Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

One of the guys who started amc was from Newton. I'm pretty sure their first theater was there.
 
I have a feeling you are thinking of General Cinema (which went bankrupt and was then merged into AMC) or perhaps Showcase/National Amusements, which is locally based even though it is part of CBS/Viacom.

AMC is based in Kansas City.
 
Looks like there may be some construction (or demo at the moment) going on in the old B&N space.

Does anyone know if they have found a tenant?
 
Neighbors vs. nightlife
Flood of new city residents throws cold water on new venues
Boston Business Journal - by Naomi R. Kooker Journal staff


It's down to the wire.

Either Brunir Shakelton makes enough compromises on his application for a live entertainment license or risks not opening the long-shuttered Estelle's nightclub at 888 Tremont St. in Boston.

It was the live entertainment license that triggered a public hearing at City Hall Oct. 10, according to Patricia Malone, director of Consumer Affairs and Licensing for the city. "If he was my client, I'd start from square one," she said.

Shakelton's application for live entertainment comes at a time when more residential development has been built around the area. The opposition -- a two-page petition -- came from residents on Camden Street, where a residential development was built over the past few years.

The tug-of-war over turf -- residents who want to maintain peace and quiet, and an establishment owner who wants to operate a nightclub -- is also part of a growing concern among taxpayers and business owners as more residential developments spring up in Boston neighborhoods traditionally dominated by commercial business, or vice versa.

It's a balancing act, say both residents and business owners, who both agree that it's imperative that business owners ingratiate themselves in the community from the get-go.

Malone suggested that Shakelton, the site's owner and operator, post earlier closing hours on the weekends or at least provide a parking and traffic plan that's workable" -- as well as hold a neighborhood meeting to discuss his concerns with residents. Shakelton could not be reached for comment.

Sol Sidell, owner of the South Street Diner in the Leather District, pulled his application for a live entertainment license last fall when new residents from 210 South St. condos opposed having live folk or rockabilly music from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

The diner has been a mainstay for years in the mostly commercial neighborhood. "There was no track record," said Sidell, who has owned the diner for 10 years and has supported the residential growth. "There was no communication prior to it. ... You must show a track record that everybody's trying to benefit the neighborhood."

The top concerns most residents raise include excessive noise, traffic and parking. The noise is often attributed to club-goers who leave an establishment late at night.

Mary Ann Ponti, a Downtown Crossing resident of five years and vice president of public finance for Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. on Franklin Street, knows that scenario well. She lived through 10 years of it in Manhattan. There, though, she said, club owners hushed guests as they left a nightclub, making it an agreeable situation for residents who often live side by side with restaurants and clubs.

"It's all awareness," said Ponti. "I think Boston needs a nightlife. It's just they have to integrate within the neighborhood to work together."

For instance, her building shares an alley with an upscale Indian restaurant on Temple Place. Though it wasn't late-night club-goers, it was allegedly the staff taking a break at the back door, chatting and dumping the trash loudly, that annoyed the neighbors. "We had a negotiation, and we are now friendly neighbors," says Ponti.

The issue is likely to raise even more concerns as 10,000 residents are slated to move into the Downtown Crossing area over the next 10 years, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Downtown Crossing, the Seaport District and South Boston are hot spots for potential clashes -- and compromises -- as residential development increases in an otherwise commercial or industrial areas.

"Hindsight is 20-20," said Scott Farmelant, a spokesperson for Longwood Events, a Boston-based events company that specializes in unique venue locales. Last year, Longwood Events owner Jim Apteker signed a lease to take over a warehouse space at 15 Channel Center in South Boston, hoping to turn it into a chic urban setting for functions, namely parties and weddings. Longwood pulled out of the lease one month ago.

"We were unable to build consensus with the community," said Farmelant. According to Farmelant, residents were concerned about late-night noise among other things. The Channel Center and the surrounding area house artists lofts as well as market-price condominiums.

Some residents in other neighborhoods hope that consensus never comes. Ubah Ahmed, a single mom with a 16-year-old son, who lives about two blocks from Estelle's, said she would not want Estelle's to reopen as a club.

"The music's always loud, you can't sleep," she said. "Everybody's drunk ... I just want it safe for my child."

Despite the push back from residential newcomers, some commercial site owners say they are doing their part to bring harmony to their neighborhoods.

For Sidell, that has meant spending $50 monthly for a "puppy stop" outside the South Street Diner. The area has a hydrant-shaped trash can where dog walkers can deposit scooped poop and get their dogs a drink of water and a milk bone. Residents had been using Sidell's trash -- and missing the receptacles, causing consternation with the garbage collectors. "It's about compromise on both sides," said Sidell, who may go for an entertainment license at a later date.

Likewise, LTK Bar and Kitchen in the Seaport District, an area that's undergoing a renaissance with increased residential and mixed-use growth, shares its loading dock with residents of Park Lane Seaport apartments, which opened last year; salmon is received where couches are delivered.

