Mandarin Oriental | 776 Boylston St | Back Bay
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Wow, that's even more soulless than the 60's apartment buildings across from it.
Wow, that's even more soulless than the 60's apartment buildings across from it.
Suffolk 83
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
i disagree... its not great, but its not horrible either... and when your walking down the street now, it seems like your walking down an actual city street. It's funny because when you live and work downtown, you don't actually tend to look up at the buildings surrounding you... Your too busy with bumping into someone or getting hit by a car. People that disagree with this building, might disagree, and be right, but their not walking down those streets its a view from a far, which could be true as well. I, personally welcome the Mandarin Hotel... i guess the question is... who is viewing this from a far and critizing and who is up close on a regular basis and voicing their oppinion
i disagree... its not great, but its not horrible either... and when your walking down the street now, it seems like your walking down an actual city street. It's funny because when you live and work downtown, you don't actually tend to look up at the buildings surrounding you... Your too busy with bumping into someone or getting hit by a car. People that disagree with this building, might disagree, and be right, but their not walking down those streets its a view from a far, which could be true as well. I, personally welcome the Mandarin Hotel... i guess the question is... who is viewing this from a far and critizing and who is up close on a regular basis and voicing their oppinion
Re: Mandarin Oriental
Seeing as the principal complainant above lives in New York and seemingly cares not to return to Boston, what should his opinion matter.
By the way, this is totally off topic, but lets at least have a moderator who lives in the city being discussed.
Seeing as the principal complainant above lives in New York and seemingly cares not to return to Boston, what should his opinion matter.
By the way, this is totally off topic, but lets at least have a moderator who lives in the city being discussed.
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Indeed, why should anyone from anywhere else but Boston have any type of opinion of architecture. I'll keep to myself if you promise never to visit another city and comment on their architecture.
Having an opinion of a building and living in the same city as the building are not mutually exclusive.
Indeed, why should anyone from anywhere else but Boston have any type of opinion of architecture. I'll keep to myself if you promise never to visit another city and comment on their architecture.
Having an opinion of a building and living in the same city as the building are not mutually exclusive.
czsz
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Van, have you been up to see it? I think it has the texture of RAM Stern's 15 CPW, more or less...the only real difference being the slightly less imaginative roofline. The rounded corner windows make up for this somewhat...it has a certain late deco cruise liner quality.
Van, have you been up to see it? I think it has the texture of RAM Stern's 15 CPW, more or less...the only real difference being the slightly less imaginative roofline. The rounded corner windows make up for this somewhat...it has a certain late deco cruise liner quality.
Padre Mike
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
The latest view above is, after all, the back of the building, where builders will want to make up for square footage lost on the front and sides with set backs, balconies, etc.. There is supposed to be a new garden established on this back side, I guess to help bring together the older and newer developments. All in all, I'm much more pleased with this hotel/condo than I am with nearly everything else in similar categories that has recently been opened. It gives Boylston St. added rhythm and is, after all, the FIRST building ever built on that particular footprint in the history of Boston.
The latest view above is, after all, the back of the building, where builders will want to make up for square footage lost on the front and sides with set backs, balconies, etc.. There is supposed to be a new garden established on this back side, I guess to help bring together the older and newer developments. All in all, I'm much more pleased with this hotel/condo than I am with nearly everything else in similar categories that has recently been opened. It gives Boylston St. added rhythm and is, after all, the FIRST building ever built on that particular footprint in the history of Boston.
stellarfun
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
^^^ I agree its the back side -- which will be further walled from public view by the proposed Exeter St. condo tower (of whatever height gets approved) -- and one shouldn't get too perturbed over the a$$ end of a building thats pretty much out of sight..
^^^ I agree its the back side -- which will be further walled from public view by the proposed Exeter St. condo tower (of whatever height gets approved) -- and one shouldn't get too perturbed over the a$$ end of a building thats pretty much out of sight..
Re: Mandarin Oriental
Google has newer satellite images of brookline and allston, showing the new kenmore construction, the BU tower, the finished trilogy and the new boylston building.
However, downtown is still ancient, so heres a screen grab I just did showing the location of the mandarin oriental. What the parcel looked like before (I honestly didnt remember anymore)
Perhaps soon google will have a more recent (2007) image.
Google has newer satellite images of brookline and allston, showing the new kenmore construction, the BU tower, the finished trilogy and the new boylston building.
However, downtown is still ancient, so heres a screen grab I just did showing the location of the mandarin oriental. What the parcel looked like before (I honestly didnt remember anymore)
Perhaps soon google will have a more recent (2007) image.
Re: Mandarin Oriental
Honorable missions and modest buildings can be good. Many fine urban spaces are populated with modest buildings. However, the renderings for the Mandarin set expectations that the building does not yet appear to meet.
Honorable missions and modest buildings can be good. Many fine urban spaces are populated with modest buildings. However, the renderings for the Mandarin set expectations that the building does not yet appear to meet.
Re: Mandarin Oriental
I read an article many years ago that quoted local architect Willim Rawn. He said sidewalks have two sides. When people came down the escalators at the Pru they almost all crossed the street to the other side of Boylston Ave. Very few people walked the side where the Mandarin is now. I think when the building is finnished and the store fronts occupied both side of the street will be busy.
I read an article many years ago that quoted local architect Willim Rawn. He said sidewalks have two sides. When people came down the escalators at the Pru they almost all crossed the street to the other side of Boylston Ave. Very few people walked the side where the Mandarin is now. I think when the building is finnished and the store fronts occupied both side of the street will be busy.
Re: Mandarin Oriental
)
Modernist space is always pedestrian-hostile. People should be in cars going up and down ramps (Greenways is well supplied with these.What the parcel looked like before (I honestly didnt remember anymore)
)The honorable mission is this:
whighlander
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
In my humble opinion anything that hides the lower parts of the Pru should be encouraged at nearly all cost.
Just as in Warsaw where they've been trying to surround the Pałac Kultury i Nauki {aka Stalin's Gift or less PC Stalin's Penis} with almost as tall towers -- the Pru should be surrounded with 111 Huntington's or equivalent
Westy
In my humble opinion anything that hides the lower parts of the Pru should be encouraged at nearly all cost.
Just as in Warsaw where they've been trying to surround the Pałac Kultury i Nauki {aka Stalin's Gift or less PC Stalin's Penis} with almost as tall towers -- the Pru should be surrounded with 111 Huntington's or equivalent
Westy
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
My thoughts: I think the limestone (if that's what it really is) works really well but that yellowish-brown brick looks cheap and tacky. I think it looks even worse on a gray day like the one in the pictures. I never thought I'd say it but Boston needs more red brick. A dark red brick with some patterns and details would bump this from a C+ to a B+. It works well filling in the street wall but I just see this as a missed opportunity to create something like the Hotel Chelsea in the Back Bay.
My thoughts: I think the limestone (if that's what it really is) works really well but that yellowish-brown brick looks cheap and tacky. I think it looks even worse on a gray day like the one in the pictures. I never thought I'd say it but Boston needs more red brick. A dark red brick with some patterns and details would bump this from a C+ to a B+. It works well filling in the street wall but I just see this as a missed opportunity to create something like the Hotel Chelsea in the Back Bay.