscom ... the people who buy houses for relative cheap and then one morning they wake-up and realize that Hanscom though it doesn't have any Air Force planes, and also has no scheduled civil aviation is still a busy airport


4) A Hotel doesn't have the same issues as the guests will either think it quaint and return or cite the above and not -- but new guests will still come

5) Actually, the museum is the best use for the Parcel as the quaintness factor will dominate with the visiting tourists

I know that this is a minority report
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

I'm in that minority, too ... to an extent. I like the idea of a Boston Museum, but I want it to be privately funded. From what I've read, the BMoH doesn't have the money, but maybe that's changed? I think they wanted something like $18 million from donors.

Putting it on this (small) parcel seems to make sense - it would border many of the most-historic neighborhoods - North End, Scollay Square, Adams Square, Faneuil Hall, etc. Fun!

Yes, it wouldn't be open in the evenings, most likely, but the pluses outweigh the negatives, I think. It's so convenient to tourists.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Manhattan has two separate city history museums, and I'm told there's a third one in Brooklyn. So it's a concept that can work.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

^ Manhattan is 8 times bigger than Boston, buddy!
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

But the size of Boston versus New York City should not matter in this case. What matters is how much history the city has to put on display and Boston is rich in history. Even Mass General is opening its own museum in April.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

JohnAKeith said:
I'm in that minority, too ... to an extent. I like the idea of a Boston Museum, but I want it to be privately funded. From what I've read, the BMoH doesn't have the money, but maybe that's changed? I think they wanted something like $18 million from donors.

Putting it on this (small) parcel seems to make sense - it would border many of the most-historic neighborhoods - North End, Scollay Square, Adams Square, Faneuil Hall, etc. Fun!

Yes, it wouldn't be open in the evenings, most likely, but the pluses outweigh the negatives, I think. It's so convenient to tourists.
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John -- don't forget that the palaces for the people such as the MFA, MOS, etc., while not publicly open most evenings often host private functions in the evening -- I was stuck in the traffic near the MFA the day Pres. Obama held a fund raiser at the MFA

And in addition, most museums are now opening for limited evening hours (typically until 9 PM) at least one night per week -- e.g. MFA, MOS
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

MFA is open Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. I thought the IMAX part of the Museum of Science was open most nights, but that's not what the current schedule says. Maybe that's only in the summertime.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Tango said:
But the size of Boston versus New York City should not matter in this case. What matters is how much history the city has to put on display and Boston is rich in history. Even Mass General is opening its own museum in April.
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But Museums can't function unless it receives sufficient donations and funds. NYC has a much greater fund pool than Boston thanks to its overwhelming tourist population and city population. At one point, the market does saturate.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

I have yet to read a description of what the museum would exhibit. Does it have anything in its collection? Does it intend to acquire stuff? Does it expect to receive donations of items of significance?

Below is a link to a description of the historical artifacts owned by the New York Historical Society. Does the proposed Boston Museum have a collection that is even a hundredth the size of the NYHS?

http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibits/category/about/56/table/paged/title
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

The museum seems like a bad idea. If someone wants a big, beefed up Boston history museum, they should just donate their money to one of the specialized museums that already exist, ie, donate your money to the Old State House to expand their offerings. Opening up a new museum just adds another "mouth to feed" on the museum scene.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Being a historic building surrounded entirely by streets, the Old State House can't expand in place.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Boston history can't - perhaps shouldn't -be contained in a building. It is most impactful when walked and experienced, not curated.

Any organization that cares about Boston history should focus its efforts on funding a subsidized roster of all-season high-impact walking tours organized around neighborhoods (e.g. Back Bay, Harvard), time periods (e.g. Colonial, Victorian, Urban Renewal), and specific themes (e.g. Boston Strangler, Terraforming the Landscape). Look at the schedule for London Walks to see the kind of variety I have in mind. I know there are quite a number of walking tours of Boston available, but I don't think we've scratched the surface in terms of that potential.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Ron: right, I was only using it as an example (also, I bet they could figure out a way to utilize their space better).
 
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