"Dirty Old Boston"
- Thread starter theSil
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I loved walking through and stopping to look at this sculpture some 25 years ago. I echo the query earlier in this thread, if anyone knows where it went after Boston Properties renovated. I have a tickle at the edge of my brain that it was a long-term loan from the artist, who maybe took it back. It’d be great to see it again on public display.
Downburst
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Somewhat miraculous video of Copley Place under construction. Kind of amazing to see how lax safety codes were even 40 years ago...
squidman1
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That page has some incredible footage, like this one as well!
Plen-T-Pak
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Holy shit! I check the archives daily but had never seen that one. Amazing footage!
Plen-T-Pak
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That was a quick half hour. I thought the music was great. Production reminded me a bit of Koyaanisqatsi. Great find. Thanks for posting.
kz1000ps
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Quoting at 1am for the mention of Koyaanisqatsi. Haven't even watched yet but if it's even remotely in the ballpark then we've got a home run.
1971 Fire in Boston
Fire in Boston - 1971 by Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection, on Flickr
Fire in Boston - 1971 by Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection, on Flickr
kz1000ps
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DZH has posted a handful of this guy's pictures before but there's so much more stuff in his Flickr collection that deserves viewing here. These are mostly from around 1986-87 unless otherwise noted, and apologies for any reposts!
2001
2002... I suppose this qualifies as dirty and old lol
Back to the eighties
2001
2002... I suppose this qualifies as dirty and old lol
Back to the eighties
I know it's not a Christmas song, and I know it's about New York...but those Faneuil Hall photos have Joe Jackson's Steppin' Out playing in my head. Such a phenomenal aesthetic.
So many of those photos hit me right in the nostalgia, even if they're a couple of years before my time...that's the Boston I remember growing up in.
So many of those photos hit me right in the nostalgia, even if they're a couple of years before my time...that's the Boston I remember growing up in.
kz1000ps
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That was a great watch. The music is what's called 12-tone technique and was about as modernist/brutalist as music got in the 20th century... without getting too technical it basically eschews your standard harmonies and chord progressions for an any-note-goes mentality. I don't always love it but I do appreciate how cutting edge it was for the time.
ANYWAY everyone here should watch it. It's really well produced and has some fantastic camera angles. And if not then you're in luck because I pulled a bunch of screenshots...
Anyone know why the skybridge had such a different aesthetic from the rest of the development?
squidman1
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That was a great watch. The music is what's called 12-tone technique and was about as modernist/brutalist as music got in the 20th century... without getting too technical it basically eschews your standard harmonies and chord progressions for an any-note-goes mentality. I don't always love it but I do appreciate how cutting edge it was for the time.
ANYWAY everyone here should watch it. It's really well produced and has some fantastic camera angles. And if not then you're in luck because I pulled a bunch of screenshots...
Anyone know why the skybridge had such a different aesthetic from the rest of the development?
Somewhat late of me, but the skybridge was designed by the Stubbins Associates, instead of TAC. (Stubbins Assoc. also did both hotels, if I'm not mistaken.)
A phenomenal example of how a "tactical urban intervention" helped to create a great new urban space and to chip away at the wretched "car is king" philosophy, in the heart of the Financial District, at one of the most significant crossroads of Downtown--the convergence of the Financial District, Chinatown, Waterfront, and Leather District.
Above we see a photo of 125 Summer that must've been taken no earlier than 1990 as that's when the building debuted. Well within my lifetime and those of numerous AB posters. There is no 125 Summer Street Plaza, practically speaking. The message to all pedestrians traversing the area is "go away, this is the ass-end of our property."
Now, here's what things look like, presumably as a result of pressure from the BPDA perhaps in concert with local neighborhood activists.
A glorious(ly simple) little downtown greenspace. Pre-pandemic, with Tatte open there, and Serafina's beer garden across the street at 100 Summer Plaza, this was a wonderfully vibrant spot during the summers. Even now, with Serafina sadly closed, numerous Tatte patrons and others avail themselves to the park on nice sunny days thereby activating the space and creating a sense of community and vibrancy.
The point is of course, the park didn't will itself into existence. Mentalities had to change and political pressure/advocacy had to be applied.
P.S. further proof that there used to not be a park there: technically, the parcel of land which the modern-day park occupies is still classified as a roadway by the City: 17 South Street.