Dick’s House of Sports | Prudential Center | Back Bay

11/18:
1700339803650.png
Looks like a hole that needs a high rise to fill it.
 
And so, the saga continues. This land will NEVER see an end to the decades upon decades of construction that has plagued it!!!! :eek:
 
I think each iteration of the Prudential Center complex has made it better. I would say the "decades of construction" has been worth it in my opinion.
Agreed. The construction around the Pru has made the Back Bay skyline much more aesthetically pleasing.
 
The ground level too. The mandarin oriental, 888 boylston, avalon exeter, the belvedere, 111 huntington ave have all improved what was a previously suburban mall-esque prudential center ground floor level.
 
The ground level too. The mandarin oriental, 888 boylston, avalon exeter, the belvedere, 111 huntington ave have all improved what was a previously suburban mall-esque prudential center ground floor level.
I'm not saying you're wrong, and I know this is partially nostalgia speaking, but I miss the old pre-888 courtyard that opened right onto the food court. It had this really grand Rockefeller Center type feel to it (especially with that statue), and showcased the Pru magnificently:
1701226649929.png


(Which you can't even see from the same street level vantage point anymore)
1701226770863.png
 
888 Boylston is a graceless pig.

I used to step out of the bars on Boylston in my 20's and stare at that view above in awe and admiration. I even remember gazing up at the Pru as a young child on a random afternoon with my mom and being mesmerized by its presence. It's definitely a loss when a view of something great is replaced with a view of something mediocre. Parcel 12 does this in a way too, but for there I will concede to the price of progress (although wish the form was slimmer). For here though, 888 Boylston is not progress. It's a travesty and the city is worse off for it.
 
I do agree the view is a loss, but I think the immediate streetwall is an upgrade on boylston, its subjective though. Ive never been a fan of 888 boylston above ground level though, I think its original rounded design was much better than what we got. Luckily theres other places nearby where you get a similar effect, most notably the christian science plaza. Like the above pic the pictures dont do it justice but its pretty awe inspiring in person.

1701259249355.jpeg

1701259330878.jpeg
 
888 Boylston is a graceless pig.

I used to step out of the bars on Boylston in my 20's and stare at that view above in awe and admiration. I even remember gazing up at the Pru as a young child on a random afternoon with my mom and being mesmerized by its presence. It's definitely a loss when a view of something great is replaced with a view of something mediocre. Parcel 12 does this in a way too, but for there I will concede to the price of progress (although wish the form was slimmer). For here though, 888 Boylston is not progress. It's a travesty and the city is worse off for it.

That plaza was underutilized and created a dead zone on boylston. 888 is no architectural gem but its far more engaging with the street now with a nice plaza and 2-3 restaurants with patios in the summer. The city is not worse off for it- you may want to realize you're in a very, very small minority that salivates over tall buildings.
 
The monumental view with the statue was nice, but 888 is a massive success by the metric that matters: people like to spend time there. The Prudential Center is hopping, Eataly is mobbed, people sit outside on the patio. 888 isn’t incredible (and I could’ve told them not to bother with the little wind turbines), but it’s pleasant and it works. I say this as someone who spent a lot of his teen years at the old Pru food court eating Bourbon Chicken and Panda Express.
 
The monumental view with the statue was nice, but 888 is a massive success by the metric that matters: people like to spend time there. The Prudential Center is hopping, Eataly is mobbed, people sit outside on the patio. 888 isn’t incredible (and I could’ve told them not to bother with the little wind turbines), but it’s pleasant and it works. I say this as someone who spent a lot of his teen years at the old Pru food court eating Bourbon Chicken and Panda Express.
Oh, so you're that guy I kept seeing when I was standing in line at Bourbon Chicken and Panda Express.
 
That plaza was underutilized and created a dead zone on boylston. 888 is no architectural gem but its far more engaging with the street now with a nice plaza and 2-3 restaurants with patios in the summer. The city is not worse off for it- you may want to realize you're in a very, very small minority that salivates over tall buildings.

With all due respect, DZ doesn't care as much for ground level architecture as for building height. Some people are more focused on building height, some are more focused on street level activation. Vive la difference.

IMHO, the different sides are completely correct about 888. The street level activation is superb, and everything above the 4th floor is a pig.

.
 
I think each iteration of the Prudential Center complex has made it better. I would say the "decades of construction" has been worth it in my opinion.

Even though everyone appreciates new things, I think that it's high time that this seemingly endless ongoing construction come to an end, at lease for a while. :(
 
Even though everyone appreciates new things, I think that it's high time that this seemingly endless ongoing construction come to an end, at lease for a while. :(

There is still work to be done at the Pru including adjacent parcels and until it’s fully realized I wouldn’t want to see a “pause” in any development there.
 
There is still work to be done at the Pru including adjacent parcels and until it’s fully realized I wouldn’t want to see a “pause” in any development there.

And then it probably starts all over again. At least they can't put up any more buildings, because supposedly, all of the land is used up for new real estate. But we'll see. :unsure:
 

Back
Top