Downtown Crossing/Financial District | Discussion

[Suffolk 83]

you shoulda pulled a toby and struck up a conversation and found out what it was they probably knew.

 

[JimboJones]

There was that Globe article about a month ago about the mayor walking through Downtown Crossing and the new apartment building on Bromfield. There was a graf about Hayward Place.

The city estimated there are 2,900 residential units in the neighborhood, with 1,350 more under construction, including college dorms. Indeed, Menino kicked off his walking tour of Downtown Crossing at the Hayward Place parking lot on Washington Street, where a $200 million, 14-story residential and retail building is planned.

Hayward you blow me

 

[Ginjitsuman]

Okay so I'm finally contributing to this site other than complaining about NIMBYs.

When I got out of my office today I asked a construction worker at Paramount what the mock up was for and he said that some company named Bovis is planning 3 towers for the plot (18, 14, and 12 stories high). He also said that they're apparently only putting that up so that the developers investing in the project can decide whether they like the exterior scheme for the site or not, and if they don't they're going to pack this one up, re design and come back with another. That's all I could find out on the street, but it's definitely for Hayward place.

Btw the construction workers in Boston are awfully friendly, after telling me all about the project for about 3 minutes he threw up a peace sign which I haven't seen in person in almost half a decade. I feel like he was looking for more of a conversation, but I really had to get to class haha.

 

[kz1000ps]

Here's the mockup:

 

[JimboJones]

Um, why aren't I in these photos? I was right on the other side when you took them!!!!

 

[JimboJones]

 

[tobyjug]

The city's ambitious plan to spruce up DTX continues...

 

[Lurker]

From the mock-up, things have drastically changed.

 

[tobyjug]

Lower the front portions and precast more detail, if you please. In compensation, raise the back, just like a big arm chair (or the McCormick Federal Building.)

The developer is going to need alot of Lysol and Febreeze to keep that shadowy parkette smelling clean.

 

[Mike]

That's an old rendering from the Lincoln Properties proposal several years ago.

 

[JimboJones]

Jeez ... the front of that building looks like the construction elevator still runs up the side of it.

On the plus side, the first three floors have an appeal to them. Almost looks as if they were trying to mimic the front of the old "T" stations (which, by the way, is being stripped at the Copley Green Line station).

 

[ShawnA]

Downtown Crossing
The Opera House, with its many ornamental details restored, is a Washington Street landmark. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/File 2004)

September 28, 2008
Email| Print| Single Page| Yahoo! Buzz| Text size ? + Downtown Crossing
Median home prices: Condominiums $540,000 (Boston proper)
Residential tax rate: $10.97 (citywide)
Average tax bill: $3,801 (citywide)
Choice location: The Opera House on Washington Street, with its mural art and ornamental details, restored to its former glory.
Cocktail party nugget: British troops trashed the Old South Meeting House during the Revoluntionary War as payback to the patriots who used the historic building as a gathering spot.
SOURCES: Warren Group, City of Boston, Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Old South Meeting House

photos Tour Downtown Crossing
More community snapshots and information
THE GOODS It wasn't that long ago that buying here would have been considered a questionable move. But these days Downtown Crossing is more than just the junction of several MBTA lines or a destination for some quick lunch-time shopping. Downtown Crossing is emerging as a neighborhood - a very cool one, its newest residents argue. Some of the 6,000 people who live in the area where Washington, Winter, and Summer streets intersect consider this a vibrant community. They tend to be young professionals looking for a raw, urban environment to call home. Some of its rougher edges are in the process of being smoothed out - Emerson College is rebuilding the Paramount Theater as theatrical space, and the Filene's block is being renovated. The Boston Redevelopment Authority is heading a rebranding campaign, and new hotels, retail, and restaurants are lining up to be part of the changes underway here.

