Mandarin Oriental | 776 Boylston St | Back Bay

i like very much. i look forward to staying here sometime. it seems like a four seasons, but much nicer looking.
 
Could Boston's cabs all be white as New York's are yellow?
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Actually I've always thought it would be nice to have Crown Vics in uniform black- a sort of compromise between London and New York, of which Boston sometimes seems a petit blend.

With many American cities moving to hybrid cabs (is Boston doing this?) there also seems a movement to replace sedans with minivans, SUVs, and genuine London cabs. The opportunity is ripe.
 
^I've seen some enviro-friendly cabs around...not many though. Boston Cab Inc. has some denoted by a green stripe up and over the rear quarter panel.
 
Not many, but they're growing in numbers. And they're easy to tell apart from the crowd because they're all Toyota Camrys, which are noticeably smaller and somewhat more stylish than the venerable Crown Vic/Grand Marquis fleets.
 
Sidewalk of Mandarin too narrow

I just walked by the Mandarin Oriental site this afternoon on my way back from Fenway Park. As I got up close and personal to this structure it was hard for me to imagine a decent sized sidewalk in front of this building. I imagined a tight squeeze of pedestrian traffic. The rendering also shows the planting of trees in front of it and this will take up more sidewalk space. I know it's early yet, but I sure hope the sidewalk is adequate when completed.
 
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That last picture is only because there is some level of facade on that part of the structure, but I doubt that'll be used extensively besides on the edges of, say, the pedestrian walkway.
 
^^^
ledjes said:
To dispel a misconception here - except for the precast concrete panels at the retail arcade at the back of the Mandarin, all of the masonry on the project that looks like limestone truly is bonafide quarried limestone, including window sills and headers. You will begin to see significantly more of it once the ground floor and top floors are clad.

The reason for the precast at the arcade: Prudential Center design standards.
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Unfortunately the black netting obscures what progress we can see, but here's how things were as of Thursday the 19th

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Re: Sidewalk of Mandarin too narrow

Meadowhawk said:
I just walked by the Mandarin Oriental site this afternoon on my way back from Fenway Park. As I got up close and personal to this structure it was hard for me to imagine a decent sized sidewalk in front of this building. I imagined a tight squeeze of pedestrian traffic. The rendering also shows the planting of trees in front of it and this will take up more sidewalk space. I know it's early yet, but I sure hope the sidewalk is adequate when completed.
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The sidewalk will be the width of the odd-number 900 block of Boylston, or the even-number 300 block. In short, more than adequate.
 
Here are some uncomfirmed rumors about retail space in the building from a since-removed Wikipedia posting that has been attributed to "Prada advertising":

In July of 2007 Prada released a letter to the fashion world saying it would open up a epicenter megastore in Boston at the highly anticipated Mandarin Oriental which is to open in June of 2008. There are only 3 other Prada epicenters in New York, Tokyo, and Beverly Hills. The new Prada store is supposed to have an annual revenue of around $10 million at their unopened Boston location. The store will have a haute couture center, ready-to-wear, handbags, shoes, cosmetics, sunglasses/assessories. The plan is that the megastore will be about three stories with one underground level. The basement as well as street level will have retail, while the 2nd floor is a cafe, and the 3rd is offices. The Mandarin Oriental has room for three to four more tenants and has recently signed an exstensive lease with Balenciaga which only has two U.S. locations in New York and Honolulu. Some of the highest and most prestigious fashion labels have been fighting over every little retail space that is left and the price per sq. ft. for retail at the hotel is about $300. Some well known designers include Missoni, Yves Saint Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, Cartier SA, Fendi, Bottega Veneta, Bagdley Mischka, and Judith Ripka, all of which besides Cartier have no location in Boston. Recently Missoni and Bagdley Mischka opted out and bought up massive sqare footage at another unoccupied location on Boylston Street. Dolce & Gabbana signed a lease on Newbury Street, as well as Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi, and Bottega Veneta. Mandarin Oriental announced all of the retail was taken over by the Prada megastore and Balenciaga.
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^ well thats really exciting!! :D actually, i find pretty hard to believe that all these designers are "fighting" over the space. its not like boston ever ranks in the top 10 well dressed cities in america.
 
Maybe they never leave the Back Bay? Someone has to be frequenting those stores on Newbury Street and in Copley Place, and there must be some market driving the construction of the Natick Collection. Perhaps all these new venues will turn fashion in Boston around...in New York, I've heard Boston referred to as a thoroughly "Brooks Brothers town" (with concession to L.L. Bean on weekends).
 
its not like Boston ever ranks in the top 10 well dressed cities in america.
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No it's certainly not, but it IS a rich city. There are lots of impressionable young university students with mommy and daddy's AMEX (or the parent's themselves when they swoop in for the weekend).

There are also large amounts of foreign tourists where the exchange rates are now working in their favor.

And finally there are all the old local boomers who want to be hip.

I'm sure they know their sales figures from Neiman Marcus, Saks, etc, to know the investment would pay off. I'm just guessing here.

Perhaps all these new venues will turn fashion in Boston around
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Yeah 95% of the population can't afford Prada, so don't count on that happening!
 
in New York, I've heard Boston referred to as a thoroughly "Brooks Brothers town" (with concession to L.L. Bean on weekends).
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That's awesome...... not totally true, but I can see what they are saying. HAHAHAHA
 
Yeah 95% of the population can't afford Prada, so don't count on that happening!
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It might be that those who can't shop there come to at least imitate the fashion choices of the rich.

Come to think of it, I was at a cocktail party at the ICA a few months back, and the people there were surprisingly well dressed for Boston. No clue where they hang out otherwise.
 
there must be some market driving the construction of the Natick Collection
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So the suburbs step it up and the city takes it up a notch too. It good because no mall around here can compete with a Prada flagship store. That means more people and money come into the city to get their latest $200 beanie with a nice label. :)

With the shopping stretch on Boylston is getting a nice update with the MO and the Apple Store, some new life and excitement should be coming to the area. Also, Newbury is getting some new stores. Emporio Armani is moving to Copley Place and Zara, a Spanish Chain is taking its place. I hope the Armani cafe stays though... I ate there the other day and they have REALLY good pizza! :D
 
no mall around here can compete with a Prada flagship store...With the shopping stretch on Boylston is getting a nice update with the MO and the Apple Store, some new life and excitement should be coming to the area.
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Sounds as if it'll be a lot like SoHo, drawing more people interested in the spectacle of the stores than in buying their products. I wonder what this means for these stores' long-term longevity. Stores cycle in and out of SoHo, but the retail economy in Boston is more fragile.

Zara, a Spanish Chain is taking its place
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Which is IMO a downgrade; Zara is somewhat more downmarket than Armani (one's being opened in the DTCrossing Filene's...it seems somewhat like H&M). This doesn't help stem the trend toward midmarket chains on Newbury (Borders, Filene's Basement, Best Buy...)

I hope the Armani cafe stays though...
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I'm 65% certain remembering that it is staying.
 
Sounds as if it'll be a lot like SoHo, drawing more people interested in the spectacle of the stores than in buying their products.
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That may be true for Prada but not for the Apple Store. I dunno if you have ever been to the flagships in NYC, but they are just packed! Its actually kinda ridiculous that people put up with the crowds, but the point is, anything done by Apple is sure to be successful.
 
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