Newbery St Mural

AdamBC

AdamBC

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Newbury St Mural

Any one know what happened to the mural?

Before:



After:



I mean it wouldn't be such a travesty if the parking lot was about to be built on... but I don't see them tearing up that profitable pavement any time soon...
 
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I recall this was a case of the mural falling apart, and the restaurant that had sponsored it no longer being open.
 
The mural was on the interior party wall of the building demolished above the existing parking lot. The restaurant had nothing to do with it, except to have moved into the (still existing) building next door.

Edited to add: Jean Yawkey and friends were the impetus for the mural. Alex Beam (inaccurately) reports one thing--that it was on the Du Barry wall--then later (accurately) says it was the former interior wall of the building over Kevin Fitzgerald's parking lot.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/04/05/can_this_mural_be_saved/
 
If you walk by this, there's still plaque with a 'key' to the now invisible mural
 
This parking lot is the shame of Newbury St. I was maybe 0.5% justifiable with the mural there. Now, it has nothing.
 
czsz said:
This parking lot is the shame of Newbury St. I was maybe 0.5% justifiable with the mural there. Now, it has nothing.
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While they rag on Fitz for cramming cars onto that lot, it's common knowledge that no one wants to loose even more parking in the Back Bay. That's why the BRA, NABB, BBA, Mayor's office and others don't apply more pressure for it to be developed. At least it's not a parking deck ...
 
I think the wall looked a little nicer with the mural. Oh well.
 
bbfen said:
The mural was on the interior party wall of the building demolished above the existing parking lot. The restaurant had nothing to do with it, except to have moved into the (still existing) building next door.
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Wait... so the brick bow-front building covered in scaffolding in this picture is gone now?
2465314795_bf18a475e7.jpg
 
The building is still there. They fixed up the building and removed the horrible glass sheds from the front. The developer, Sarkis, told the neighborhood group that he couldn't develop the site unless they let him keep the sheds. He argued that the store fronts would remain empty unless he got to keep the sheds. The neighborhood stuck to it's guns and Sarkis was called on his bluff. It's great that they didn't back down. It looks a whole lot better now.

ps I believe the Friday's glass shed is also going away.
 
PaulC said:
The building is still there. They fixed up the building and removed the horrible glass sheds from the front. The developer, Sarkis, told the neighborhood group that he couldn't develop the site unless they let him keep the sheds. He argued that the store fronts would remain empty unless he got to keep the sheds. The neighborhood stuck to it's guns and Sarkis was called on his bluff. It's great that they didn't back down. It looks a whole lot better now.

ps I believe the Friday's glass shed is also going away.
Click to expand...

If the various agencies ever figure out how Friday's managed to sell the liquor license illegally, yes. I heard Ms. Walz pitched a fit at this one! The various busybodies also asked for revisions to BBRG's design, but approval was predicated on the greenhouse being removed. Now LCB is sorting out where the license went, and what will happen when Papparazzi moves to the old Friday's (transferring the license) and there's no liquor license in the old Papparazzi property.

I don't remember the greenhouse argument at the Bouch?e location, but anyway.

The wall the mural was painted on is only a brick wide, I believe. Memory tells me they didn't pull it down with the rest of the building in order to prevent damage to the building now housing Bouch?e. Ironic.
 
Does anyone know when the building at this location was torn down, and why? Has to be at least 30 years ago, probably more.
 
The former Friday's greenhouse addition is actually cited as an example of what not to do in the US department of the Interior historic preservation guidelines.
 
Can anyone correct the spelling of this thread? It's very grating...*Newbury.
 
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