GrandMarc Residence Hall (YMCA) @ Northeastern U | 291 St. Botolph Street | Fenway

Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

^Shouldn't the question be: Why is this building not worth preserving?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

The question actually under dispute right now is neither of the above. It is: what parts of this building should be preserved and what parts demolished to be replaced with new construction?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Ron Newman said:
The question actually under dispute right now is neither of the above. It is: what parts of this building should be preserved and what parts demolished to be replaced with new construction?
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Why should the gym be preserved if there is no resource to preserve it and the space can be put into better use?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Have any of the pro-preservation posters here actually seen the rear portion of the Y complex that is to be demolished? Either inside or outside? It is not an attractive building in the least. The Massachusetts Hysterical Commission is not so much concerned with losing the Y building but rather the change in "ambience" and shadow that the NU residential tower will create.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

There weren't enough resources available to preserve/restore Scolly Sq in the 1950's ergo the city is better with Government Center.

Plus, have you seen some picture of those buildings? Quite shabby. We are much better off today.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

I actually don't know the arguments for why this building is important. Is being old enough of a reason? It's not really architecturally important is it? It seems pretty plain to me.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

I can't think of a recent example in Boston when a pre-WWII building was torn down and replaced with something of equal or better quality.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Does anyone even know how the gym looks like? Those that want to preserve it, point out exactly why it is even worth preserving besides gym membership that can't even support the gym let alone this crumbly building (which isn't even going to be torn down). Many of you pro-preservationists are commenting as though NEU is demolishing the whole building.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

statler said:
I can't think of a recent example in Boston when a pre-WWII building was torn down and replaced with something of equal or better quality.
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Perhaps Suffolk Law School, 120 Tremont Street? Or Emerson's Paramount Center, which except for the fa?ade was pretty close to a tear-down and replacement?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

The Apple Store? Anything in South Boston, Brighton, Longwood, or the Fenway?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Boston improves every time a triple-decker falls down.

Unless it gets replaced by another triple-decker (damn you, Hotel Veritas!)
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

A triple decker is Blue color Boston to me.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

KentXie said:
Does anyone even know how the gym looks like? Those that want to preserve it, point out exactly why it is even worth preserving besides gym membership that can't even support the gym let alone this crumbly building (which isn't even going to be torn down). Many of you pro-preservationists are commenting as though NEU is demolishing the whole building.
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Game set match in the argument against protest. It's a gym not a theater.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Reposted from Page 3 in this thread:

img3294oc7.jpg


To statler et al: it won't be hard to top this.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

porter said:
I actually don't know the arguments for why this building is important. Is being old enough of a reason? It's not really architecturally important is it? It seems pretty plain to me.
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It's the way it fits in the townscape that matters, the way it deals with that bend in Huntington. Suggests that it could become a grand boulevard. You can't trust any modern architect to put up a wall of comparable unfussiness.

Simple effectiveness; a guide to better cityscape.

Would you prefer a Zaha Hadid in its place?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Hey guys. I follow this site a lot built don?t usually post. I am totally anti-nimbi, pro development, but I wanted to try to provide insight as to why the YMCA evokes a lot of emotion. I used to be a member there and I have done public health work with a lot of the same population that goes there.
1) Its nothing special as far as gyms go, and it?s not a beautiful space, not even average.

2) It?s been there forever and is a huge source of community for people who go there:

A)For a lot of the older, broke-er, gays who grew up in Boston, this is their last public place to hang out and catch up since the Fens pretty much got shut down by heavy enforcement last summer. This population is at very high risk of HIV/drug abuse/just plain loneliness and these last community spaces are valuable from a public health and personal perspective.

B)There are other groups of people for whom the Y is a very important community too. I am just personally more familiar with the gays. Many different guys have been doing the same routine with the same buddies every day since the 60's and they won?t go down without a fight.

That being said, not saying it shouldn?t get torn down, just saying there is sadness in this for some, myself included.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

ablarc said:
It's the way it fits in the townscape that matters, the way it deals with that bend in Huntington. Suggests that it could become a grand boulevard. You can't trust any modern architect to put up a wall of comparable unfussiness.

Simple effectiveness; a guide to better cityscape.

Would you prefer a Zaha Hadid in its place?
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Ablarc, again ONLY THE GYM is being torn down. The main building will be there. There's no change in the townscape along the Huntington except for a new building. The gym and the new building is tucked behind it and the "back alley" there is far from a grand boulevard.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

ablarc said:
Would you prefer a Zaha Hadid in its place?
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To the vertical-shoe-box-with-opposing-corners-clipped-off that is currently proposed, sure, but I don't think she's doing dorms these days.

This is just a dumbed-down, stubbier riff on the new BU dorm tower. I wonder if posters would be as divided about the project if something with a higher level of architectural merit (i.e. a sharp looking building by Rawn or Machado & Silvetti) were proposed here.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Why do posters insist that the ENTIRE YMCA complex is to be demolished despite repeated postings that it is only the rear gym section? The rest of the complex will be preserved. It is not even going to be a facadectomy.

Maybe Northeastern is just a convenient demon.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

TomOfBoston said:
Why do posters insist that the ENTIRE YMCA complex is to be demolished despite repeated postings that it is only the rear gym section? The rest of the complex will be preserved. It is not even going to be a facadectomy.

Maybe Northeastern is just a convenient demon.
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Convenient Demon -- great name for a band.
 
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