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

Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

whighlander said:
CJBski -- the proposal says 2017 to start construction -- so since there is nothing to demolish and what should be a simple foundation -- we might see this finished [at least on the outside] by the end of 2017
Click to expand...

FYI this is on top of the underground Callahan tunnel ramp - which may actually mean the foundation is in fact simple, depending on whether the ramp itself is the foundation or if they have to dig around it to establish new footings...
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

^ That dorm looks like the old render, not the new one.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Java King,

I lived at that dorm too (University of Nebraska)! Sorry for the short thread derailment to everyone else who doesn't know or care where Nebraska is.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

JumboBuc, you are correct. I was reading quickly and thought the more modernist proposal was the latest. The latest iteration of the design is much better for this location, in my opinion.

Commuter Guy, yup I'm from Nebraska! My dorm was actually Schramm, but the photo is Harper. However, you are aware that the whole complex is Harper, Schramm, Smith. Six years at UNL for architecture and then I moved to Boston and never looked back. Ha.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

IAG meeting in 20 mins at City Hall. I'll be at this one too.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Roof over the first floor retail will be an open deck for use by the hotel. Developer delicately skirted the idea of a bar up here hoping not to rile up the North End residents present only for the pushcart association's rep make the suggestion himself to much head nodding with a mix of interest and recoil.

Meeting review:
  • pushcart association rep mentioned the need for coordination with abutting businesses along Blackstone Street since they are doing a complete level and envelope-to-envelope treatment of the street
  • one resident in the audience then mentioned the need for a restoration to granite slab sidewalks - not a lot of positive reaction to that and the developer artfully aknowledged the suggestion
  • pushcart association rep brought up concerns about being able to load their wares during construction - developer assured him that their construction staging would ensure no conflicts (apparently they're meeting with the pushcart association tomorrow to make the same presentation
  • one of the residents on the IAG then started to mince details about length of the 1 story portion of the building, concerned that the first floor retail was no longer meeting the neighbourhood's ask for a 'market hall'
  • first floor retail area is unchanged from the previous proposal - folks became concerned/confused by the hotel massing, taking it as a boundary of the first floor retail because the length of the roof deck is now shorter
  • sentiment of the residents seemed to be that they want an 'affordable version of the Public Market - something we can actually use' and kept referring to the need for a 'market hall', whereas another BRA/zoning/staffer close to the project contested any such specific requirement, but rather that the only requirement is 'market-related retail' and 'complimentary retail to market use'
  • then the gentleman on the IAG began to question with some concerns the specific number of keys in the hotel - that the MassDOT requirement had a certain maximum quota whereas the developer was clearly under that, that it could go down if the hotel decided to do suites and it could go down if they wanted to make it 'more efficient'
    more to come...
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

The windows suck just like on Broad street.

Shame they can't they do a better, interlocking faux curtain.

Tough to run that here.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Yay, more updates:
  • BTD & MassDOT are 'working' to figure out what to do with the tour buses that park/load/unload on Surface Road on this block since the valet requirements of the hotel will clearly be at odds with existing curb use
  • they are actually working with the artist of the bronze metal sculptures embedded in Hnaover Street to have some recast into the street
  • they're adding stanchions for power along Blackstone St for the push carts
  • someone expressed strong dislike of the new Lovejoy Wharf condos - the architects listed the Bruce Bolling Building in Dudley as inspiration - that it was an insult to the heritage of the neighbourhood or something along that sentiment
  • EDIT: there was also a discussion about public restrooms in the hotel lobby on the second floor - if you go back into the plans in previous pages, you'll see that there are two restrooms next to hotel BOH (presumably reception/front desk) and then two behind that for hotel guest use adjacent the gym. A heated discussion ensued about the need for first floor public restrooms (there are restrooms in the Haymarket Pushcart Association's loading area within the building, but those are designated for HPA, not public use) and either the need for public signage or a way to ensure that the hotel can't deny public access to the designated toilets. The person behind me who I assumed to be a rep from Millennium Hotels next door seemed to be indignant about the following discussion of people using hotel lobby toilets as public ones, then started rattling off offices and other hotels - 'try walking into Harbourside and see if they let you use their restrooms, 60 State Street, etc'. He walked out of the meeting shortly after.

After the meeting, they mentioned in discussion with me that they're still waiting on further approvals before working out full details on the brickwork. One of the architects hadn't seen Lovejoy yet, so I pulled up some of the wonderful detail photos from the thread and he pointed to some of the relief brickwork (am I using those words correctly?) along the corners and between the windows as something they might do at this site.

One thing clearly missing is how they're working out the two loading docks along Blackstone Street - the one for the pushcart association and the other for the dumpsters they're consolidating into this building to clear up space along this street (see the Blackstone Street elevation in the latest renderings). Considering this is part of what the pushcart association is going to pick on when they meet tomorrow, I'm unsure why the architect left that unresolved even in the renderings in this evening's presentation.

Edit: I really should start coming to public meetings - BRA, MassDOT, MBTA, City of Boston - with popcorn...
 
Last edited:
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

DigitalSciGuy said:
  • pushcart association rep mentioned the need for coordination with abutting businesses along Blackstone Street since they are doing a complete level and envelope-to-envelope treatment of the street
Click to expand...

thanks for the update, DSG. not sure if your bullet point above addresses this, but is there any talk of what is to happen (if anything) to the adjacent fish/meat markets across blackstone street?
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Those all stay - those are the abutters the Pushcart Association wants involved in the conservation with regard to resurfacing Blackstone St.

Developer responded that they've definitely been in talks but as yet they're not far along in the process of designing Blackstone St that they'd have anything substantial to go to the abutters with.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

This project is a no-brainer. Will do a ton for the area.

JlWLkAo.jpg



SFkHPoB.jpg
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Are these hotel rooms for ants? They are saying 225 hotel rooms with 5 stories of the building being dedicated to hotel, that means 45 hotel rooms per floor. Maybe the renders make the building look smaller than it is, but 45 hotel rooms per floor seems like a lot.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

^It's really a fairly large parcel, with a lot of space to fill. But I don't have the know-how to tell you more than that.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

The hotel industry has figured out that most people buy rooms the same way they buy airplane tickets - if the location, brand/loyalty and service level boxes all get checked off, then it's all about price. The room doesn't look tiny in the photos on the website, and by the time you open the door and discover its tiny, you've already paid. So yes, almost certainly hotel rooms for ants.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

Blackdog said:
Are these hotel rooms for ants? They are saying 225 hotel rooms with 5 stories of the building being dedicated to hotel, that means 45 hotel rooms per floor. Maybe the renders make the building look smaller than it is, but 45 hotel rooms per floor seems like a lot.
Click to expand...

I'm sure they'll be smaller rooms, but this parcel runs between Hanover and North Street. Essentially, it's the same length that the the Blackstone Block is (Bell-in-Hand to the TD Bank on Union at North). It's a big plot. 225 rooms doesn't seem outrageous.

*edit*
I think the original proposal called for more indoor market stall space. The current proposal calls for 3 3,500 square foot retail storefronts. Obviously this is still a win for the area, but it's a shame that it won't include the indoor market stall space. The public market is doing exceptionally well (better than expected). The developer says they can't "compete," but why do they need to? They could be complementary. Shame.
 
Re: Parcel 9 - The Greenway

How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read... if they can't even fit inside the building?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top