"Dirty Old Boston"

kz1000ps said:
I know it's tacky but of all the office lobbies I've been in (and I've been in a lot) that one always stood out as being warmer and richer than all the others, especially considering so many lobbies go for an aggressively cold feeling. If nothing else it was memorable, even moreso now that every new interior has to be gray/white.
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What exactly is the point of that? Does anyone actually like it? When I worked for Wellington at 75 State the entrance foyer to my floor — and even more so a specific conference room — always made me feel like I was in a morgue.
 
This goes deep into human psychology and the competitive spirit, but warmth suggests comfort and coziness, and by extension domesticity aka a traditionally female-dominant environment, whereas a class A office lobby must communicate "serious business happens here, don't show up looking for comfort or friends" aka a traditionally male-dominant space.

The point is to project out one's peepee and have a pissing contest, and probably the only people who actually like it are psychopaths.

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kz1000ps said:
The point is to project out one's peepee and have a pissing contest, and probably the only people who actually like it are psychopaths.
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Maybe. That's certainly a take.

I think the trend towards very sterile hospital like lobbies is mostly driven by the Apple-ifying of architecture.

Color is verbotten. Everything must be White, grey, silver, have some embedded wood grain, and feature some tasteful use of concrete and glass. Totally boring, but easy to do and it is hard to offend anyone with that (except perhaps me and a handful of other architecture and interior design nerds).
 
393b40 said:
Maybe. That's certainly a take.

I think the trend towards very sterile hospital like lobbies is mostly driven by the Apple-ifying of architecture.

Color is verbotten. Everything must be White, grey, silver, have some embedded wood grain, and feature some tasteful use of concrete and glass. Totally boring, but easy to do and it is hard to offend anyone with that (except perhaps me and a handful of other architecture and interior design nerds).
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You hit the nail on the head. Minimalism is in style due to the high tech culture, and also I think because the mid-century look (albeit updated) is in,, for clothing styles (narrow lapels, skinny jeans and pants) as well as for the "skinny" minimalist look for architecture. Pretty much the polar opposite of what was happening in the 1980s.
 
Are there any parts of Boston that would still be considered "dirty old Boston"? This city continues to evolve and looks amazing, with emphasis on the Greenway, West End, Beacon Hill, DTX, Seaport, the soon to be new Gov't center, the historic beauty of the Back Bay, North End, Charles St, etc. It's such a lovely city to walk and explore. Too bad I can't afford to live here (anymore).
 
The OL is not what it should be but I think that most people who rode the old "Terror Train" elevated would say the Orange Line is actually much better.
 
squidman1, thanks a million for those 1 Post Office Square lobby pics! I'd buy a coffee table book of corporate lobby shots throughout the years.
 
Scott said:
The OL is not what it should be but I think that most people who rode the old "Terror Train" elevated would say the Orange Line is actually much better.
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I've never heard the OL called the "Terror Train" before, but it sure scared the hell out of me when I rode it as a boy. There was one curve — I don't remember the location — where the train slowed down and started to tilt and I was always terrified it was going to topple over. On the other hand, I loved the view when we over Blackstone Square, so having to ride the OL filled me with dread anticipating the curve and with joy anticipating the square.
 
Terror Train was a popular horror film in the 1980's. It's possible that only the kids in Lower Mills called it that. However it was a colorful negative comparison I heard at the time, like people comparing any smell to low tide in Boston Harbor
 
citydweller said:
Are there any parts of Boston that would still be considered "dirty old Boston"?
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I'd say Everett, Chelsea and Lynn are still somewhat "dirty old Boston", but they have a bright future if they get some beefed up transit access (especially Everett and Lynn). The area along the Mystic River in Everett has huge potential once some form of an Urban Ring busway is provided, and hopefully LRV eventually. Lynn will obviously take off once BLX is built there.
 
MrDee12345 said:
I remember before the Big Dig, I didn't want them to tear down the SE Expressway because I thought it would take away from the character of the city. I was quite the fool in my youth.
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God...I still remember what the Artery smelled like. The wharves might've been the smoggiest places this side of the Bronx on days there wasn't enough seabreeze.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
God...I still remember what the Artery smelled like. The wharves might've been the smoggiest places this side of the Bronx on days there wasn't enough seabreeze.
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During that time, my father was commuting to Boston by train everyday. He would take pictures of the progress of the tearing down of the old Gahden. I'm sure I have those pictures somewhere.
 
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