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

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Has anyone considered that a Target (or similar big-box) in DTX would probably supplant much of the independently owned down-market retail that currently exists there? It happens all the time in the Mid-West when Walmart comes to town...

From the standpoint of historic preservation, isn't the Vornado/Hines "boutique" proposal better? These shops will likely cater to the residents in the tower, and other condo owners in other proposed/UC residential developments (Hayward Pl, Providence St.)

This should be a true mixed market area: low end/discount retailers (DSW, Marshalls, TJX, PayLess), Mid-market (Macys), and some higher-end offerings in the old Filene's...

On a related topic, DTX should look more like Michigan Ave than Canal St...The city needs to do something about the reprobates and ne'er-do-wells who congregate and make it a less than desirable shopping experience...This isn't a race-based concern: teenagers and derelicts of every color hold court there...
 
If I had one walk down a NY street left, I'd pick Canal over 5th ave, anytime.

justin
 
justin said:
If I had one walk down a NY street left, I'd pick Canal over 5th ave, anytime.
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Good point, justin -- I have nothing against the grit of Canal St, or other places like it, in NYC or elsewhere...But when the central shopping district of our city shares Canal St's least attractive qualities, it may be time for a rethink...

From Sam Allis's recent piece in the Globe:

There is another factor at play. The elephant in the living room -- pick your clich? -- is race. Everyone knows it but no one talks about it. The truth is that long before Filene's went south, droves of suburban matrons and urban whites were scared off by black kids in puffy parkas who hung out there. So what do you do about that?

Hynes steers clear of the subject but says this: "You see people walking to the T after work with their heads down. They never look up because they don't want to be panhandled.

"I've asked women why they don't shop at Downtown Crossing," he continues. "They say, 'I only shop there when when I need something. I usually get it close to home or I go to Back Bay.' I ask them 'why?' They say, 'It's cleaner. I feel safer. The shops are better.' Cleanliness and security come first, then the quality of the stores."

His project will clean up and maintain Filene's Park, the brutal brick and concrete area on upper Franklin Street favored by street people. (Like The Pit in Harvard Square, it should be demolished.) What about those folks? "That's a social question," he says.

But it's his question, too. You can't separate it from projects like his. Nor can we pretend that in upgrading the area, Hynes will not further buttress Boston's emerging profile as a doughnut of rich and poor without a middle.

The death of Filene's means the rebirth of Downtown Crossing. But what kind of Downtown Crossing? John Hynes, I'm sure, will do a good job. But I hope he remembers that when the area really worked, all of Boston flocked there.
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I guess I'm one of the invisible folks in the middle of the doughnut...I shop for my suits in the Basement, frequent Borders, and (until recently) enjoyed a jar of Guinness at the Littlest Bar...The air of menace at DTX doesn't bother me, but I know my mom doesn't shop downtown like she used to, and I worry if my girlfriend sees an evening movie with friends and catches the T home from there...
 
"when the area really worked, all of Boston flocked there"
I wonder about this statement. His argument seems to be that once upon a time downtown crossing worked and all of Boston flocked there. Then something happened--suburban malls, redevelopment, or something--to ruin it and now it is predominantly blacks that remain in downtown crossing. Therefore, the argument goes, the thing to do to get DC "to work" is to get it back the way it once was. The truth is "when all of Boston flocked there" Boston was vastly white; it's not as if when DC worked, the area was a multicultural smorgasborg. There is no way it can get back to the way it once was, whether or not there is a way for it to work again is another question.
 
Race had nothing to do with DTC's success 1890-1950 and has always been a straw man in Boston's politics for everyone's detriment.

Centrality on public transport in a denser more pedestrian dominated city, with a higher population, and no other shopping options drawing off shoppers made it successful. To make the area work again it needs to have something unique to attract people there compared to the competing shopping areas and have a sufficient population density to serve it. It doesn't matter who shops there, just there are enough people whom have a need to satisfy and it is more convenient or desirable to shop there than any other options. If more people lived downtown, within walking distance (or the if T was as clean as it was in the BERy days), and there were shops people found unique and wanted to go to, the area would thrive.
 
