Panel of architects slams design for Wynn's proposed casino in Everett
Jon Chesto
Managing Editor, Print-
Boston Business Journal
We’re about a month away from when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission will decide which resort casino proposal is better for Greater Boston: Wynn Resorts’ project in Everett or Mohegan Sun’s in Revere.
But one group of experts has already made its decision, and the outcome isn’t an attractive one for Wynn.
The Massachusetts chapter of the American Institute of Architects has given its own professional review of the design aspects of both casino plans, and has ruled clearly in Mohegan Sun’s favor.
In a letter that’s expected to be first discussed at a gaming commission hearing on Monday, AIA Massachusetts says its panel of architectural pros unanimously found that the Mohegan Sun proposal is “markedly superior in every design aspect” to Wynn’s proposal. The AIA panel made a point of saying it wouldn’t endorse either proposal. But it also recommended that the gaming commission require that the entire Everett proposal be redesigned if Wynn is awarded the Greater Boston license.
In its June 27 letter, the architects refer to the Revere design as playful and pedestrian friendly. Mohegan’s project, which would be built on the Revere side of the Suffolk Downs property near the Blue Line and Revere Beach, offers a grand civic entrance and significant “sustainability features” like solar panels and greenhouses, according to the panel. In particular, the architects liked the decision by the architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox to break the resort casino into different medium-level heights instead of one giant tower.
There were some concerns cited with Mohegan's plan, such as a long blank wall facing Washburn Avenue and the potential that the project’s outdoor canopies could become a liability if made with lesser-quality construction materials. The panelists also said they needed more information about what the project would look like in the daytime.
But most of the negative words were reserved for Wynn’s proposal for a site on the Mystic River in Everett — a proposal that, unlike Mohegan’s, would feature one signature tower.
The AIA panel accused the Everett design of seeming stale, lacking any significant connection to its surroundings and failing to fully take advantage of its waterfront location. The panel singled out the nearly 390-foot tower, saying it would overpower the site. The architects said the building materials proposed are uniformly of lower quality than those planned for Revere, and said there’s no clear promotion of public transit or pedestrian access.
Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn has been a champion of the vertical tower concept, a common design on the Vegas strip. Wynn told the commission in January that industry leaders long ago learned that the vertical approach was far more user-friendly than the horizontal approach, because more of the site is accessible for workers and customers via elevators and less walking is required to get around.
The vertical vs. horizontal approach is one of the starkest differences between the two designs for the competing Wynn and Mohegan projects. But there’s another interesting difference: Wynn used its in-house team to design the project, while Mohegan used an architectural firm. (A number of the principals at New York-based Kohn Pedersen Fox are listed on the firm’s website as active with the AIA or as members of the AIA, and one principal was recently president of the New York chapter.)
When I asked Mohegan for a comment over the weekend about the AIA letter, a spokesman sent a statement to me saying that the Connecticut casino operator is proud to be recognized by AIA Massachusetts and that the project will be successful because it’s been crafted exclusively with Revere in mind.
Wynn’s spokesman, meanwhile, told me that the company stands by the track record of its in-house design team, citing the success of famous casinos like the Mirage, Bellagio, and Wynn Macau. In this situation, the Wynn spokesman told me, past performance is the best predictor of future performance.
When it comes time for the gaming commission to pick a winner of the Boston area license, the commissioners will take many factors into account. Design will be an important one, but by no means the only one. And it’s likely that the commissioners will consult with others for design tips, not just the AIA.
But the competition for the Boston-area license is shaping up to be a close one — and almost every score has the potential to be that one crucial point that decides who wins the game.
