Mandarin Oriental | 776 Boylston St | Back Bay
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Joe_Schmoe
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
I walked down this section of Boylston today. It is amazing how much better it is with the Mandarin there. Just the way it encloses the street and gives life to the block as opposed to when all the life was sucked out by the emptiness that was there.
Yes, I agree with Robert Campbell that "The Mandarin is just too much of one big single thing for a street and neighborhood that pride themselves on variety and intimacy of scale." And there are a bunch of other nitpicky things I can mention. But the impovement it brings to the street is remarkable. It really bring to light what a blunder Philip Johnson made by not putting 500 Boylston up against the street and instead put that useless plaza there. Next we need to tear down Lord and Taylor and but in something that matches the roofline of the Lenox next door.
"The Mandarin reads as a huge pale cliff that crowds the sidewalk and looms skyward with a seemingly endless monotony."
Compare that with this building near South Station:
Classical architects knew how to break up a building to avoid monotony, yet retain its unity as an individual building. But to modernists there was no such thing as monotony. To them, endless monotony meant "drama." The Mandarin is stuck in-between: it is trying to break up the building, but can't bring itself to adopt the tried and true lessons of how to break up a building because that would be "betraying its modernism."
I walked down this section of Boylston today. It is amazing how much better it is with the Mandarin there. Just the way it encloses the street and gives life to the block as opposed to when all the life was sucked out by the emptiness that was there.
Yes, I agree with Robert Campbell that "The Mandarin is just too much of one big single thing for a street and neighborhood that pride themselves on variety and intimacy of scale." And there are a bunch of other nitpicky things I can mention. But the impovement it brings to the street is remarkable. It really bring to light what a blunder Philip Johnson made by not putting 500 Boylston up against the street and instead put that useless plaza there. Next we need to tear down Lord and Taylor and but in something that matches the roofline of the Lenox next door.
"The Mandarin reads as a huge pale cliff that crowds the sidewalk and looms skyward with a seemingly endless monotony."
Compare that with this building near South Station:
Classical architects knew how to break up a building to avoid monotony, yet retain its unity as an individual building. But to modernists there was no such thing as monotony. To them, endless monotony meant "drama." The Mandarin is stuck in-between: it is trying to break up the building, but can't bring itself to adopt the tried and true lessons of how to break up a building because that would be "betraying its modernism."
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Ron Newman
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Is that the former Essex Hotel, later converted to offices?
Is that the former Essex Hotel, later converted to offices?
Re: Mandarin Oriental
That's exactly the shibboleth that's hammered into future architects' heads in design school. Architects suffer from faulty education.
Joe_Schmoe
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Also compare it with 1330 Boylston:
It attempts to break up the monotony by pretending to be 8 or 9 different buildings. I guess that is the current thinking on how to do it as I see this approach all the time. The Filene's tower for example tries it this way.
Also compare it with 1330 Boylston:
It attempts to break up the monotony by pretending to be 8 or 9 different buildings. I guess that is the current thinking on how to do it as I see this approach all the time. The Filene's tower for example tries it this way.
tobyjug
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Yes. It was a rail station hotel like the Pennsylvania in Manhattan or the late Manger at North Station. Had a giant neon sign on the roof. By the 70's the "Es" part kept malfunctioning.
Yes. It was a rail station hotel like the Pennsylvania in Manhattan or the late Manger at North Station. Had a giant neon sign on the roof. By the 70's the "Es" part kept malfunctioning.
Beton Brut
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
I recall this in the early 80's. In considering the hotel's proximity to Boston's "adult entertainment district," I wonder if the malfunction caused a slight uptick in business.
I recall this in the early 80's. In considering the hotel's proximity to Boston's "adult entertainment district," I wonder if the malfunction caused a slight uptick in business.
czsz
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
The Sel de la Terre entrance looks hokey. I thought that was an elegant restaurant? Why are they branding themselves like a PF Chang's?
Not sure what to think of the arcade. Definitely lacks the airiness of the rest of the Pru complex, and I've always been wary of half of central Boston's retail being concentrated under these roofs.
The Sel de la Terre entrance looks hokey. I thought that was an elegant restaurant? Why are they branding themselves like a PF Chang's?
Not sure what to think of the arcade. Definitely lacks the airiness of the rest of the Pru complex, and I've always been wary of half of central Boston's retail being concentrated under these roofs.
