Dorm Tower @ Berklee College of Music | 168 Mass Ave | Back Bay

Seems weird that acoustics wouldn't be the top priority for a music school?
 
Glitzy glass wall > acoustic purity?

Finally, here's the rest of my pics.

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A couple more pics of the corner triple room.

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That's it for aerial shots. Now we head back down to the lobby.

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Retail space still a work in progress. I asked my bud how leasing is going but he wouldn't tell me anything (I still give myself an A for effort).

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And here's something that I had no idea was happening: Berklee's main building--150 Mass Ave--is getting its ground floor redone. Here's the inside of the Mass Ave frontage.

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Here's the plan. People familiar with this area will recall that the Berklee "Beach" is directly out in front of this new construction.

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History buffs might recall this used to be the Sherry Biltmore Hotel from 1955-71 (it had a big neon sign on its roof) while before that it was known as the Embassy Apartment Hotel. The half along Belvidere was built in 1902 and then the northern half in 1908. My friend had some pics of the building in its early days (sorry can't share) which were super enlightening, and I also noticed these tell-tale signs:

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Obviously time hasn't been kind to the building, and for better or worse Berklee has no intentions of restoring it to any presumed former grandeur. But I always love seeing old, forgotten about details like those. Connections to the past are important, mmmkay?

Anyway, we can expect the old dame to receive more of this kind of opening up at ground level, with the work eventually stretching around to Belvidere.

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Back to the new guy...

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Too bad the weather was so bleh that day.

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OK that's it. I'm done!
 
And for those curious about 150's history as the Sherry Biltmore, this is from the MIT Libraries Collection and it's looking south down the eastern side of Mass Ave with Boylston cutting through in between the "DRUGS" and bank seal lights.

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So that bank seal marks where the two-story neoclassical building at the SE corner of Boylston & Mass is and the building in the foreground was wiped out for the Masspike.
 
As always, amazing pics man. Just fantastic from top to bottom. Those views really make me miss Boston (though it's been 85-95 degrees here every day recently, which is hot but I'll take it over the "Polar Vortex" any day).

The inside of that place is top notch from both the quality of fixtures to the design of the spaces. That's really cool stuff.
 
Wow! If I could go back in time, I'd force myself to be a music major just get live with that view!
 
Can't thank you enough, kz. Those pics are incredible.
 
Great tour, KZ. Love your attention to detail.
 
Really clever using the columns to divide up the beds in that triple.
 
Absolutely gorgeous photos, kz. Those interiors are really something, too- nice-looking furniture, spacious, great views. Those windows are larger than I thought, too.

Here's my meager offering. I don't think a view from this angle has been posted before...
 
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Give the architect an award.

WINDOWS THAT CAN BE OPENED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


When I was at BU I turned down the new student village because every room was a prison, no windows that you could open.

I moved into a hundred year old brownstone instead, and my windows were glorious.
 
aaaaaa said:
Also, are those rocking chairs? If so, what a great touch!
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Yes they are rocking chairs, and no they are not glorious. anyone that has gone to college in the past 10 years and lived on campus will tell you how sucky they are. They were the bane of my existence in Fitchburg. you forget they rock back and then suddenly you lean back and it feels like you are falling backwards. I know tons of people that flipped out when that happened to the point hey actually fell backwards and end up breaking the chair.

simply put, these rocking chairs should be banned.
 
found5dollar said:
Yes they are rocking chairs, and no they are not glorious. anyone that has gone to college in the past 10 years and lived on campus will tell you how sucky they are. They were the bane of my existence in Fitchburg. you forget they rock back and then suddenly you lean back and it feels like you are falling backwards. I know tons of people that flipped out when that happened to the point hey actually fell backwards and end up breaking the chair.

simply put, these rocking chairs should be banned.
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Agreed, BU had them too, but fortunately not my room.

aaaaaa said:
I agree, when I lived in south campus having windows was glorious (having thousands of roaches - not hyperbole - was less glorious).
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I didnt have roaching, but the most terrifying centipede made its way into my bed.
 
found5dollar said:
Yes they are rocking chairs, and no they are not glorious. anyone that has gone to college in the past 10 years and lived on campus will tell you how sucky they are. They were the bane of my existence in Fitchburg. you forget they rock back and then suddenly you lean back and it feels like you are falling backwards. I know tons of people that flipped out when that happened to the point hey actually fell backwards and end up breaking the chair.

simply put, these rocking chairs should be banned.
Click to expand...

I was sitting in one of those once with my feet up, didn't realize I was already on the back half of it, and ended up falling backwards onto the floor. Best part is for whatever reason, my lunch was down there, and I fell into a pile of rice and chicken. I wasn't on great terms with my roommate at the time, so he gave me a quick glance and went back to whatever he was looking at on his computer.

Those chairs really don't make any sense. I have used a regular desk chair from that point on and my life has been fine.
 
I remember those chairs... I actually kinda liked them. But I also went out and bought a real desk chair at Staples after awhile since I found sitting on them for long periods of time and working made my back hurt.
 
Well, I think if any of us lived in that dorm, we would end up failing out because we would all be staring out the window at the plethora of construction projects that can be seen from these windows. :)

If the new dorm ever feels bad about the way it looks it can just look over at Grandmarc or back to the Hilton. That glass re-skinning of the front corner of the Hilton makes it look like an Atlantic City casino.
 
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