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

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Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

I think I keep bringing this up so I'm sorry, but currently, only the renovation of the old building is actually scheduled, correct? The tower is "planned" but not underway, even though they took down the facade, no?
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

JohnAKeith said:
I think I keep bringing this up so I'm sorry, but currently, only the renovation of the old building is actually scheduled, correct? The tower is "planned" but not underway, even though they took down the facade, no?
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Correct. I walk by there continuously several times a day. All the construction work is still concentrated in the Burnham, as of right now. Certainly there may be Suffolk folks, Millennium folks, or their subcontractors down in the pit from time-to-time... but that's ancillary to where the "action" is right now, which is all in the Burnham.

It's actually quite beautiful/eerie how skeletal the Burnham is becoming. Its skeleton is totally exposed right now; views clean through it no matter where you look on Summer St.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

This is from the Herald last week:

This weekend Suffolk Constructon will demolish the remainder of a 1905 building at the corner of Franklin and Hawley streets that housed part of Filene’s. This will allow developer Millennium Partners to begin work on the 625-foot Millennium Tower, which will include 600 condominiums and apartments, about 218,000 square feet of office space and 231,000 square feet of retail.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

This is the 1905 building at about 3:30PM today. Talked to one of the Suffolk supervisors and he said they had been using a 3 ton weight on the crane (last week 2 ton weight) all day to try to get the upper levels down, so a high reach could finish the job tomorrow. Saw the high reach in action this morning (same thing they used at the Lovejoy site) and it was doing some major damage. Lady cop had to move us back a couple of times before they blocked the street to all pedestrians.


Filene's site 7/27
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

All I can say is, save us the torture and get it over with. I can't stand seeing this section being torn down.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

Agreed.
I have no memory of the old building there, but to see even the remnant torn down is painful. It's some really beautiful craftsmanship.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

It seems like they are trying to preserve the stone base?
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

This morning:

The slow and painful death continues...

1074636_10200310262859324_1228338769_o.jpg

1078913_10200310263939351_502533571_o.jpg
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

Rick said:
This is from the Herald last week:

This weekend Suffolk Constructon will demolish the remainder of a 1905 building at the corner of Franklin and Hawley streets that housed part of Filene’s. This will allow developer Millennium Partners to begin work on the 625-foot Millennium Tower, which will include 600 condominiums and apartments, about 218,000 square feet of office space and 231,000 square feet of retail.
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As I posted a few pages back after talking to a construction supervisor on my way by the site, the current plan is to start the major work on the tower in November.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

datadyne007 said:
1074636_10200310262859324_1228338769_o.jpg
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And on the pedestal these words appear --
"My name is Edward Filene, king of kings:
Look on my sales, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

P.S. Cute girl in the picture.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

architectural sin for DTX (They really couldn't preserve this part of the building) Give them more height.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

What is the BRA goals or standards for old architectural buildings that have significant character and history for the city of Boston.

3 Projects that had architectural history & character:
**Filenes Project (finally get the project moving forward)
**Arlington Project (A building of brilliance)
**118-year-old Dainty Dot building (demo'd)

Why is the BRA destroying history?
Of course it's cheaper for the developer to destroy the entire building.

These building structures should have been saved at all costs.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

TheRifleman said:
What is the BRA goals or standards for old architectural buildings that have significant character and history for the city of Boston.

3 Projects that had architectural history & character:
**Filenes Project (finally get the project moving forward)
**Arlington Project (A building of brilliance)
**118-year-old Dainty Dot building (demo'd)

Why is the BRA destroying history?
Of course it's cheaper for the developer to destroy the entire building.

These building structures should have been saved at all costs.
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I'm happier with the new outcome of the Filenes site. While the loss of what was left of the 1915 building is a shame, what is replacing it is better all around. The fact that the main building has been saved in its entirety (instead of being reduced to a mere facade) is far better from both a preservation and an urbanistic point of view. The only real shame is that this didn't happen from the start, as the original paneled interiors would have been able to be saved as well. Or even better, if Macys had taken over the Filenes space and all this was happening on the less significant Jordan Marsh parcel. *sigh*

The Arlington building is fully rented, and discussion of tearing it down seems to have stopped. Hopefully those behind saving it are gearing up for battle, just in case.

The Dainty Dot was 100% on the shoulders of the community and the BRA for failing to work with the developer to find a way to preserve it while allowing for the reality that a bottom line still has to be met. You can't blame a wild animal for biting you, but you can blame the person who got that close to begin with.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

A big impediment to going taller on the Arlington building were those darn shadows, in this instance, casting shadows on the Tiffany windows in a building that is a designated Boston Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

davem said:
The Dainty Dot was 100% on the shoulders of the community and the BRA for failing to work with the developer to find a way to preserve it while allowing for the reality that a bottom line still has to be met. You can't blame a wild animal for biting you, but you can blame the person who got that close to begin with.
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"I'm going to shoot this puppy if you don't stop me!"

*BANG!*

"See! Are you happy now? It's your fault the puppy is dead!"
 
Re: Millennium Tower - Filene's

statler said:
"I'm going to shoot this puppy if you don't stop me!"

*BANG!*

"See! Are you happy now? It's your fault the puppy is dead!"
Click to expand...


Unfortunately I think this one sits solely on the side of BRA. Correct me if I'm wrong but didnt the initial plans call for saving the Dainty Dot building and incorporating into the the new development? If i remember correctly the BRA shot it down because it was too much of a signature building.

Could be wrong, but I think this is the case.
 
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