PROS This is a busy place. Nine hundred condo units are proposed or under construction, including high-end luxury units on top of the Filene's building and at 45 Province. The Residences at the Ritz Carlton were among the first of a new generation of luxury housing to come here. There are numerous new loft-style units that have been redeveloped in the small buildings on the side streets. A few units have balconies, but as a whole the neighborhood tends to have the feel of converted office buildings. Real estate prices for the area's lofts and condos are arguably lower here than many of the city's more established neighborhoods. And you can get a big, rectangular apartment here with newer finishes, 12-foot ceilings, tall windows, and an open layout. Two local colleges are also building dorms here. There's plenty of shopping right at your fingertips, although one can argue how good it is - particularly without Filene's Basement, which closed last year. One of the most beautiful parks in the country is your front yard, and it's hard to top the central location.

CONS One needs a bit of patience to settle here - the name doesn't yet carry cache and the neighborhood is still in flux. Teenagers seem to always be hanging around, some storefronts are empty, and the community lacks certain amenities many people have come to expect of urban communities, such as a grocery store. It looks in many ways like a thoroughly commercial district and is quieter at night than some people might want.

 

[statler]

Meanwhile:

Police investigate stabbings, report of shots downtown
Email| Text size ? +
October 3, 2008 03:35 PM

By Globe Staff

Boston police are investigating a double stabbing near the State Street MBTA station, police said.

The attack happened shortly before 3 p.m. on State Street. Police said the victims were taken to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. A hunt is underway for possible suspects.

Meanwhile, police are looking into a report of shots fired on Bromfield Street near Downtown Crossing. No victims were found. Police are looking for shell casings on Bromfield and have called in the canine unit.

It's unclear if the two incidents are related.

 

[Suffolk 83]

very rare and isolated incident...don't scare off the tourists.

 

[Ron Newman]

3 pm? State Street? Geez, I was just a few blocks away on the Greenway at 1:30. Not a pleasant thing to think about.

 

[yigal]

Look what people are asking the mayor:

http://www.metrobostonnews.com/us/article/2007/09/25/19/3340-72/index.xml

Mr. Menino,
Recently I had some friends come from out of town, they wanted to stop at the Trinity Church and take some pictures. To our dismay, there were at least 10 homeless drug addicts taking refuge there. They began shouting profanities at us. We then noticed that in a far corner a group of individuals was lighting a spoon. Needless to say my friends were shocked that this type of behavior was taking place out in the open in the middle of downtown Boston on a landmark. They were also shocked that not a single police officer was present in the area. And just a few days ago, a woman was raped in the Back Bay Station just a few blocks away. Why are there not enough police officers on our streets and why are drug addicts shooting up at the Trinity Church? Why are foot patrols a rare sight unless it?s Christmas and you're on Newbury Street or in Downtown Crossing? This was not the kind of image I wanted my out of town friends to leave with.
Chris
Brighton

Dear Chris,
I?m sorry that you and your friends had such an unpleasant experience in Copley Square and I hope that your sense of safety in one of Boston?s landmark neighborhoods returns.

Boston police take great pride in their ability to ensure the safety and well being of all those who live in or visit our great city. Over the past year, the city has gone to great lengths to help, understand and provide more effective services to our homeless population through the Health and Human Services Department and the Emergency Shelter Commission.

With the help of our legislative leaders, we have put more police on the street than at any time since 2002 and Commissioner Edward Davis has deployed officers in Safe Street Teams, walking the blocks that need police presence the most. We have also increased the number of police detectives by 25 percent to investigate and solve crime and last year we reduced violent crime by 9 percent, homicides by 11 percent and shootings by 14 percent.

But there is more work to be done. For the third year in a row there was a major decrease in the number of homeless people living on the streets over the winter as well as fewer adults in emergency shelters. However, the number of homeless families has increased significantly and federal funding for assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program isn?t likely to meet the need.

If you witness a criminal activity or quality of life concern, call 9-1-1. You can also aid policing efforts in an anonymous fashion by calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 800-494-TIPS or text the word ?TIP? to CRIME (27463).

As the winter cold approaches, citizens can call the mayor?s hotline at 617-635-4500 if they see homeless people in need of care.

Should I be more worried than I am?

 

[Ron Newman]

A bit off-topic though; Trinity Church is in Copley Square, not DTX.

 

[tobyjug]

You are right, of course. But the original Trinity Church stood here.

Meanwhile, the shouting street preacher who replaced it sizes up a prospect...

 

[Boston02124]

 

[jass]

The moving windows are expanding

New facade is done