Midtown Hotel Redevelopment | 220 Huntington Avenue | Back Bay

J

JSic

Active Member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Messages
638
Reaction score
50
Why is it still there? How has it survived multiple waves of redevelopment? Any chance it could be redeveloped soon?

hotel-outlook.jpg
 
DBM said:
At least 750 words from the Globe here, from just a year ago, that should pretty much answer all your questions?
Click to expand...

Not really :) It overall suggests the Midtown Hotel is a fantastic (mainly meaning "cheap") place, beloved of its guests and its owner. But nobody explicitly says, "For the love of George Jetson, let's never redevelop this wonderful motel - even though it'd be fit to be redeveloped in far less valuable patches of real estate, never mind the middle of Boston."

And I'd imagine Druker would redevelop in a heartbeat to maximize his profit. Very curious why he's waited so long - what's he holding out for?
 
itchy said:
Very curious why he's waited so long - what's he holding out for?
Click to expand...

Actually, as long as he also owns the Colonnade, which is essentially next-door (actually just 100 yards away, and split by only one other property), why on earth would he ever want to redevelop it?

Doesn't basic economic theory say that the moment he redevelops it, it becomes competition for the Colonnade, and starts cannibalizing business from himself?

If he leaves it as his, then his Huntington Ave hotel portfolio stays diverse/segmented across market tiers. Isn't that ideal?

NOTE: I only just remembered that the Midtown is also just yards from the Back Bay Hilton and the Sheraton.

In such a robust hotel market, why would anyone to give up the enviable niche of anchoring the cheapest, no-frills end of the spectrum?
 
Arent there brownstones right behind it? I dont think those neighbors are going to go for some mega development
 
DBM said:
In such a robust hotel market, why would anyone to give up the enviable niche of anchoring the cheapest, no-frills end of the spectrum?
Click to expand...

Because it means leaving money (in the form of price you don't take) on the table. If it's such a robust hotel market, you're not worried about getting rooms filled.
 
Bergeron37 said:
Sorry for the bump but I'm not sure where else to put this. The Midtown Hotel just went to market with HFF being billed as a "large-scale, generational development opportunity". It is 73,331 total land area across 3 parcels. Being sold as a ground lease development though so I'm not sure how much true interest there will be.
Click to expand...

Too soon to be posting the thread. But it is prime land in Back Bay. Church of Christ Scientist will almost surely require the buyer/City to follow strict shadow protocol limiting scale. And we'll see more high priced condo's/ apts placed here.

Filed under 'will never happen/so what if it screams for it;' i've long been opining..... Boston lacks a significant affordable 'hostel' site for young people to visit and learn about the region without breaking the bank. This is sad if not 'dumb.' Philly, Chicago, DC & Miami have significant number of affordable rooms that serve as an invaluable resource for visitors from home and abroad.

Cities in Europe embrace international student villages where only (1) city in the United States (NYC) possesses a dedicated 'international student ctr.' i think the Midtown Hotel is the ideal location for such a cultural oasis in Boston. ~2000' walk from Back Bay Station (i picture euro kids hunched over in full combat gear).... There are a number of reasons for doing it, not the least which to be an opportunity for colleges to increase enrollment without having to develop additional dedicated living space/s.

One last thing; by doing so you'd not be adding a parking burden upon the neighborhood, even if Uber/Lyft transfers would go up.

Another opportunity lost or i'm spouting from the fringe of categorically unnecessary.....
 
Last edited:
The land's too valuable for student housing and St Botolph street residents will fight anything taller tooth and nail.
 
It will be interesting to see if developers will use the precedence of the Huntington Theatre project (just two blocks away) as leverage to gain approval for additional height at the Midtown site.

And I'm probably the only person who likes this little hotel, a legit example of Midcentury design à la Edward Durrell Stone on the fringe of a 19th Century neighborhood.
 
Halle-Frickin'-Lujah!!!!

That Motel was an urban abomination.
 
Beton Brut said:
It will be interesting to see if developers will use the precedence of the Huntington Theatre project (just two blocks away) as leverage to gain approval for additional height at the Midtown site.

And I'm probably the only person who likes this little hotel, a legit example of Midcentury design à la Edward Durrell Stone on the fringe of a 19th Century neighborhood.
Click to expand...

I don't know. That tower was pretty specifically negotiated by John Barros (and maybe the Mayor was involved too) as a way to keep the Huntington Theater--the tower is supposed to be the same volume as the as-of-right building for the parcel, which would have required demoing the theater.

There's no equivalent cultural resource here.
 
What exactly is the shadow issue here? Like a shadow on Huntington Ave or the Mass Pike?
 
Wow, i didn't realize Trinity Church and South Church are in the clear. Though Shadow Law restrictions still apply to Copley Sq..... it looks like you can get very high before putting down shadow.

Christian Science have made it quite clear they don't want shadows on their park. But maybe $200M can change their minds!

The neighbors behind St Botolph St will scream about anything tall. Other than that, who wants a banal row of residential & possibly even setback buildings?
 
odurandina said:
Wow, i didn't realize Trinity Church and South Church are in the clear. Though Shadow Law restrictions still apply to Copley Sq..... it looks like you can get very high before putting down shadow.

Christian Science have made it quite clear they don't want shadows on their park. But maybe $200M can change their minds!

The neighbors behind St Botolph St will scream about anything tall. Other than that, who wants a banal row of residential & possibly even setback buildings?
Click to expand...

What is the shadow in Copley Square? At 9 pm during the summer solstice? As this site is a bit further west wouldn't the shadow occur in early evening, where IIRC there's already lots of shadows anyway?
 
Beton Brut said:
And I'm probably the only person who likes this little hotel, a legit example of Midcentury design à la Edward Durrell Stone on the fringe of a 19th Century neighborhood.
Click to expand...

I like it, too, but mostly because it reminds me of some of the hotels surrounding Disneyland in the 70s and 80s (where I spent much of my youth).

21.jpg


There were dozens much like this one dating from a time when Disneyland was mostly surrounded by orange groves and light industry. It never seemed to quite fit in at the location on Huntington, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top