The Herald said:
Basement relocation? Tower plans may mean temporary move
By Scott Van Voorhis
Boston Herald Business Reporter
Friday, November 10, 2006 - Updated: 06:16 AM EST

Filene?s Basement, a landmark at the corner of Boston?s Summmer and Washington streets for nearly a century, may soon need a new home.
A development team preparing to revamp the historic Filene?s complex, home to the Basement since it opened in 1908, is exploring the possibility of moving the Hub retail institution to a new location, the Herald has learned.
The shift, if it occurs, would be temporary - for the two- or three-year construction period when redevelopment of the Filene?s block takes place.
Developers plan a $600 million-plus redevelopment of the old Filene?s building, including a 38-story tower next door. The complex would become home to an upgraded Filene?s Basement store (The Basement chain is part of Retail Ventures Inc. - and not related to the former Filene?s, which was bought out by Macy?s parent Federated Department Stores.)
But the temporary move is an option now being seriously explored by the developers, a joint venture between Gale Co., led by Boston tower builder John Hynes, and Vornado, a giant Big Apple property player, said Robert Maloney, a top Gale executive.
Moving Filene?s Basement into the upstairs of the old Filene?s building has been the main option on the table until now. But keeping the retailer in place as construction takes place around it could prove complicated and expensive, Maloney said.
?You have to make sure people are safe and have access to the store,? he said. ?It?s hard to do that when people are working above.?
Still, if a deal is struck to move Filene?s Basement, it would have to be to another location in Downtown Crossing, the store?s traditional home.
Given its large footprint, that leaves few possibilities, with the newly vacant Barnes & Noble bookstore nearby on Washington Street the only viable option, Maloney said.
The owner of the former Barnes & Noble building said yesterday that he had been contacted by the developers, though neither side has had a chance to talk yet.
Meanwhile, the Filene?s complex development team is seeking new retailers as well, with possibilities including upscale grocers. Fresh Market is getting a serious look, with a new rendering of the proposed project featuring a Fresh Market on the ground floor of the old Filene?s building. Whole Foods is also considered a top candidate, executives said.
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Link

Couple of things.
The paper version of this story had an interesting rendering of the Summer St ground floor level.

The Filenes Clearance Center has put up "Closing Soon" signs back up, so it seems like they may be moving quickly on this.

I'm not sure I'm reading the article correctly. Are they talking about moving the the Basement upstairs permanently as part of the new 'upscale' look? Or just during construction? I don't like the idea of moving the Basement to the ground floor permanently. The Basement, as it is, is one of the last unique, funky retail places left in the city. If it's going to be more upscale, just rename it Filene's and sell the basement lease and the name to a real thrift store. Ugh.
 
Wow, they're really pushing this project to move quickly. Has the BRA already approved it? I can seem to find it on their website...
 
Barnes & Noble makes the most sense, but the ugly ex-CVS ex-Golds Gym building on Summer Street might also be big enough for the Temporary Basement. Especially if combined with adjoining, also vacant, buildings.

Filene's Clearance Center ads in the Metro say, in fine print, that the store will close on or before December 31, 2006.
 
Elkus|Manfredi still doesn't have anything up on thier website. :?
 
Even if they move out for a while to keep bricks from falling on their customers, they should move back to the space unchanged. It's echt Boston through and through --and merely bringing it up to code will rob it of all its character.
 
ablarc said:
Even if they move out for a while to keep bricks from falling on their customers, they should move back to the space unchanged. It's echt Boston through and through --and merely bringing it up to code will rob it of all its character.
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Agreed completely.
 
this rendering is in the Herald:


filenetower11102006.jpg
 
ablarc said:
Even if they move out for a while to keep bricks from falling on their customers, they should move back to the space unchanged. It's echt Boston through and through --and merely bringing it up to code will rob it of all its character.
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Sorry ablarc. We lose. :cry:

The Herald said:
Filene?s Basement may dig deep, get a new basement
By Scott Van Voorhis/ Special retail report
Boston Herald Business Reporter
Thursday, November 16, 2006 - Updated: 01:14 AM EST

