Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

Got sidetracked, spent some time staring at the building at 2 am this morning while
stumbling homeward. Looked like paint to me. But I am not a reliable witness.
 
Does ADA compliance cap the grade at which the ramps can be built? I find the very large sloping sections to be more off-balancing than the older steeper ramp sections. Maybe it's because the slop doesn't stand out as much so I don't expect it, but they really just remind me of the terrible sidewalks on Summer St. in Fort Point.
 
Hutchison said:
Does ADA compliance cap the grade at which the ramps can be built? I find the very large sloping sections to be more off-balancing than the older steeper ramp sections. Maybe it's because the slop doesn't stand out as much so I don't expect it, but they really just remind me of the terrible sidewalks on Summer St. in Fort Point.
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Yes.

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They have to install the ramps by law, but I wonder why they aren't having the Millenium project build them as part of mitigation?

Back in the day, when the city got money for "fancy" sidewalk treatments they constructed them without regard to maintenance. That's why they are almost always repaired with concrete when there is an issue (see Grove Hall for example). I believe the PWD yards only have the materials to maintain concrete, asphalt, and wire-cut brick. They don't even stock cobbles. "Fancy sidewalks" that are installed nowadays all have maintenance agreements which dictate that the property owner is responsible for and must complete all necessary repairs.

I'm appalled though at how invasive PWD was with these ramps. Large swaths of the brick were removed (for grading issues) but they could have reused a lot of the bricks and surrounded the concrete ramps with them. When they did the South End two years ago, they only did the ramps themselves in concrete and then surrounded them with new wire-cut brick. Downtown Crossing is Boston's central business district. It's a huge pedestrian and tourist area. Honestly, it's really insulting to everyone working hard to make it a more attractive area to have PWD ruin a patterned sidewalk in good shape. It looks like a hack job.
 
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These are the same style ADA ramps that the folks in Beacon Hill have been arguing against. It looks like the point is to just get it done quickly and cheaply.

I'd rather see the grade separation between the street and sidewalk eliminated completely. There is an argument to keep the curbs for drainage and street cleaning reasons, but you don't need ugly (and often poorly placed) curb cuts when you don't have curbs.
 
sm89 said:
They have to install the ramps by law, but I wonder why they aren't having the Millenium project build them as part of mitigation?

Back in the day, when the city got money for "fancy" sidewalk treatments they constructed them without regard to maintenance. That's why they are almost always repaired with concrete when there is an issue (see Grove Hall for example). I believe the PWD yards only have the materials to maintain concrete, asphalt, and wire-cut brick. They don't even stock cobbles. "Fancy sidewalks" that are installed nowadays all have maintenance agreements which dictate that the property owner is responsible for and must complete all necessary repairs.

I'm appalled though at how invasive PWD was with these ramps. Large swaths of the brick were removed, maybe for grading issues, but they could have reused a lot of the bricks and surrounded the concrete ramps with them.
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Of course the real solution on Washington Street is to make it a true pedestrian zone, and eliminate the curb (Like Summer/Winter), bringing it all up to a common grade.
 
JeffDowntown said:
Of course the real solution on Washington Street is to make it a true pedestrian zone, and eliminate the curb (Like Summer/Winter), bringing it all up to a common grade.
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Pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top.
 
^ +1000 and is there any real reason why they don't do this?

(Not sure who "they" would be - maybe that's the problem).
 
BeeLine said:

New Years Eve
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Great to see that Great Old Building so nicely lit -- they also did a nice job with the pedestrian paving of Summer Street

It harkens back to the days before LaFayette Place when you could walk from Jordan's to Filene's Basement either across Summer St or if it was inclement under Summer St

next Christmas / New Years -- with all but the tower finished -- the real Renaissance of DTX should begin @ Summer & Washington

Hopefully we'll see a proposal to improve Macy's ground-floor-to street interface
 
whighlander said:
Hopefully we'll see a proposal to improve Macy's ground-floor-to street interface
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From who? Is Macy's, the tenant, somehow going to leverage the landlord, which devotes the vast, vast majority of the building to a server farm, into developing a more "personable" exterior, despite the fact the landlord has no need to because it the overwhelming majority of its "tenants" are server silos? Obviously it would be completely irrational for the landlord to propose such a thing--unless they think they can extract a significantly higher rent from Macy's in the aftermath.

So, yes, hopefully we'll see such a proposal--just like hopefully Putin will vacate the Crimea this year because we say "pretty please" a little nicer. Talk about wishful thinking...
 
Macy*s can actually be part of the solution in a number of ways.

Unlike Jordan Marsh, Macy*s has left many windows without displays and vacant, covered up with black material. The dark windows deaden the grand department store's street presence. This is all on their part and is the easiest fix. They could do this tonight if they wanted to.

I also believe that Macy*s should try to get a cafe integrated into the store (much like Nordstrom's e-Bar) and give that a street presence as well. Macy*s has indicated they are going to stay in that spot in DTX for a while by first selling Filene's to the city and putting substantial amounts of renovation work into the Jordan Marsh building. They have the ability to push this further.

The Dunkin Donuts at the corner of Hawley & Summer is simply not enough street engagement, lackluster in product offerings, and not even connected to the store. Macy*s new cafe could even specialize in blueberry muffins.
 
datadyne007 said:
Macy*s can actually be part of the solution in a number of ways.

Unlike Jordan Marsh, Macy*s has left many windows without displays and vacant, covered up with black material. The dark windows deaden the grand department store's street presence. This is all on their part and is the easiest fix. They could do this tonight if they wanted to.

I also believe that Macy*s should try to get a cafe integrated into the store (much like Nordstrom's e-Bar) and give that a street presence as well. Macy*s has indicated they are going to stay in that spot in DTX for a while by first selling Filene's to the city and putting substantial amounts of renovation work into the Jordan Marsh building. They have the ability to push this further.

The Dunkin Donuts at the corner of Hawley & Summer is simply not enough street engagement, lackluster in product offerings, and not even connected to the store. Macy*s new cafe could even specialize in blueberry muffins.
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Ah, I see--when you put it like that, it does sound much more reasonable. I hadn't noticed there were still "dead" windows that Macy's was neglecting to decorate with public displays.

I'm actually more interested in the possibility of a semi-permanent light show on the massive brick facade that wraps the building just above the awning. It's such a perfect canvas, and the view corridors from Arch St., Winter St., from the windows of Petit Robert Central inside 101 Arch St., etc., etc. would make it such a grand spectacle.
 
Downtown

I think the LCC is the next place that should be leveled, and redeveloped into something huge.
 
Downtown

DZH22 said:
I think the LCC is the next place that should be leveled, and redeveloped into something huge.
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DHZ -- not happening anytime soon

The core of it is very successful location for office space with the parking garage and some of the best Internet access / hosting anywhere located on top of the old Jordans building

However, it would be nice to see some ground level improvements where not constrained by the embedded parking garage
 
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