Lesley University Dorms | 1663 Mass Ave. | Cambridge

I don't think so. A consistent 4-5 story streetwall would be best for Mass Ave. The row of apartment buildings on the carriage road opposite the Harvard Law School pulls this off very effectively.
 
Re: Lesley University: Art Institute of Boston

I don't think this warrants a new thread but here is recent article from the Cambridge Chronicle about Lesley's plans for the North Prospect Church in Porter Square. The misspellings in the article are the paper's...

Porter Square residents pan Lesley's expansion plans in Cambridge
By Jillian Fennimore
Wicked Local Cambridge
Posted Apr 15, 2009 @ 01:23 PM

Cambridge ?

A plan to welcome a major art institute, alter a 19th century historic church, and assemble a university campus along Mass. Ave. has garnered mixed emotions from Porter Square residents.

After years of designing, discussing, and amending a proposal from Lesley University to change the city?s zoning, the decision to expand the school?s footprint in Cambridge is now in the hands of the city council.

On Tuesday night, abbuters of the project packed the council chambers for an ordinance committee hearing, ripe with opinions on how they want their neighborhood to look. The majority of residents said they look forward to the opportunity to relocate the Art Institute of Boston, which Lesley purchased in 1999, from its former location in Kenmore Square.

But plans to construct the 100,000-square-foot AIB complex, with two underground floors for classrooms and studios, on the lot where the North Porspect Church currently stands has some abutters concerned.

Many wore ?Save North Prospect Church? pins displaying their effort to prevent a proposal to lower and move the inactive church ? dating back to 1845 and originally located in harvad Square ? closer to the sidewalk on Mass. Ave. in order to make room for the art institute. The church would then be turned into a library for the school.

?It kills me to think of moving that church,? said Rutland Street resident Charlotte Moore.

But other residents in support of Lesley?s current plans, say perserving the church in its original form and upgrading the property will be a boon for the neighborhood.

?The original church was beautiful,? said Upland Road resident Ruth Ryals. ?What exists now is not that.?

Other plans under Lesley?s proposal include constructing future properties on the site of University Hall ? fomerly known as the Sears Roebuck building ? and its rear parking lot, along with the two adjacent parking lots.

Instead of tampering with the church lot, Rutland Street resident Gordon Moore said the Art Institute should be built on behind University Hall.

?I think Lesley has had other options for bringing the AIB to Cambridge, which could still preserve the church and open space,? he said.

Arlington Street resident Andrea Wilder said two much construction on the church lot would be an eyesore for the community.

?This is like a large person in a small bathing suit? much spills over,? she said. ?This is not the way it has to be in Cambridge. Lesley has another option.?

But that option could be pricey, according to resident Ron Axelrod, who is a member of a working group hired by the city to analyze Lesley?s plans. He said the alternate place on the University Hall lot would need an additional $18 million to construct an underground parking garage.

The audience, also filled with local artists and Lesley staff, disucussed their concerns for the density, height, and other impacts of future construction. Others praised the hard work Lesley has put in with the community over the past three years.

Last week, the Planning Board voted to recommend the proposed overlay district. Lesley also went before the city?s historical commission to discuss plans to make the North Prospect Church a historical landmark.

The commission voted that the building did meet the criteria for a landmark designation, but is still taking it under consideration, said Charles Sullivan, executive director for the Cambridge Historical Commission. The next meeting is scheduled for May 7.

On Tuesday, the city?s ordinance committee voted to refer Lesley?s petition to amend the zoning map and create the Lesley Porter Overlay District to the city council. Another public hearing with the ordinance committee to discuss traffic and parking will be scheduled.
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?It kills me to think of moving that church,? said Rutland Street resident Charlotte Moore.
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It's going to be moved about five feet!

?I think Lesley has had other options for bringing the AIB to Cambridge, which could still preserve the church and open space,? he said.
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They're going to restore the church to better condition than it's in now (see "Lesley also went before the city?s historical commission to discuss plans to make the North Prospect Church a historical landmark"), and the "open space" in question is currently a vacant, weedy patch of grass that has no place being a block from Porter Square. No one benefits from it, except perhaps Cambridge residents who like to fantasize about living in the suburbs when they walk past.

If they built on the parking lot behind the old Sears building as suggested, all these people would be complaining about losing parking and cars clogging their narrow residential streets. Oh, wait, they get a separate hearing to make their demands about that:

Another public hearing with the ordinance committee to discuss traffic and parking will be scheduled.
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This thing is now unveiled, and wow, it looks nothing like the rendering. I was led to expect all-brick, but most of it is some kind of dark cherry colored siding. It looks like a three-decker shaped like an accordion mated with an otherwise sophisticated apartment building. Augh.
 
Anyone have photos? I drove by it recently and really liked what I saw. Nothing like the renderings. It was actually both a bit edgy and contextual at the same time. Nice to see a real streetwall developing on the block.
 
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Thanks! I have a feeling those single windows arrayed vertically are the stairwell... otherwise I'm not quite sure how they fit in.

Ground floor retail?
 
It's supposed to have retail but unsure what this will be at this point.

It reminds me of all the corrugated architecture of the 70s for some reason.
 
If the rest of Mass Ave wasn't 1 and 2 story retail that building would fit in better. It is pretty ugly but not offensive. It needs to blend into something and right now there isn't anything to do that with.
 
It is pretty ugly but not offensive.
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Wow, I didn't think Boston architecture could be euphemized any worse than "better than a parking lot".
 
Keep in mind i say that without having seen it first hand. The siding could be worse in person.
 
Blegh. After learning that Lesley refused to renew the lease for Kotobukiya Market, anchor tenant of Porter Exchange/Sears Bldg and the ONLY Japanese market in Greater Boston, I've lost any sympathy I had for them in their expansion efforts. This is truly despicable.

Gahhhhhhhhhhh. Angry.
 
Retro Dot Ave, circa 1965, complete with Johns Manville siding "improvement".
 
The siding is contextual given the houses in the area. See a google street view down Shepard Street looking towards the building (site).
 
It's not contextual for Mass Ave., which is the street it's actually on!

Lesley refused to renew the lease for Kotobukiya Market
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This city gets worse by the minute.
 
blade_bltz said:
Blegh. After learning that Lesley refused to renew the lease for Kotobukiya Market, anchor tenant of Porter Exchange/Sears Bldg and the ONLY Japanese market in Greater Boston
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There is a Japanese market on Mass Ave. in Cambridge near Central Square, toward MIT.
 
Ron - I think he's referring to the primarily Korean market down towards the MIT museum. There was a Japanese market on Prospect named Yoshinoya, which did indeed close down.

Anyway, it's true that most Asian markets stock a lot of the same stuff (e.g., Super 88). But the one at the Porter Exchange is/was a destination, and it will be missed. Combined with the restaurants and shops (and formerly Sasuga bookstore), Porter Square managed to become the closest thing to a Japantown you'll find east of...California?

Okay, there's probably something comparable in NYC, but for Boston this is/was a big deal.
 
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