Former Edison Building on Beacon Street

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mshteinie

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Does anyone know what's going on with this building? It's across the street from the Art Institute of Boston on Beacon Street, just outside Kenmore Square. Here's the Google Map/Street View of the area:
http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1GGLS_enUS308US308&sourceid=chrome&q=700+beacon+street+boston+ma&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=700+Beacon+St,+Boston,+MA+02215&gl=us&ei=lKIUS-Af0MKUB9DI_MEF&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CAkQ8gEwAA

I think it was originally built by Edison or one of the Boston utilities companies. It's a gorgeous old building with a great stone facade that's been boarded up for years, but there's been scaffolding in front of it for the past couple months. Looks like someone is doing some work on it. Not sure if this is related to the Fenway Center air-rights development over the Pike.
 
I actually asked about this over a year ago in the fenway project thread. Theyve been "working" on it for a long time.
 
Yesterday

IMG_3929.jpg
 
nice building glad to see it being used again!for what I don't know
 
This is a substation for the area, isn't it? Built with some sort of munificence don't you say? Edison has buildings like this that blend in across from the Roma Bakery in the North End, behind NE School of Law, and though it does not blend, on High Street.
 
JohnCostello said:
This is a substation for the area, isn't it? Built with some sort of munificence don't you say? Edison has buildings like this that blend in across from the Roma Bakery in the North End, behind NE School of Law, and though it does not blend, on High Street.
Click to expand...

That's cool.

P.S. Below is a photo of that High Street substation you speak of. The ten story pink building at the far right is the MBTA's main Operations Control Center (OCC).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Edison_High_Street_Station_(3575693932).jpg

Mass Ave. I read somewhere that Mass Ave. also has some sort of concealing building too. It is supposed to match the town-houses/condominiums adjoining the structure. I've yet to find it, and eventually gave up but as I understand it is supposed to be right around the Orange Line Mass Ave. MBTA station.
 


The building used to be part of a contiguous block until the widening of the original railroad trench for the Pike obliterated it.
 
Digital_Islandboy said:
That's cool.

P.S. Below is a photo of that High Street substation you speak of. The ten story pink building at the far right is the MBTA's main Operations Control Center (OCC).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Edison_High_Street_Station_(3575693932).jpg

Mass Ave. I read somewhere that Mass Ave. also has some sort of concealing building too. It is supposed to match the town-houses/condominiums adjoining the structure. I've yet to find it, and eventually gave up but as I understand it is supposed to be right around the Orange Line Mass Ave. MBTA station.
Click to expand...

That MBTA building is one of my favorite buildings in the city. A great early 90's renovation to an ugly 60's duckling. The Purcahse street facade is like some small hilltop Tuscan city palazzo where you can stand on the top and pour hot oil down on invaders. I got to go inside the control room once. It's mission control for trains. The transit geek inside me was blushing as I walked out.

One thing about the old Raimondi hardware store that lies between the two. You really can't use it for residential, lest everyone get substation abutting cancer. That may be what is holding up the renovation.
 
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