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

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I am always a bit shocked at how small a footprint what I consider to be some of the best British brands have in the US. I am a huge fan of Paul Smith, Fred Perry, and Thomas Pink. Paul Smith in particular. I get that the more tailored, sleek look the British designers embrace won't work well for many Americans, especially those on the heavy-set side, but Boston is a "skinny" city as American cities go. A Paul Smith Collection store I imagine would fit perfectly somewhere on the Taj side of Newbury. And Fred Perry stylistically is so close to New England Prep that I am baffled why there aren't more around.
 
KentXie said:
This should be fine. If anything, this might generate enough demand to perhaps have a market open in the old Barnes&Noble store.
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Except that would be presuming the former B&N building's ownership is, to quote the economists, a rational actor. Why, given everything that's transpired, would you want to assume that?

At the present rate, by mid-2016, DTX--already the hottest commercial AND residential market in the city since approx. early 2011--will be presumably cresting. The Burnham will be fully open and fully tenanted. Millennium Tower will be open and condo owners will be moving in. Godfrey Hotel will have been open for a year. etc., etc.

And yet it's very possible that the B&N building will still remain vacant, a DECADE after B&N left. It's gone 8 YEARS ALREADY without a tenant--the last 2 years of which, again, DTX has been torrid. So what what would another two years matter to the ownership? They've already demonstrated they can forgo literally millions in rental income. Another 2 years they can do standing on their head.

In comparison, just up the street, the old Borders--another dying bookstore chain!--went vacant in late 2010 and Walgreens was announced as a tenant, what... at most 3 months later?

Interesting situation, for sure.
 
DBM said:
Except that would be presuming the former B&N building's ownership is, to quote the economists, a rational actor. Why, given everything that's transpired, would you want to assume that?

At the present rate, by mid-2016, DTX--already the hottest commercial AND residential market in the city since approx. early 2011--will be presumably cresting. The Burnham will be fully open and fully tenanted. Millennium Tower will be open and condo owners will be moving in. Godfrey Hotel will have been open for a year. etc., etc.

And yet it's very possible that the B&N building will still remain vacant, a DECADE after B&N left. It's gone 8 YEARS ALREADY without a tenant--the last 2 years of which, again, DTX has been torrid. So what what would another two years matter to the ownership? They've already demonstrated they can forgo literally millions in rental income. Another 2 years they can do standing on their head.

In comparison, just up the street, the old Borders--another dying bookstore chain!--went vacant in late 2010 and Walgreens was announced as a tenant, what... at most 3 months later?

Interesting situation, for sure.
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This reminds me of "Sahara", the derelict, vacant Syrian restaurant in the South End. It could have been sold/rented for millions at this point, yet it's been vacant for decades because the family that owns it can't decide on whether to keep it or sell it.
 
shawn said:
I am always a bit shocked at how small a footprint what I consider to be some of the best British brands have in the US. I am a huge fan of Paul Smith, Fred Perry, and Thomas Pink. Paul Smith in particular. I get that the more tailored, sleek look the British designers embrace won't work well for many Americans, especially those on the heavy-set side, but Boston is a "skinny" city as American cities go. A Paul Smith Collection store I imagine would fit perfectly somewhere on the Taj side of Newbury. And Fred Perry stylistically is so close to New England Prep that I am baffled why there aren't more around.
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Roger that. And give me Charles Tyrwhitt over Brooks Brothers ever day of the week.
 
The B&N space has the perfect layout and street frontage for a killer XXI Forever or Forever 21. There's immense demand for Forever 21 in the downtown area, as many tour groups (especially younger kids) are not allowed to leave Faneuil Hall/DTX which means they cannot get to Newbury St, let alone the far end of it.

I was initially hoping that (in addition to Nordstrom) Forever 21 would be going into the Burnham/Millennium Tower. Primark is a good substitution though.
 
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With Primark here and Caffe Nero down the street it looks like the time has finally come for New England to revert back to the UK
 
OmG FoReVer 21!!! PRiMARK!!! tHiS ShiT is CraY crAy!!! I c0nt wAiT!!!!!!
 
BosDevelop said:
in Bee Line's second and third photos above, in between the bracing on the left side of the pit, there appears to be another red crane base. This is what I saw them lowering into the pit a week or two ago. Is it possible they will pour the slab around the second crane base?
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FWIW, one of the workers said this will be a second tower crane which will be there for duration of construction, then will be lifted out the top of the building by the first tower crane. Question remains: will the crane base section remain encsconsed in concrete and cut off flush to the slab, or will they dam off the concrete before the pour this weekend? I've been watching for signs of the latter (concrete forms and such inside the tower crane base), but so far can't see any. Maybe today? tomorrow? If not before Saturday 4AM, I guess we'll have our answer...
 
Gromit said:
FWIW, one of the workers said this will be a second tower crane which will be there for duration of construction, then will be lifted out the top of the building by the first tower crane. Question remains: will the crane base section remain encsconsed in concrete and cut off flush to the slab, or will they dam off the concrete before the pour this weekend? I've been watching for signs of the latter (concrete forms and such inside the tower crane base), but so far can't see any. Maybe today? tomorrow? If not before Saturday 4AM, I guess we'll have our answer...
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weather looks iffy for Saturday. The newsletter explaining the concrete pour listed May 3 as an alternative "weather date" for the pour.
 
Primark is kind of junky. Well, it is junky. Is that the right sort of store to "set the tone" for this fantastic building's retail presence. That said, money talks and I am sure the developers are pumped to get a big name signed so early for a large amount of space.

Now if we could only get a Hackett store to open up over here, I would be very happy.
 
Ron Newman said:
more or less so than Filene's Basement was?
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Eh, Filene's Basement sold name brand merchandise at cheap prices. Primark is more like H&M - where it's their own brand of "cheap-chic" clothes they are selling.
 
it's a discussion of past and future retail in the Filene's building; what could be more relevant here?
 
kmp1284 said:
You're confused by a discussion of the merits of one of the development's major retail tenants?
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You are mistaken.

-Paul Smith
- Fred Perry,
-Topman
- Forever 21
- Hackett
- Charles Tyrwhitt
- Thomas Pink

all have nothing to do with this project, and I assure you are NOT tenants of this project (despite the fantasizing of the past 10 or so posts).

But to each his/her own.
 
shmessy said:
You are mistaken.

-Paul Smith
- Fred Perry,
-Topman
- Forever 21
- Hackett
- Charles Tyrwhitt
- Thomas Pink

all have nothing to do with this project, and I assure you are NOT tenants of this project (despite the fantasizing of the past 10 or so posts).

But to each his/her own.
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Easy there killer. Primark is a new name for most of us and we're trying to get a handle on what exactly we're getting. Tons of threads have gone off course way worse than this one.
 
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