Center for Student Services @ BU |100 Bay State Rd | Back Bay

Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Thanks -- enjoying how this is shaping up. The round edge looks like it'll be a nice touch for a "gateway" to the campus from Bay State.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

earlier today, by me:

hafGz.jpg

Very nice -- If you cana hav a-sphere a-cylinder is almost as good
 
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Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Certainly changes how the street feels at that corner
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

What's the deal with the one story Citizens Bank on prime Kenmore parcel?
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Given the way things go in Boston, today's freshmen may see this development completed when they return for their 25th reunion.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Given the way things go in Boston, today's freshmen may see this development completed when they return for their 25th reunion.

In general you would be right -- but when a university does it -- things slide through the process quite a bit more like a greased slide rather than one covered in sandpaper

I'll put money that it could be open by the time the class of 2015 returns for its 10th

Similar to MIT and the "New Kendall Sq."
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Pardon me if this has already been posted (here or elsewhere) but the Boston Courant newspaper reports that BU is in negotiation with the city of Boston to buy Cummington, Blanford, and Hinsdale streets. These are the streets between Commonwealth Avenue and the Massachusetts Turnpike. Warren Towers, Morse Auditorium, and the College of Communications are inside those parameters. The streets would be closed to all but emergency vehicles. The price for Blanford Street has not been determined; the price for the other two would be $11.45 million. A closing could happen by the end of October.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

I'm still confused by that rendering. It looks like the long, short, skinny building is built in the middle of the road, thus blocking all traffic between Comm Av and the BU Bridge.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

hmm. there are no BU parking lots or garages on those streets?
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Pardon me if this has already been posted (here or elsewhere) but the Boston Courant newspaper reports that BU is in negotiation with the city of Boston to buy Cummington, Blanford, and Hinsdale streets. These are the streets between Commonwealth Avenue and the Massachusetts Turnpike. Warren Towers, Morse Auditorium, and the College of Communications are inside those parameters. The streets would be closed to all but emergency vehicles. The price for Blanford Street has not been determined; the price for the other two would be $11.45 million. A closing could happen by the end of October.

I dont understand this transaction. These streets are defacto private as only people with BU business use them. Theres absolutely no other reason for anyone else to drive there.

So why pay money to close them....? Why not just close them anyway, with city approval?

The street in front of Photonics, Babbit street, has been closed off for years as well. Vehicles with special transmitters can access it when needed.

Did BU pay the city for this as well?


One great change would mean that there would be less delays on the B line as one of the light cycles for Cummington/Comm would be eliminated. The T would now only have to stop if a vehicle going east on Comm Ave activated the sensor for a U turn.

Of course, the MBTA would have to be smart enough to reprogram that light.

Looking at the silver line, we'll be skiing in hell before such a progressive change is instituted.

Likewise, the Blanford Street track crossing could be eliminated (pedestrian only). Traffic from Sliber Way would be forced to turn right.

Cars wanting to go east could either turn right and then U turn at St Marys, or more intelligently, simply use the Granby street crossing.

OR, close the Granby street crossing and keep Blandford.

Either way, the comm ave reconstruction included WAAAAY too many vehicle crossing points on the B line, most uneeded.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

I'm still confused by that rendering. It looks like the long, short, skinny building is built in the middle of the road, thus blocking all traffic between Comm Av and the BU Bridge.

The long, skinny building that appears to be in the middle of the road is in fact elevated. That would be clear on a larger rendering.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

I dont understand this transaction.

One great change would mean that there would be less delays on the B line as one of the light cycles for Cummington/Comm would be eliminated. The T would now only have to stop if a vehicle going east on Comm Ave activated the sensor for a U turn.

Of course, the MBTA would have to be smart enough to reprogram that light.

Either way, the comm ave reconstruction included WAAAAY too many vehicle crossing points on the B line, most uneeded.

Jass -- the T doesn't control the lights -- those are City of Boston (or whatever city or town) traffic lights unless the traffic light is on a road formerly controlled by the MDC and now controlled by the Commonwealth DOT (e.g. Alewife Brook Parkway)

The one light in that neighborhood that is controlled by the DOT and hence the T influenced would be the light at the BU Bridge since 2 numbered MA state routes cross at that point and the Commonwealth owns the Bridge
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Given the way things go in Boston, today's freshmen may see this development completed when they return for their 25th reunion.

BU usually goes pretty briskly. The SMG building hadn't even started construction beyond ground clearing when I first toured BU campus right around New Years '95. It was open for classes second semester of my freshman year, Winter '97. Photonics building was similarly a very fast one. Stuff like the Student Village took longer, but that was a multi-tower complex with ground prep and demolition taking place up front for all future builds on the site. One-parcel jobs on top of vacant lots historically have gone a lot faster embedded fully on campus than any of the other stuff in the city that's got the BRA's vice grip sucking the life out of it. But there's a lot less red tape to cut through when there's only one property owner for the whole neighborhood, and said property owner is a borg-like creature that assimilates everything surrounding it.

Downside of all that fast late-90's construction: the same vanilla John Silber-approved facade on every single building. Meh. :rolleyes:
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

BU usually goes pretty briskly. The SMG building hadn't even started construction beyond ground clearing when I first toured BU campus right around New Years '95. It was open for classes second semester of my freshman year, Winter '97. :

Actually, the Management building was first proposed in 1985! Once construction begins it moves fast but the planning and of course the funding stages take forever.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

Actually, the Management building was first proposed in 1985! Once construction begins it moves fast but the planning and of course the funding stages take forever.

Funding was the issue. BU's endowment didn't crest until the early-90's, so a whole lotta things that were on the campus master plan for 10-15 years spent a long time percolating in the queue before the incredible 10-year building boom exploded. The only substantial construction that took place prior to that in the current "modern" campus expansion era were the Engineering building on Cummington St., Metcalf Science Center at corner of Blandford and Comm. Ave., and the Sargeant Health building on Comm Ave., all built between 1983-90. Those were the kick-off of the mass expansion, but the financial transformation of the university had to become more or less complete before everything else moved forward.

Student Village did take shape very quickly. It was desired for years but the formal planning and construction were aggressive. Went from a still semi-congealed proposal to locked and loaded for ground clearing and construction in pretty much the span of my undergrad years '96-00.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

BU's next major expansion project will be the Law School tower addition -- a complete transformation of the tower (interior) and the adjacent plaza between the tower and library (it will also include a new entrance for Mugar Library.
 
Re: B.U. East Campus Center (100 Bay State Rd)

^Thats been happening since....2007? For some reason, it's quite the secretive process. They wouldnt give the Free Press renders for example.
 

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