Millennium Tower (Filene's) | 426 Washington Street | Downtown

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A grand hotel of our own..

I think it's great that this development is receiving such a positive response in an area once ignored. I recently stayed at the Marriott on the East Side across from the Waldorf in Manhattan and it was amazing. Although I like the Marriott, I would love to see a local developer team with someone like a Robin Brown, the old manager of the 4-seasons, and operate or create a "Boston landmark" in this part of town. A hometown gem would be a great look here, something to be famed like the Waldorf is to NYC.
 
I don't think you'll see any locally owned new hotels that aren't small boutiques.
 
statler said:
The Filene?s development team recently selected JW Marriott from a field of contenders, which at one point also included the exclusive Meridien chain, Hynes said.
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I think I'd rather see Meridien come back to the city than another Marriott, just for diversity.

Also I wonder what the saturation point is for the number of luxury hotels in Boston?
You would think there would be a good market for mid-price hotels here. There seems to be a scarcity of them.
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And if Hynes et al decided to go mid-price on a hotel, there'd be complaints about pre-cast, etc.

There are few top-end or luxury chains not already in Boston:
Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Regent, Sonesta, Park Hyatt, Mandarin, Taj, Omni, Fairmont, Intercontinental, W, are already here. (Plus Marriott's, Sheratons/Westins, and Hiltons galore.) From a probably incomplete list of chains with an American presence, that leaves Peninsula, Shangri La, St. Regis, Meridian, and Sofitel. I wouldn't be surprised to see one or both of the latter two appear as one of the new Seaport hotels. (Meridian and St. Regis are part of Starwood.)
 
Ron Newman said:
is "JW Marriott" a separate chain from "Marriott" ?
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JW Marriott is operated by the Marriott corporation, the JW Marriott brand is supposed to be more upscale than the standard Marriott. The brand is more "internationally" focused than others in the Marriott portfolio.
 
stellarfun said:
And if Hynes et al decided to go mid-price on a hotel, there'd be complaints about pre-cast, etc.
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Someone once postulated it is possible to build well-designed buildings inexpensively. It just takes creativity.
Alas, it is easier to spend a ton of money and then sell to the rich. :?
 
If I were doing that, I'd want the "more upscale" brand to have a name more distinct from its parent. But I'm not a branding consultant ....
 
Ron Newman said:
If I were doing that, I'd want the "more upscale" brand to have a name more distinct from its parent. But I'm not a branding consultant ....
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Like Park Hyatt? :wink:
 
does anybody know the street address of where this being built
 
Arch21 said:
does anybody know the street address of where this being built
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filenes.jpg
 
To review: the original Filene's building on Summer St. will remain standing, as well another even older building at Franklin and Hawley streets. The two later Filene's buildings will be demolished. Filene's Basement is under all four buildings, which is one reason they have to move out while this construction occurs.
 
You can also see where 45 Provence is going to be in that shot. God there is so much awesome stuff going in there, good for DTX.
 
News to me ...

Apparently, the building will be called "One Franklin", according to an article in this month's Boston magazine.
 
That name is also prominently displayed on signs there now. Wonder why they didn't pick something like "Filene Tower".
 
Ron Newman said:
That name is also prominently displayed on signs there now. Wonder why they didn't pick something like "Filene Tower".
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brand's gone and filenes basement probably wouldnt pay for the privilege
 
What you're up against ...

Here's the message thread from a post on the Universal Hub blog.

http://universalhub.com/node/9573

First post:

Gentrification leads to mass evictions at Downtown Crossing
Submitted by Arborway on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 1:17pm.

thecappy03 reports:

Chacarero, Lambert?s, Mediterranneo and every business associated with the old Filene?s building was given an early eviction notice earlier this month. They are all to be closed and shuttered by July 31 with no hope of ever returning to the upscale, unaffordable new tower to be completed in 2010 at the earliest. The Pushcart Marketplace which has been an affordable staple in the Crossing will be booted off the premises August 31 according to Anne Meyers of the Downtown Crossing Association.

Another fine example of developers moving into a neighborhood to build something that will eliminate many of the reasons for wanting to live in that neighborhood.

I for one cannot believe I'm going to have to live without Chacarero.
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Apparently, (s)he wasn't being funny.

Response:

Save Chacarero!
Submitted by eeka on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 1:50pm.

Can we start a movement or something?

:-(

http://1smootshort.blogspot.com
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Apparently, not being funny.

Good luck
Submitted by Arborway on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 2:17pm.

The city doesn't care about small businesses.

Their vision of Boston is a city of expensive condos, pricey boutiques and colleges. Nothing else really matters, and if a neighborhood is destroyed in the process, who cares? They're trying to draw in new residents from cookie-cutter subdivisions named after what was destroyed to build the subdivision. Being surrounded by sterile homogeny is nothing new to these people. Neither is flattening an area to facilitate that.

Downtown Crossing is going to become a collection of stores where the status-obsessed can pick out their $500 handbags. Anything that doesn't directly appeal to the "hip, edgy and affluent professional" is going to be eliminated.
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Me: ::Rolls eyes::
 
lol...our antichrist right here.

argh! fuck Boston. I'm
Submitted by tape on Fri, 07/13/2007 - 3:02pm.

argh! fuck Boston.

I'm really getting sick of this town ruining itself.
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First off, there will always be a home for the Chac. In fact there are 2 right now. Even if they have to relocate the express-window, there will always be a home for it.

I'm not disagreeing entirely that 1 Franklin won't cause a significant shift in the status of the community. But obviously when you revitalize a neighborhood, you're catering to more upscale clients. Unfortunately, DTX needs this, because it is getting worse by the day. The bum-count at the corner of Franklin and Washington is growing, and it is getting to the point of unsettling. So I will join JimboJones and roll my eyes as well.
 
But obviously when you revitalize a neighborhood, you're catering to more upscale clients.
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That's not necessarily true. There's a new "vertical mall" in New York's Union Square - it's got a Whole Foods, but above are also a Filene's Basement and a DSW. The building continues to attract a good mix of clientele to the area. I can see redevelopment in DT Crossing working out the same way. The opening of an H&M there is case in point - cheap, stylish clothes appeal to a very wide demographic. There's an H&M on Fifth Avenue, and there's an H&M in Harlem.
 
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Funny how the bottom pic shows the current headhouse while the other renderings show a brand new one. Hmmm...
 
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