Middlesex County Courthouse Redevelopment | 40 Thorndike St | East Cambridge

^I agree that the new aesthetics of the tower portion are a disappointment. The street experience surrounding this thing, however, has always been horrendous (including large security barriers encircling parts of it) - so I do very much welcome those changes, despite not being a fan of the new tower appearance.
Here is a video of Dave Manfredi discussing this whole project, in particular the street level. This is not a new (2019) but I haven't noticed it posted.
 
It had so much potential, they could have cut out slots for windows in the old facade and made it work. This thing would have looked epic with a little tlc. Good skylines have buildings from lots of different eras, thats why a Shenzhen will never beat an nyc. Boston doesnt have a huge stock of different time period towers but I think this was a great brutalist tower. For better or worse brutalism is Bostons art deco. Some of them suck but the good ones have a place on the skyline. Sad to see this one go.
 
All Brutalism sucks. It is the worst architectural design in world history. Any effort to get rid of it, even if cladding the building in a trash bag, is an improvement.

Sorry to beat around the bush, but sometimes I'm polite to a fault.;)
 
Hate the “cow catchers” around the top.

Spent many happy times in the courtrooms here. It always felt like the big time.
 
Wait, the developers agreed to a height reduction?
 
Arlington said:
Wait, the developers agreed to a height reduction?
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2 floors; it is unclear to me how much of that is existing mechanical

If you look at Bananarama's comparison post (here), I believe the previous jail portion at the top will now be represented by the top portion that has the 3 floors of continuous glass. So you can see some height shaved off the jail portion.
 
This new facade is not just a bad design, but a style that's been played out over the better part of 20 years.

Bland architecture needs to move on to something else already. It's been stagnant for much longer than I ever would've imagined possible.
 
I'm sure criminals will be really intimidated by the new facade when they show up for their trials...
 
A Chicagoan said:
I'm sure criminals will be really intimidated by the new facade when they show up for their trials...
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To be clear, the courts-and-prison tower was sold by Massachusetts to a private developer who was allowed to keep (most of) the buildings height (even though it is taller than a private entity would be permitted to newly build). Once redeveloped, it will have street level restaurant/retail and mixed office and apartment zones in the floors above, and the "prisoner-entrance trench" on the Spring St side will be filled to create a small park space .
 
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Exterior panels coming down...
40T1.jpg

40T2.jpg


...They look eerily similar to pieces of the Berlin wall
40T3.jpg
 
It reminds me of the One PO Square project. Taking a building from the recent past that feels dated and making it look vaguely current. So just postponing the datedness for a few decades
 
DwnTwnr said:
It reminds me of the One PO Square project. Taking a building from the recent past that feels dated and making it look vaguely current. So just postponing the datedness for a few decades
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Repeat that ad infinitum and you have the most cost-effective and sustainable built environment possible!
 
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