Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

There are new window dressings on the Capital One bank branch planned for the corner of Winter Street and Tremont Street, so fingers crossed. (This is across Winter Street from the Bank of America ATM.)
 
It definitely could have gone higher. Surprised and disappointed that it didn't.
 
JohnAKeith said:
There are new window dressings on the Capital One bank branch planned for the corner of Winter Street and Tremont Street, so fingers crossed. (This is across Winter Street from the Bank of America ATM.)
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Shepard said:
Fingers crossed for a bank branch? W-w-w-Why?
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It's not just a bank branch, it's actually a CapitalOne Cafe. I noticed the new marketing up the other day too.
 
datadyne007 said:
It's not just a bank branch, it's actually a CapitalOne Cafe. I noticed the new marketing up the other day too.
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I believe they are putting in another one on the corner of Boyslton/Fairfield. (The old Anthropologie space)
 
Well, 1) I'm thankful anything is opening there, that's all; 2) time has a way of bringing things full circle, and this was a bank branch (Boston Five?) back in the 1960s.
 
datadyne007 said:
Brick and mortar banks were relevant in 1960. They are not today.
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The dozens and dozens of brick-and-mortar bank branches in Downtown Crossing/Financial District apparently failed to get that memo. Let's see, just off the top of my head, on Upper Franklin St. alone, there are the following branches:

--Citizens (77 Franklin)
--Eastern Bank (63 Franklin)
--Webster Bank (100 Franklin)
--Bank of America (65 Franklin)
--Wellesley Bank (1 Fed's Franklin face)
--with the BofA tower, and its street-level branch and a Santander branch at the corner of Franklin & Federal.

"Relevant" or not, they pay a lot of rent, keep the lights on at street-level--even if they're not as trendy as an oh-so-precious coffee shop or "gastropub"--and, well, do business. But maybe they should be sending you signed confessions apologizing for their lack of "relevance"?
 
they keep the lights on until 4 or 5 pm, which doesn't do much for the street-level.
 
datadyne007 said:
Brick and mortar banks were relevant in 1960. They are not today.
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Where did this notion in general come from? I hear it all the time. They might not be relevant for personal banking, but i go to a BoA branch twice a week for my company, and it is always packed.
 
JohnAKeith said:
Well, 1) I'm thankful anything is opening there, that's all; 2) time has a way of bringing things full circle, and this was a bank branch (Boston Five?) back in the 1960s.
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A picture in my collection dated 1979 shows a Shawmut Bank there.
 
kz1000ps said:
A picture in my collection dated 1979 shows a Shawmut Bank there.
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Boston Five, had a similar Boston skyline silhouette on the upper wall behind the tellers. Same as the one where the chocolate shop in the Lenox. Will swear on it.
 
We've had this discussion before, but ATMs should be at street level and banking offices should be above raised off the street to allow for retail of all types to activate the street below for hours longer than 9-4 M-F.
 
Ron Newman said:
they keep the lights on until 4 or 5 pm, which doesn't do much for the street-level.
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Bingo.

At the pace new bank branches are opening downtown I wouldn't be shocked if the Millennium Tower scrapped its plans for a Roche Bros. and decided to put it some "new concept" TD Bank branch instead!! Sheesh.
 
They've started work on the Locke Ober replacement project. It was advertised in this week's Boston Homes (and maybe earlier?).

Luxury condos, I think six? The following one is priced at $1.8million - ~$790 per square foot, which is certainly less than new construction in the neighborhood .. but, man, it's an awfully dark street and surrounded by other buildings .. and I don't think there's any direct parking?

Description: Expansive single floor living with 2 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, gourmet chef's kitchen with dining area, office and living area complete this 2278 square foot home. Winter Place Residences offer a vibrant lifestyle in a central location just steps from The Boston Common. These two magnificent buildings originally housing the historic and culturally iconic Locke-Ober restaurant are being masterfully reconstructed to become exquisite residences custom built for modern city living. Sophisticated elegance is the hallmark of this home, offering expansive living on one level with direct elevator access to both your private residence and a beautifully landscaped garden roof deck, equipped with a lavish caterer's kitchen and bath. Fine finishes, combined with rich craftsmanship achieve a level of substance and distinction. These signature homes will mark the renaissance of a new standard of living in Boston. Winter Place Residences are truly a mecca for urban living.
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http://www.myhomesboston.com/detail.asp?listingid=w34043&agentid=TM002210&searchtype=ByOffice



 
JohnCostello said:
Boston Five, had a similar Boston skyline silhouette on the upper wall behind the tellers. Same as the one where the chocolate shop in the Lenox. Will swear on it.
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?

November 1979

5w8b.jpg
 
The Locke Ober upstairs dining rooms weren't all that special. Wonder what is happening to the bar area, which was.
 
kz1000ps said:
?

November 1979

5w8b.jpg
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We may be talking about two different things here. I am talking about where Finagle a Bagel used to be on the corner of Winter and Tremont. Did we get sidetracked onto old Shawmut's? The one you have in the picture retained its ATM for a long time while Snyder's replaced Shawmut in the 80's and later where my money went to overpriced things for my wife at Anthropologie.

The Lenox in the 80's used to have a Boston Five and an overpriced liquor store as ground floor retail, now replaced with the chocolate shop and Solas, one of the worst pours of Guinness in the city,
 
JohnCostello said:
We may be talking about two different things here. I am talking about where Finagle a Bagel used to be on the corner of Winter and Tremont.
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Ah OK, things did get sidetracked somewhere. My post was prompted by these two guys...

jdrinboston said:
I believe they are putting in another one on the corner of Boyslton/Fairfield. (The old Anthropologie space)
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JohnAKeith said:
Well, 1) I'm thankful anything is opening there, that's all; 2) time has a way of bringing things full circle, and this was a bank branch (Boston Five?) back in the 1960s.
Click to expand...
 
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