"We need to communicate very well with the GM (of Park Lane) and residents on keeping things clean," said Rich Vellante, executive chef and vice president of restaurants for Legal Sea Foods, which operates LTK. "It's the future right now, is a mix of residents and services ... in close proximity. It's negotiating, being respectful of your neighbors."


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"Hi. I moved to the city but I want absolute silence and lots of green grass so I can feel just like I did in the suburbs".
 
888 Tremont is in a district that traditionally had many jazz clubs. 210 South Street is primarily a business district, which was formerly a warehouse district.
 
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Maybe this is some secret way the city is trying to get the entertainment to move to the South Boston Waterfront?
 
the Globe said:
No holiday twinkle here
Without the Basement, Downtown Crossing fears a retail disaster

By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff | November 21, 2007

Filene's Basement in Downtown Crossing was always a big part of Nina Braun's holiday shopping tradition, the place she scored countless finds, like a $35 Coach wallet for her mother, marked down from $200.

But since the historic Basement was shuttered in September, Braun has not returned to the beleaguered retail district. She plans to take her holiday shopping elsewhere this season, to the high-end shops on Newbury Street, the new Filene's Basement in the Back Bay, and the Northshore Mall in Peabody.

"Now that the Basement is gone, I can't think of why I would need to go over to Downtown Crossing," said Braun, who lives in Boston.

Downtown Crossing, once a retail mecca that attracted families every weekend, has struggled for years to reinvent itself amidst the departure of department stores, persistent vacancies, and suburban competition.

The final blow may be the loss of Filene's Basement, which was the city's top shopping attraction. The disappearance of shoppers like Braun has merchants in Downtown Crossing bracing for what could be one of the worst holiday shopping seasons in memory - and city officials scrambling for ways to bring shoppers back.

To that end, the city said yesterday that it's planning to spend $100,000 on new marketing and programs to help lure shoppers during the holiday season to Downtown Crossing. A temporary market selling wreaths and Christmas trees will open in December on Summer Street, along with a petting zoo nearby. The city also is bringing Santa to the area on the weekends and offering free candy canes and hot cocoa.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority is also starting to run advertisements in local media, including the Globe, to market Downtown Crossing. The BRA has signed up a dozen restaurants and retailers to take part in promotions, such as two appetizers for the price of one with an entree or a free dessert at local restaurants and 10 percent off purchases over $25 at retailers.

And on Tuesday, Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the BRA will present final recommendations for branding strategies for Downtown Crossing, an initiative that was started last year.

Preliminary plans, revealed this year by the city's consultants, called for expanding the pedestrian-centered shopping district while creating an urban oasis filled with sidewalk cafes, bicycle taxis, and food markets.

"Mayor Menino cares deeply about the merchants in Downtown Crossing and he knows the next six weeks are critical for them," said Susan Elsbree, a BRA spokeswoman.

Meanwhile, some Downtown Crossing retailers are struggling to keep their doors open. Some are reducing staffs and store hours because of the slowdown in business since Filene's Basement closed. Other merchants have slashed inventory as much as 50 percent because they are expecting so few shoppers.

"This will be the worst Christmas season ever," said James Adler, who sells Boston and Red Sox merchandise at three pushcarts in Downtown Crossing, including one sandwiched between the empty Filene's Basement and the former Barnes & Noble store, vacant for more than a year.

"I've ordered about 50 percent less merchandise," he said, "and now I have to reinvent myself. Most vendors are going to try to make it through, but we don't know if we can."

If retailers can make it through the holiday season, they will see changes in the shopping district. Downtown Crossing will turn into a construction zone in January as demolition begins for a massive redevelopment project that will convert the Filene's complex into condominiums, a hotel, offices, and retail space. Filene's Basement plans to return to Downtown Crossing in spring 2009.

But that will do little to help retailers that are struggling now. And the city's promotions, events, and expansion plans may not be enough to immediately lure back some shoppers who have long made a holiday tradition of going to Filene's Basement at Downtown Crossing, where streets that once bustled with shoppers and big department stores are now lined mostly with vacant storefronts and low-end chains.

After all, the century-old Basement pioneered the concept of bargains when it devised a system of automatic markdowns, with merchandise discounted on a set schedule that customers could track.

The coveted automatic markdowns were what drew Braun to Downtown Crossing every holiday shopping season.

"The automatic markdown game turned the stress of holiday shopping into a 'winner takes all' entertainment," she said, listing other deals, including a $40 Italian leather photo album, originally priced over $100, and a Kenneth Cole handbag, discounted to $35 after weeks of markdowns.

While other Filene's Basement stores have opened - including one this year in the Back Bay - only the Downtown Crossing location maintained the famed automatic markdowns, drawing loyal shoppers, tourists, and suburbanites to the area.