Re: Mandarin Oriental
Sel de la Terre is marketing for the cheap-ass lowlife's who come into town for the Sox games in the early afternoon and need food before they drink, piss and vomit their way westward toward Fenway for the ballgame. Exactly the PF Chang's crowd!
The view into the SdlT/L'E kitchen is disgusting. No one needs to see that.
kz, did you notice anything about the roped off area in the Newbury Arcade when you took those pics? I saw it this afternoon, but it made no sense. No sign of water, no sign of floor repair. You captured it in one of your pics. So random.
Sel de la Terre is marketing for the cheap-ass lowlife's who come into town for the Sox games in the early afternoon and need food before they drink, piss and vomit their way westward toward Fenway for the ballgame. Exactly the PF Chang's crowd!
The view into the SdlT/L'E kitchen is disgusting. No one needs to see that.
kz, did you notice anything about the roped off area in the Newbury Arcade when you took those pics? I saw it this afternoon, but it made no sense. No sign of water, no sign of floor repair. You captured it in one of your pics. So random.
AdamBC
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
Wondered about that too. What happens if I stand there and 'window shop' for 15 minutes? What benefit to the Pru is there? Is there an entrance to SdlT/L'E from the Newbury Arcade? There is a small entrance to the Oriental's ballroom area from the Arcade, but what else? What is the benefit to the Pru for all of this? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the covered walkway to the L&T - but what else does this expensive hallway accomplish?
Wondered about that too. What happens if I stand there and 'window shop' for 15 minutes? What benefit to the Pru is there? Is there an entrance to SdlT/L'E from the Newbury Arcade? There is a small entrance to the Oriental's ballroom area from the Arcade, but what else? What is the benefit to the Pru for all of this? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the covered walkway to the L&T - but what else does this expensive hallway accomplish?
kz1000ps
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
^ Yes, the shiny floor finish really gives off that feeling.
First, I agree about the SdlT/L'E kitchen exhibition. The thing that left me most confused though was the haphazard design of the walls, which seemed more appropriate for one of those partitions seperating a warehouse from a supervisor's office than it did being in a hoity-toity retail arcade.
And I have no idea about that roped off area. It was just.. there.
It's quite early to judge, but so far this place gives off the aura that if you don't already know you belong there, then you shouldn't even bother visiting. Nothing about it was welcoming.
^ Yes, the shiny floor finish really gives off that feeling.
bbfen said:
First, I agree about the SdlT/L'E kitchen exhibition. The thing that left me most confused though was the haphazard design of the walls, which seemed more appropriate for one of those partitions seperating a warehouse from a supervisor's office than it did being in a hoity-toity retail arcade.
And I have no idea about that roped off area. It was just.. there.
It's quite early to judge, but so far this place gives off the aura that if you don't already know you belong there, then you shouldn't even bother visiting. Nothing about it was welcoming.
KentXie
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
I agree with kz's last part. It is way too early to judge. When all the stores are in place and people start wandering around the new arcade, then we should decide whether it is a success or not. You can't expect people to wander around an unfinished arcade. Just be patient.
I agree with kz's last part. It is way too early to judge. When all the stores are in place and people start wandering around the new arcade, then we should decide whether it is a success or not. You can't expect people to wander around an unfinished arcade. Just be patient.
Ron Newman
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
If you walk all the way to the Lord & Taylor end of the Newbury Arcade, there is no way down to the Boylston Street level except an elevator. No stairway.
If you walk all the way to the Lord & Taylor end of the Newbury Arcade, there is no way down to the Boylston Street level except an elevator. No stairway.
kz1000ps
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Re: Mandarin Oriental
But there's only space for *maybe* three more stores. The salon and kitchen eat up over half of all possible storefront area. And this arcade is a single-loaded corridor (meaning there's shops on just one side of the hall), which the original configuration of the Pru showed does not work for retail. If some exclusive shops open up in what little space is left, there'll be no reason at all for most Pru shoppers to go down there. Maybe I missed something, but is that their intention?
But there's only space for *maybe* three more stores. The salon and kitchen eat up over half of all possible storefront area. And this arcade is a single-loaded corridor (meaning there's shops on just one side of the hall), which the original configuration of the Pru showed does not work for retail. If some exclusive shops open up in what little space is left, there'll be no reason at all for most Pru shoppers to go down there. Maybe I missed something, but is that their intention?