Fenway Infill and Small Developments

^ My first reaction to that photo was a big "it'll never happen" eye roll, but after a closer look I think that a project there might have potential. The site is at a corner kind of sticking out from the neighborhood in way that makes it have not very many neighbors. It borders the Charlesgate to the east and southeast, the Pike to the north, and that new Emerson building to the west, so its only residential neighbors are a big apartment block to the southwest. Its shadows would fall mostly on the Pike. And the building that's there now is seriously ugly and architecturally insignificant.

One problem is that the site sits just to the right of the Ford sign in this angle from Fenway and only about 200 meters from the bleachers, so a building of enough height (the render looks to be about thirty stories) would surely mess up the sightlines out of the park and draw opposition from the Red Sox.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
Oh how we could wish. That will get cut down very quickly.
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It's a real shame... I'm usually on the conservative side when it comes to big towers in historical neighborhoods, but this one actually really looks cool and it's in a great location... I'd be interested to see other renders with vantages from the fens and from comm ave..
 
BLDUP said:
A new 300-unit residential tower could be built in Fenway: http://www.bldup.com/projects/2-charlesgate-west

2-Charlesgate-West-Residential-Development-Project-Fenway-Boston-Trans-National-Properties-Belkin-Krebs.png
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Reminiscent of the "faux Norse" tower in Newport Rhode Island
DSCN3887_newporttower_e.jpg


or pehaps Norumbega Tower in Weston
norumbega-tower.jpg

and of course Leif himself is right down the street on Commonwealth Ave
usma11-2.jpg
 
^^^ I always thought that was a statue of Madonna.

P.S. Please build. Looks like something from a cool city.
 
I like it too--looks like a chunkier (shorter) version of the Copley Place tower. I think this area could really use some investment--maybe it would focus a little attention on making Charlesgate a pedestrianized link between the Esplanade and Fens, currently a crazy gap in my view.
 
I like this and they could argue it is a gateway for the neighborhood kind of an answer to the Pierce at this end of the Fenway.
 
Being a bit of a fatty, they should ask for 390' so they can knock it down to 336'. It'll likely get knocked down to 199~230' rendering another nothing parcel with improper height leaving future generations to ponder yet again, 'what the hell were they thinking.'
 
Red Sox should fund the wind study -- hate to see Fenway turned into a pitcher's paradise

But otherwise it would be a nice addition to that area :cool:
 
tobyjug said:
^^^ I always thought that was a statue of Madonna.

P.S. Please build. Looks like something from a cool city.
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Tobyjug -- I don't think Madonna has or had as good legs young Leif -- and now a minor excursion further from the thread

Leif standing on the edge of the Fenway was sculpted by Anne Whitney in 1874, who might have had trouble getting a male model in 19th C Boston -- and I don't think Leif stood for the portrait -- so who knows as to whose legs those are on the figure ;)

Similarly we have the matter of Capt'n Parker in Lexington -- recently the subject of a discussion about whether to restore him to shiny bronze or maintain the patina

220px-Minute_Man_Statue_Lexington_Massachusetts_cropped.jpg

The statue of Capt'n Parker in Lexington was modeled after a wrestler and body builder born in England who was 24 circa 1900 when he was sculpted by Sir Henry Kitson -- interesting that a British emigre used another British emigre as the model of the most iconic of Americans

Finally, compared to the athletic and fit Mather, the real Capt'n Parker was probably fairly sickly that April morning. He was unable to participate in the Battle of Bunker Hill less than 2 months later on June 17 as he suffered from "Consumption" -- he died less than six months after the battle from it at age 46.

great view of Parker in the round http://virtualamericanrevolution.com/parkerst.html

We now return you to your regular discussion about the Fenway
 
Tombstoner said:
I like it too--looks like a chunkier (shorter) version of the Copley Place tower. I think this area could really use some investment--maybe it would focus a little attention on making Charlesgate a pedestrianized link between the Esplanade and Fens, currently a crazy gap in my view.
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I've been watching this fire burn between MassDOT, BTD, advocates, and residents nearby since I moved to Boston 7 years ago. Relief may be in sight if people can come together to shape some sort of pedestrianised grand boulevard proposal to replace the Bowker Overpass.

MassDOT tried to accommodate residents and advocates by including a Bowker takedown in their I-90 on-/off-ramp study, but then determined it was 'impractical' to take down since the majority of commuters who use Bowker use it to commute from north of Boston to Longwood, where right now that journey is all but impossible with transit. (I'd love for NSRL + Regional Rail to finally throw this type of argument in the bin and set it on fire with some of gasoline). Maintenance to Bowker right now is just to keep it from falling down, but then buys us 10-15 years of cultural change for us to come back and actually make headway in demanding a ped- and bike-friendly link across Charlesgate.

As for the building itself - agreed that this is just the right place for this type of building. I've often passed this corner wondering why the block is endcapped with such a 'noseless' building.

I think the greatest opposition might be the very same resident groups trying to take down the Bowker. This is going to cast shadows on Charlesgate for a part of the day...not that anyone actually sits on road-locked Charlesgate today... BUT IN THE FUTURE...
 
Anyone that opposes this development is a big steaming turd in my book. There, I said it, and I'm not taking it back.
 
Hmm... a stone throw from Fenway with a nice view in to home plate. I'm sure the Sox suits will have something to say, followed by the shadow police for the Fens/Victory Garden.
 
It is north of the Fens/Victory Garden funny thing about shadows is they don't extend southwards in the northern hemisphere.
 
citylover94 said:
It is north of the Fens/Victory Garden funny thing about shadows is they don't extend southwards in the northern hemisphere.
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To quote Mark Twain - Never let the truth get in the way of a good story - or a shadow battle in Boston.
 
DigitalSciGuy said:
...this is just the right place for this type of building. I've often passed this corner wondering why the block is endcapped with such a 'noseless' building.
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The mayor got a toy crane on his 2nd birthday. Then, he grew up and inherited a housing crisis. I think we're going to see dozens of these by 2025.... a rough estimate indicated that at the current rate of low/mid-rise construction, they'd still need as many as 55~65 +80~100m towers to get to the 53,000 housing units targeted by Mayor Walsh... it would seem the BRA should give high priority to oddball parcels like 45 Worthington St and this round, Fenway-friendly tower that cast no significant shade over the Emerald Necklace.
 
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