Fort Point Infill and Small Developments

Channel Center moves forward on new building and parking garage.
http://www.boston.com/businessupdat...ton-seaport/ClFidzmG85VfkL4UBFymkO/index.html
We are getting 2 more parks. Might be good because this area of Southie is an asphalt desert.

Rendering from todays Boston Business Journal.
7164386102_29792150bb_z.jpg
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0504-One-Channel-Center-Commonwealth-Ventures-rendering-550 by snagshead67, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories ... but the "development" of the Seaport is making me begin to think something fishy is afoot here.

Per BeeLine's article (posted below), the Channel Center development has three elements shared by the only two other "real" developments either built or set to go forward in the area (aside from the continuing buildout of Fan Pier for Vertex ... and the "Center for Innovations" doesn't count as a real development), One Marina Park Drive and Pier 4:

1) Building designed according to the "Shen School" of architecture: squat, block-occupying midrise of pre-fab white tile with inexplicable interventions of greenish or bluish glass placed incomprehensibly throughout the facade. One Marina Park Drive, the just-announced Pier 4 abortion of a building, and the Channel Center (assuming the render ParkerChris pulled up is what's being built) are essentially identical;

2) Unused/unusable "park" -- just to make sure the area doesn't get too "urban" on us;

3) Parking garage, as this area's storied history as a parking lot is too valuable to alter.

Would all of these developers really order identical buildings? Do they all want to include these gimpy parks when the area is already over-saturated with park space?

Or is an unseen hand -- Kairos Shen's or Menino's -- pushing developers toward this most unfortunate of outcomes?

Boston Globe said:
New office tower planned at Channel Center in Boston’s Seaport

5/4/2012

By Casey Ross, Globe Staff

The developer of the massive Channel Center complex in Boston’s Seaport district is moving forward on an 11-story office building, public parks and a parking garage, adding to the rapid redevelopment of the area in recent years.

The proposed expansion of Channel Center, located along A Street, calls for a 525,000 square foot office building, a 9-story parking garage and two parks.

Plans outlining the expansion were released Friday by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, whose approval is needed before construction can proceed. However, the developers expect to begin construction this year.

The development of a new office complex would be another huge boost for the Seaport, which has been branded the Innovation District by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino. The district has attracted scores of new businesses in the past two years, and continues to generate interest from a broad range of companies that want to relocate there. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. is building a pair of large office buildings nearby at Fan Pier, one of the largest privately funded construction projects in the country.

No major office tenant was named in plans released by the city on Friday. But the Globe has previously reported that Channel Center’s developer, Commonwealth Ventures, has been in negotiations to construct a new office tower for State Street Corp.

State Street Corp. could not be immediately reached Friday for comment. Executives with Commonwealth Ventures were also not available.

Commonwealth Ventures purchased Channel Center in 2007 from Beacon Capital Partners for $21.5 million. Beacon had previously redeveloped about 30 percent of the property, which is a 16-building portfolio of the old Boston Wharf Co. complex, but the firm abandoned the effort when the area’s renaissance proved slower than expected.

The complex now includes more than 200 residential units, retail stores and restaurants, offices and parking. The Fort Point area around it has also seen steady redevelopment of its turn-of-the-century warehouse buildings, which have been converted into mixed-use properties with residences, boutique retail shops, and restaurants.

Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
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Question (for anyone but I'm betting Sicilian knows the answer):
How can the Channel Center put up a 9-story parking garage despite the South Boston parking freeze? Wouldn't they need to prove that all the parking is ancillary to an adjacent property? But 9-stories sounds like a standalone garage that will be marketed to commuters.
 
itchy said:
I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories ... but the "development" of the Seaport is making me begin to think something fishy is afoot here.

Is an unseen hand -- Kairos Shen's or Menino's -- pushing developers toward this most unfortunate of outcomes?
Click to expand...

That's a conspiracy theory? Seems pretty out in the open to me.
 
itchy said:
One Marina Park Drive, the just-announced Pier 4 abortion of a building, and the Channel Center (assuming the render ParkerChris pulled up is what's being built) are essentially identical
Click to expand...
The BBJ rendering is at least better than the one that I posted earlier.. but very Kendall Sq. I think we will see changes before design is final.

Wondering if retail is included. This development will probably help fill the empty retail that already sits in Channel Center.

Hopefully this development will also push USPS to sell off the lot next to this property.

itchy said:
Would all of these developers really order identical buildings? Do they all want to include these gimpy parks when the area is already over-saturated with park space?
Click to expand...

Fort Point could use a few parks. As mentioned before, there is only one tiny park on Wormwood right now. Where are these parks going to be located? I think one will be in between the existing Channel Center building and this new one, but unsure of the second.
 
