Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

Ron Newman said:
SS Pierce was a beloved retail institution for people older than us -- its loss was not something to celebrate. (Though I think of them as having been in Copley Square and Coolidge Corner, rather than here)
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That was pre-ToC when Tremont St was Boston's premier address for shopping. Been there many times in the 60's
 
It's really not as bad as it's made out to be. The building doesn't have a grand celebratory lobby at all. It's all about the retail. The awning is great in the rain but that's it. It's too massive. The awnings and storefronts need to be separated.
 
It seems to me they could build out the retail spaces more toward the street, make them come out as far as the awning. They just did this in the South End to one of our public housing projects. That way, there's no hulking overhang. The sidewalk seems wide enough that it would still be able to handle foot traffic in both directions.

The condo owners at TOC would have to pay for it, though, so it's probably a non-starter.
 
datadyne007 said:
It's really not as bad as it's made out to be. The building doesn't have a grand celebratory lobby at all. It's all about the retail. The awning is great in the rain but that's it. It's too massive. The awnings and storefronts need to be separated.
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It's abysmal. Miserable. In Poland they're now demolishing much of this dreck. Why in Boston should we should still want to mar one of our city's most prominent spaces with this hideousness is beyond me. I understand the condos are owned privately and that the building cannot be simply torn down by fiat. But to defend it and say "it's not so bad" is just ludicrous.
 
Ron Newman said:
The only things I can think of that are "better" now on this part of Tremont are Loews Boston Common cinema (replacing then-closed Astor/Tremont theatre) and Suffolk Law School (replacing a couple of low-rise buildings). Otherwise, what is better than 30 years ago?
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Ron, surely you remember the Hotel Avery -- aka the Whorehouse on the Common

I think they had paking meters in the rooms :=}
 
itchy said:
It's abysmal. Miserable. In Poland they're now demolishing much of this dreck. Why in Boston should we should still want to mar one of our city's most prominent spaces with this hideousness is beyond me. I understand the condos are owned privately and that the building cannot be simply torn down by fiat. But to defend it and say "it's not so bad" is just ludicrous.
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Instead of living in a SimCity dreamworld where things you don't like can go away instantly, I prefer to take an approach around the theme of "how can we fix this and how can we make this better?" instead of whining about how much it sucks. The ground level could easily be tweaked and the garage face could be given some sort of decorative veneer (or even an art display). All it takes is willpower to actually initiate this project.
 
I don't think this wretch of a commie block can simply be wished away, either (I explicitly noted as much in my previous post). However, to say "it's really not a bad building" is absurd. Yes, it can be made better; but it is, in fact, a terrible building.
 
I would only class it as a "terrible" building if the entire ground floor was a lobby. It's not. The building attempts to make a street presence, but was misguided with the awning of doom.
 
"Hey! Why did you punch me in the face?"

"At least I didn't gouge your eyes out."

"Good point. Thanks!"
 
Not sure if this is just the sign, but in this shot it looks like it was on Washington St

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What a cool pic. Reminds me of Times Sq with all the lighted signs.
 
Yes, Hotel Avery was replaced by one of the Ritz (Millennium) towers. It had no frontage on Tremont Street and therefore its demolition can't be counted as change on that street.
 
That fire report says "destroyed" but the facade remained until the Ritz towers went up, according to memory.
 
JohnAKeith said:
That fire report says "destroyed" but the facade remained until the Ritz towers went up, according to memory.
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I think you're right about that. I don't recall there ever being a vacant lot at that location, and have a vague visual memory of a boarded up shell of a building
 
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