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

Status
Not open for further replies.
Is 700' the max FAA height for this area of Boston? I thought I saw that figure somewhere on here recently...if so, MT's height of 685' is pretty close! I say we get rid of the FAA, or at least their height limits! Don't the planes utilize an "over-ocean" flight path anyway?
 
lapradetom said:
Is 700' the max FAA height for this area of Boston? I thought I saw that figure somewhere on here recently...if so, MT's height of 685' is pretty close! I say we get rid of the FAA, or at least their height limits! Don't the planes utilize an "over-ocean" flight path anyway?
Click to expand...

When I was at Elkus, working on the previous iteration of this building, I was repeatedly told that the reason the tower was 40 stories was because of FAA regulations. That was obviously bogus. Still, I'll always wonder why Vornado/Gale opted for that ridiculously complicated cantilever instead of 10 more floors in order to achieve the density they needed to make their numbers work.
Maybe an investigative journalist will write a book called "Filenes: The Untold Story" one day...
 
lapradetom said:
Is 700' the max FAA height for this area of Boston? I thought I saw that figure somewhere on here recently...if so, MT's height of 685' is pretty close! I say we get rid of the FAA, or at least their height limits! Don't the planes utilize an "over-ocean" flight path anyway?
Click to expand...

Different runways are used for different wind conditions. That is never going to change. Having Logan located close to downtown is more valuable than all the skyscrapers in China.
 
datadyne007 said:
Good god, you'd think the checkout process was the end of the world by that post. I've been very impressed with Roche Bros crowd control and checkout system. I think they intentionally put an associate there to direct people to registers because Roche Bros likes that personal touch and this is a very high profile location with extremely high volume.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I sounded over-dramatic about the queuing system... I guess I'm not impressed or overly critical because I've seen other retailers in New York City who see much higher volume handle queuing better. I'm also critical about it because it's the one experience that falls flat for me as compared to everything else at the store. As a customer, the 'personal touch' matters much more to me when I'm at the deli, seafood, or charcouterie counters. When it comes to queuing, I think I speak for most people when I say I care more about efficient management than someone personally greeting me and briskly marshalling me to a register; I know there are automated systems that work out there and aren't nearly as confusing or long-winded, I guess is my point.

Thanks DHZ for the photos. I don't often make my way up to Porter Square these days, but last time I visited a few months ago, I was surprised to see MT glowing at the end of Somerville Ave looking down it from Porter. Lots of really awesome vantage points. We're about 2/3 or 3/5ths of the way there now, right?
 
DigitalSciGuy said:
Sorry if I sounded over-dramatic about the queuing system... I guess I'm not impressed or overly critical because I've seen other retailers in New York City who see much higher volume handle queuing better. I'm also critical about it because it's the one experience that falls flat for me as compared to everything else at the store.
Click to expand...

Just for the record, I was in there during peak lunch on Wed and timed the announcement. It's actually 2 seconds long; probably one of the fastest automated messages I've ever heard (it's clearly not using a text to speech engine like the MBTA/Amtrak alert system). She speaks with the speed of a Bostonian. The register number also instantly appears on the huge TV.
 
Last edited:
I heard that starting sometime this month, they'll be closing Washington St with barricades during the day with only the sidewalk open. The barricades were already partially in place this morning. That will certainly enforce the no through-traffic policies!
 
I saw those barricades yesterday as I walked through that area on the way to my doc's office.

They are the plastic ones filled with water, & they were all lined up on the sidewalk across the street from the tower. :cool:
 
Random factoid:

At 442 units, assuming 1 permanent resident per unit, and a 64,400 sq ft parcel, the density of this parcel alone will be in excess of 191,000 residents per square mile.

I think. Maybe my math is wrong -- it seems crazy high.
 
BostonUrbEx said:
Random factoid:

At 442 units, assuming 1 permanent resident per unit, and a 64,400 sq ft parcel, the density of this parcel alone will be in excess of 191,000 residents per square mile.

I think. Maybe my math is wrong -- it seems crazy high.
Click to expand...

Your math is fine, but the concept of population density on the scale of a single building is pretty much meaningless.
 
BostonUrbEx said:
Random factoid:

At 442 units, assuming 1 permanent resident per unit, and a 64,400 sq ft parcel, the density of this parcel alone will be in excess of 191,000 residents per square mile.

I think. Maybe my math is wrong -- it seems crazy high.
Click to expand...

True, 191,000. But measuring population density for one parcel doesn't mean much. Remember, roads, parks, sidewalks, etc are all taken into account when population density is measured at a census block, municipal, or county level. You could not just build a Millenium Tower on every square inch of land, or else there would be no roads/parks/sidewalks/etc.

EDIT: Well, fattony beat me to this. Damn page break.
 
bigeman312 said:
True, 191,000. But measuring population density for one parcel doesn't mean much. Remember, roads, parks, sidewalks, etc are all taken into account when population density is measured at a census block, municipal, or county level. You could not just build a Millenium Tower on every square inch of land, or else there would be no roads/parks/sidewalks/etc.

EDIT: Well, fattony beat me to this. Damn page break.
Click to expand...

Hong Kong's residential area comes close.
 
fattony said:
Your math is fine, but the concept of population density on the scale of a single building is pretty much meaningless.
Click to expand...

If you have multiple parcels following suit then it does have meaning.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Back
Top