As a development team drafts plans to redevelop the historic Filene?s building above, Filene?s Basement is eyeing a move of its own - deeper into the basement.
Basement executives are looking at a new layout that would involve three smaller floors, instead of the two larger ones now. The additional floor would be carved out of basement space now used for storage, according to Anne Meyers, president of the Downtown Crossing Association.
The new idea was broached as part of a larger presentation by Big Apple developer Vornado Realty Trust, the lead player on the Filene?s redevelopment, to members of the Downtown Crossing Association.
One downtown retail real estate expert, Mark Browne, sees potential for the Basement in its basement. Filene?s Basement, a retail icon, is not connected with Filene?s, which is preparing to close at year end.
?From an image standpoint, sure it works,? Browne said.
Vornado and local builder John Hynes, a top Gale Co. executive, are pushing ahead with $600 million-plus plans to renovate the landmark Filene?s complex and build a 38-story tower next door.
There is also the possibility of a new and more prominent entrance for the Basement as part of the massive Filene?s redevelopment.
Meanwhile, Filene?s Basement is now exploring where it will do business during the two to three years of construction expected for the Filene?s redevelopment. A temporary move to another nearby location is one option being explored, executives have said.
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Link
 
Meanwhile, Filene?s Basement is now exploring where it will do business during the two to three years of construction expected for the Filene?s redevelopment. A temporary move to another nearby location is one option being explored, executives have said.
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My girlfriend, who currently works at Filene's Basement, was told in a meeting the other day that they will likely just move upstairs for part of the construction, and then back downstairs again. She hadn't heard much about moving to a different location.
 
What makes this challenging is that Filene's Basement is under all four buildings, including the two that will be demolished.
 
Challenging, but not impossible. Obviously they will need to leave the basement for a while during construction, but there is no good reason to turn the Basement into an upscale mall-store clone. Leave it alone. There aren't enough unique retail spaces in Boston as it is and the Basement was the grandaddy of them all.
 
The Globe said:
Final closeout at downtown Filene's

A retail era is about to end - Saturday, Dec. 30., is the last day of shopping at Filene's historic location at Downtown Crossing, a spokeswoman for its new corporate parent confirmed today.

Technically, she said, the Filene's brand name was retired in September, and for the last several months, the store at Downtown Crossing has operated as a Macy's clearance center, but by whatever name, that business will close up shop after Dec. 30.

Last year, Macy's owner, Federated Department Stores Inc., bought Filene's parent company, and as a result of the acquisition, Federated said it would shutter some Filene's stores and rename others as Macy's.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
Posted by Boston Globe Business Team at 12:55 PM
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The newspaper ads for this store have continued to call it "Filene's Clearance Center", even to the current day.

I'll be sad to see it go, even in its current truncated condition.
 
Menino says marketing ploy at Filene's hurts Basement

By Keith Reed and Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff | December 19, 2006

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is upset at what he says is a marketing ploy that is taking away business from one of the city's most famed retailers.

The issue stems from a liquidation sale going on in the space above the Filene's Basement location at Downtown Crossing . That space used to house Filene's flagship department store, which has closed, and is being operated as a merchandise clearance center. Federated Department Stores Inc. , parent of the Macy's chain, bought Filene's, closing many stores, eliminating the name, and converting other locations to Macy's.

Menino said the clearance center is still using the Filene's name. That, along with the bargain prices being offered at the store, is keeping people from going downstairs to Filene's Basement, which is known for its discounts.

"A lot of folks there are looking for bargains," Menino said. "The Basement is suffering because people think that is the Basement."

A spokeswoman for Filene's Basement, which operates as a separate company, could not be reached for comment last night. A spokeswoman from Macy's also could not be reached for comment.

Macy's said last week that the clearance center in Downtown Crossing will close on Dec. 30.

The old Filene's space, which Federated sold as part of its takeover of the department store chain, is slated to become a retail, hotel, office, and residential project by developers John B. Hynes III and Vornado Realty Trust . Federated will hand over the property on Jan. 15, Hynes said.

Filene's Basement has a long-term lease at its Downtown Crossing location and has said it plans to remain there.

Keith Reed can be reached at reed@globe.com, and Thomas C. Palmer Jr. can be reached at tpalmer@globe.com.

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My own opinion? The Mayor underestimates the intelligence of the shopping public, who know full well the difference between Filene's upstairs (even as a Clearance Center) and Filene's Basement.

A more interesting question to me is: how will shoppers get in and out of the Basement after the first-floor store closes next week?
 
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