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While that is great news I am sorry for the loss of a great affordable housing (above the restaurants) opportunity.
Fenway Infill and Small Developments
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pelhamhall
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While that is great news I am sorry for the loss of a great, high-tax-generating, luxury housing (above the restaurants) opportunity.
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... which we already have far too much of and not enough middle income housing.
pelhamhall
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I was just being a dick 
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That's why I like you!
If this offends your sensibilities, one presumes you're not walking all that much in Dorchester, Mission Hill or parts of Southie.
Unless it's an aural critique on the music played on that stretch of Boylston... viva la Berklee!
kz1000ps
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it's about time....
City spurred to tend to historic Fens structure
By Megan Irons
Globe Staff / December 8, 2009
For nine decades, the Agassiz Road Shelter stood as a respite in the Fens, offering bikers and walkers hurrying about their business a space for relief.
But the former restroom - commonly known as the Duck House, for reasons that appear to be long forgotten - has been boarded up and unused since a fire ripped through the stone structure in 1986, destroying its ceiling and roof.
Now a local effort is aiming to revive the historic building, which sits on the Muddy River shaded by tall trees and overlooking the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce patches in the famed Victory Gardens.
Boston?s Parks and Recreation Department, with a coalition of residents, is soliciting ideas from businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs who might be interested in restoring it. Officials believe reviving the Duck House would improve public safety, boost activity at the site, and offer pedestrians a place to shop or dine.
?At this point we are open to anything,?? said Liza Meyer, who manages projects for the city?s historic parks. ?This is to see what kind of interest there is out there.??
Erica Mattison, a board member of the Fenway Civic Association who is pushing for the restoration, said ideas have been rolling in. Possible ventures include a gift shop, bookstore, bicycle rental facility, even a community center.
?There?s a lot of interest in using it as a cafe,?? said Mattison.
The Duck House is the second former restroom in the city parks system being considered for a possible dining establishment. Over the summer, three city councilors joined the Parks Department in seeking investors to transform a former men?s comfort station on Boston Common into a snack shop or restaurant.
At the time, park users on the Common called the idea innovative, though a bit unsavory. But Fenway residents seem to relish the notion of giving this boarded-up former restroom new life.
?They should make it into a Dunkin Donuts,?? yelled one cyclist as he wheeled off to work last month.
William Faucon, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, added that a community center would be nice.
?I?d like to see it as a community center for the high school students and seniors in the area where they can have computer access,?? he said as he walked by the building yesterday.
Jerry Ramos, a former Fenway resident, said any use is better than the current disuse.
?They ought to do something about it,?? he said. ?That building has been on lock-down for more than 20 years.??
Designed by architect Alexander M. Longfellow, a nephew of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Duck House was constructed about 1897 adjacent to the bridge on Agassiz Road, a short span that connects east and west Fenway.
The Duck House was built as a ?shelter station?? and sits on one of nine linked parks along the Emerald Necklace. The building?s rustic style and relationship to the historic area is key to the Fens, parks officials say.
?These structures that are abandoned with our parks system are a lost opportunity,?? said Ross, who is crusading for a restaurant on Boston Common. ?If we were to bring life back into them, it will vitalize the park and revitalize the area.??
Mattison said she and a fellow Civic Association member took up the Duck House effort two years ago after raking the grass outside the building and envisioning a building with windows and activity inside.
?It?s a beautiful building, and it hasn?t been used for anything for some time,?? she said. ?We were talking about how exciting it would be if the building were open to the public.??
It took a little persuading she said, because residents fussed about the cost of the extensive repairs needed. But eventually, Mattison said, a coalition was formed that included Ross, parks officials, historic preservationists, and students.
The building needs new electrical, heating, and water systems, and its granite exterior must be restored to preserve its character. Parks officials estimate that the exterior costs could top $900,000.
Link
City spurred to tend to historic Fens structure
By Megan Irons
Globe Staff / December 8, 2009
For nine decades, the Agassiz Road Shelter stood as a respite in the Fens, offering bikers and walkers hurrying about their business a space for relief.
But the former restroom - commonly known as the Duck House, for reasons that appear to be long forgotten - has been boarded up and unused since a fire ripped through the stone structure in 1986, destroying its ceiling and roof.
Now a local effort is aiming to revive the historic building, which sits on the Muddy River shaded by tall trees and overlooking the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce patches in the famed Victory Gardens.
Boston?s Parks and Recreation Department, with a coalition of residents, is soliciting ideas from businesses, organizations, and entrepreneurs who might be interested in restoring it. Officials believe reviving the Duck House would improve public safety, boost activity at the site, and offer pedestrians a place to shop or dine.
?At this point we are open to anything,?? said Liza Meyer, who manages projects for the city?s historic parks. ?This is to see what kind of interest there is out there.??
Erica Mattison, a board member of the Fenway Civic Association who is pushing for the restoration, said ideas have been rolling in. Possible ventures include a gift shop, bookstore, bicycle rental facility, even a community center.
?There?s a lot of interest in using it as a cafe,?? said Mattison.
The Duck House is the second former restroom in the city parks system being considered for a possible dining establishment. Over the summer, three city councilors joined the Parks Department in seeking investors to transform a former men?s comfort station on Boston Common into a snack shop or restaurant.
At the time, park users on the Common called the idea innovative, though a bit unsavory. But Fenway residents seem to relish the notion of giving this boarded-up former restroom new life.
?They should make it into a Dunkin Donuts,?? yelled one cyclist as he wheeled off to work last month.
William Faucon, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, added that a community center would be nice.
?I?d like to see it as a community center for the high school students and seniors in the area where they can have computer access,?? he said as he walked by the building yesterday.
Jerry Ramos, a former Fenway resident, said any use is better than the current disuse.
?They ought to do something about it,?? he said. ?That building has been on lock-down for more than 20 years.??
Designed by architect Alexander M. Longfellow, a nephew of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the Duck House was constructed about 1897 adjacent to the bridge on Agassiz Road, a short span that connects east and west Fenway.
The Duck House was built as a ?shelter station?? and sits on one of nine linked parks along the Emerald Necklace. The building?s rustic style and relationship to the historic area is key to the Fens, parks officials say.
?These structures that are abandoned with our parks system are a lost opportunity,?? said Ross, who is crusading for a restaurant on Boston Common. ?If we were to bring life back into them, it will vitalize the park and revitalize the area.??
Mattison said she and a fellow Civic Association member took up the Duck House effort two years ago after raking the grass outside the building and envisioning a building with windows and activity inside.
?It?s a beautiful building, and it hasn?t been used for anything for some time,?? she said. ?We were talking about how exciting it would be if the building were open to the public.??
It took a little persuading she said, because residents fussed about the cost of the extensive repairs needed. But eventually, Mattison said, a coalition was formed that included Ross, parks officials, historic preservationists, and students.
The building needs new electrical, heating, and water systems, and its granite exterior must be restored to preserve its character. Parks officials estimate that the exterior costs could top $900,000.
Link
JohnAKeith
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So were both this and the other restroom near Emerson closed down because of guys having sex in them? It's never been written about in the press.
Ron Newman
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The bookstore has paper in the windows -- is it closing or not yet open?
T-Mobile really needs to be replaced by something useful.
Are the metal rail fences for restaurant outdoor seating areas?
T-Mobile really needs to be replaced by something useful.
Are the metal rail fences for restaurant outdoor seating areas?