Realizing this is all subjective, I think this rendering has a lot more interesting texture, color, and presence than other seaport stumps (compare to proposed Pier 4).
 
itchy said:
1) Building designed according to the "Shen School" of architecture: squat, block-occupying midrise of pre-fab white tile with inexplicable interventions of greenish or bluish glass placed incomprehensibly throughout the facade. One Marina Park Drive, the just-announced Pier 4 abortion of a building, and the Channel Center (assuming the render ParkerChris pulled up is what's being built) are essentially identical
Click to expand...

Hmm. I'd like to request a retraction, please. :rolleyes:

I think the image in BeeLine's post may have been added after I wrote the above, since there was no image in it when I read it. I was looking at ParkerChris's older rendering of this building from the previous page and am now happy to see that the proposed Channel Center does not look like Son of One MPD.
 
Woops, I just made a thread for the Channels Center, didn't realize discussion was going on in one of the Seaport threads.
 
Graphic from today's Globe:

05statestreet_WEB-084.jpg


IMO, this building seems intended to be for back-office kind of stuff.

An updated Globe article, behind the paywall.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...mY0Aio9Y0ZwCoI8RO/story.html?p1=Well_BG_Links

Lots of discussion about State St moving in, and giving up space in one or more of its leased space site... leases expire circa 2014. The signature building lease is good through 2023.
 
State Street is by far the biggest bank (or "bank holding company," as it's not a retail bank and therefore unrecognizable to the Average Joe as a bank) in Boston and No. 13 in the US at the moment.

I really can't believe that (a) this building is big enough to serve as an HQ; or (b) that they would have such a schlumpy building in such a schlumpy location as their HQ. This location is the Boston equivalent of Jersey City or Downtown Brooklyn, where all the back-office ops of the NY banks are located.
 
itchy said:
State Street is by far the biggest bank (or "bank holding company," as it's not a retail bank and therefore unrecognizable to the Average Joe as a bank) in Boston and No. 13 in the US at the moment.

I really can't believe that (a) this building is big enough to serve as an HQ; or (b) that they would have such a schlumpy building in such a schlumpy location as their HQ. This location is the Boston equivalent of Jersey City or Downtown Brooklyn, where all the back-office ops of the NY banks are located.
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I'm guessing the State Street Tower will continue to be State Street's HQ. This will be back office kind of space (like the millions of SF they have in Quincy).
 
BeeLine said:
Rendering from todays Boston Business Journal.
Click to expand...

I don't mind the creative use of Alucobond, but the design recalls the most undisciplined, messy PoMo disasters of the '80s and '90s. It looks like they threw every idea they had at one building. It lacks grace, refinement and a sense of purpose. The design motif appears to be "Wouldn't it be cool if...!!!!"

This building is screaming for attention like a disruptive child in the back of a classroom. They need to try this one again.
 
The last thing I ever thought we'd see was "early PoMo revival". But damn, it's like a Michael Graves with an exponent.
 
czsz said:
The last thing I ever thought we'd see was "early PoMo revival". But damn, it's like a Michael Graves with an exponent.
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Post is spot on.......

However the more I think about the South Boston Seaport/ Fort point area, I think the real issue with many of these designs is scale. Many of these buildings currently being approved or constructed have footprints that are way to big. I would prefer to see maybe 2 or 3 buildings with a strong street front, instead of a massive 18 story chubby baby building.


What really got me thinking about context and scale was looking through Michael Graves designs, and seeing this building ( http://www.michaelgraves.com/architecture/project/hart-production-studios.html). This design has many of the elements common in Graves designs, but works better IMO than many of his designs, due to appropriate scale and context.

Also I have always thought the Seaport could really use buildings simmilar to the Alto Vetro which was built in Dublin recently. http://www.irisharchitectureawards..../winner/hanover-quay-sir-john-rogersons-quay/

Small footprint that allows the relatively short building to use its length in away many of the short stubby buildings in the seaport dont.

Sorry for the rant
 
Shepard said:
Realizing this is all subjective, I think this rendering has a lot more interesting texture, color, and presence than other seaport stumps (compare to proposed Pier 4).
Click to expand...

I don't think the left half of the render is as bad as people are making it out to be, though the final product will likely lack the detail shown.
 
"We need ANYTHING but the bland big boxes we're getting now!"

*something mildy better (architecturally speaking) comes along*

"This is a disgrace to Boston!"
 
Today they were taking soil samples in the southwest corner of the future site of Channel Center I. In the background you can see a major rehab in progress on one of the BW buildings.
7164405426_789d600d67_c.jpg
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One Channel Center 5/7 by snagshead67, on Flickr[/IMG]
 
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