Sue Camies, who is visiting Boston this week from the United Kingdom, decided to stay at the Hyatt Regency specifically because of its proximity to the Basement. Camies said she was shocked to find out the store had closed, because it was still being promoted on British Airways' website. Now, she plans to amuse herself with restaurants and shopping excursions elsewhere in the city.

Would-be Downtown Crossing shoppers like Camies have lots of other options. Several major shopping centers in Greater Boston have opened in the past year, including Patriot Place in Foxborough, with unusual destination stores like the outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops. And the Natick Collection recently unveiled its expanded center, with 100 new upscale shops. On the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the start of holiday shopping, an elaborate schedule of events is planned in Natick, including free yoga sessions, a swing orchestra, and a "Wine, Women, and Shopping" giveaway at the ritzy Stuart Weitzman shoe and handbag store.

But shoppers aren't the only ones who notice all the new choices.

"People need a reason to come down here, and without Filene's we can't compete with other shopping centers like Natick," said Karl Volker, who owns Super Socks on Winter Street in Downtown Crossing and sells Boston sweatshirts, hats, gloves, and other merchandise.

Volker has cut his workers' hours by 30 percent since Filene's Basement closed, and he expects sales to drop as much as 50 percent this holiday season.

"It looks like it will be one of the worst seasons," he said.

Jenn Abelson can be reached at abelson@globe.com.
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It's hard for me to see what will bring people into DTX to shop this year. At the moment, I can't name one store in DTX that isn't also found in another more attractive or convenient location. The Christmas window displays always used to be a big draw, Jordan Marsh competing with Filene's across the street, but that's not happening this year either.
 
they need a better variety of stores and it wouldn't hurt to have a decent restaurant somewhere in there. basically there are vendors, which are great but not always ideal, a quizno's and al capones.
 
They seem to be doing something with the B&N site, but I don't know what. Most of the other store fronts are filled, albeit with crappy jewelery stores and sneaker shops.
It could be a lot better (and hopefully it will be when the new Filene's building opens) but it could also be a lot worse (shuttered stores, empty lots, etc..)
 
Winter Street always seems to be pockmarked with empty or closed stores; the ugly former CVS/Gold's Gym building on Summer Street is empty as are its neighbors; Lafayette Place and the Ritz Towers still have empty storefronts, too.
 
Winter St stores never seem closed for long (there is always going to be some down time due to turn over.)

Lafayette Place and Ritz will probably fill up when the Paramount & Modern restorations are completed (or maybe not till Hayward Place is completed).

I don't know what's up with the old CVS location. That is such a busy corner (even excluding the homeless traffic). The owner must be asking for some absurd rents. Hopefully that will be corrected soon.

Again, DTX could be doing A LOT better. But it's not all doom and gloom.
 
If the former CVS/Gold's building has a nice facade hidden underneath, I'd like to see it uncovered. Otherwise, somebody please demolish it.

Even a day later, I still can't think of much that really makes Downtown Crossing a destination now, something you can find only at Downtown Crossing and nowhere else in the city. Brattle Book Shop, some high-end jewelers, but what else?

That is why the loss of Filene's Automatic Bargain Basement hurts so much. It was truly unique.
 
OK, so the district will go through two years of depression. People are acting like this is a permanent state. It sucks to be a retailer there now, but as long as the Basement keeps its promise to return (along w/ the automatic markdowns), people will flock back to DTX come 2009. The new residences springing up combined with nostalgia will attract even more people than before, and if vacant storefronts exist they'll fill up with a whole new batch of retailers. It'll hurt to see DTX until then, but I think it'll come back healthier than ever before.
 
^^Exactly.

However I still think the city, landlords and existing retailers could do more to moderate the damage done during those two years, rather than just saying, "Fuck it. Wait it out."

And I still say this would be a perfect time for the Corner Mall to rip down that god-awful 80's era Pac-Man inspired marquee and put up something halfway decent before someone gets it into their head that it's a 'landmark'.
 
Filling the vacant storefronts with short-term commercial tenants, even at sub-market rents, would help a LOT. The tenants will need to know that they are likely to be booted out in 2009 or 2010, or have their rent increased, but surely there must be business people who would jump at this opportunity?
 
Pitiful.




Anybody with eyes could see this coming ten, twenty, thirty years ago.

And you know what? They still don't have a plan.



Breaks my heart.
 
Anybody with eyes could see this coming ten, twenty, thirty years ago.
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See what coming? Certaintly not the redevelopment of the Filene's building into a major mixed use tower that will attract hundreds of shoppers, office workers, condo buyers, and tourists straight to the heart of Downtown Crossing! Or maybe you're talking about the construction of the luxury tower at 45 Province or the influx of Suffolk students at 10 West and the Modern?

I don't see what the big failure here is. I think the city is doing a great job of addressing the decline of DTX. Whether they had a plan or not, something was successful, or else why would developers be attracted to invest in the district? Sure, the city failed to plan what to do during the short gap between the beginning and end of construction....but I think they've had more important issues to deal with.
 
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