Portside at Pier One | 29 Marginal Street (Pier 1, Pier 5) | East Boston

The design is bland and the color scheme is depressing. Looking at the construction I'm sure there are going to be many many issues once it opens. The apartments themselves will probably be very nice, especially those balconies overlooking the harbor. It's too late now but a design that used more brick that emulated the old 19th century warehouses would have been more appropriate. OH well, they are background buildings anyway.

Should any buildings lining the waterfront really be considered background buildings? The exterior should've been much nicer. A looker, this is not.
 
Should any buildings lining the waterfront really be considered background buildings? The exterior should've been much nicer. A looker, this is not.

They SHOULDN'T but that's what these are. These could have been a landmark so that when one looks across to Eastie you see something inspiring, something that makes you want to move over there. Instead you are going to look over and not even notice them.
 
These could have been a landmark so that when one looks across to Eastie you see something inspiring, something that makes you want to move over there. Instead you are going to look over and not even notice them.

Tupperwarchitecture.
 
I feel like all of these new buildings should have had retail on marginal st. Thats a huge missed opportunity. Theres not much in Eastie as is and this could have helped a lot with peoples shopping/food needs. Theres Maverick sq, a couple random corner stores, and a tj maxx plaza. This could have been a whole strip of restaurants, shopping, groceries... Wtf happened? The bottom few pictures of post 223 above show it perfectly.
 
No clue, but I live a couple blocks from here and I'd be ECSTATIC to have a Trader Joes and a few more varied food options. Shaw's is a 12ish minute walk but something closer would be much more convenient.
I feel like all of these new buildings should have had retail on marginal st. Thats a huge missed opportunity. Theres not much in Eastie as is and this could have helped a lot with peoples shopping/food needs. Theres Maverick sq, a couple random corner stores, and a tj maxx plaza. This could have been a whole strip of restaurants, shopping, groceries... Wtf happened? The bottom few pictures of post 223 above show it perfectly.
 
^ I'm sadly aware of the terminology, cca -- it give me hives.

I've always been a fan of the "slow & thoughtful" architecture, where the solution is shelter and permanence, not profit at all cost.
 
Clippership and Portside are Austin, TX by the Sea.

is what is is.
 
is what is is.

Tolerating bad design only amplifies its impact. I do what I can, but I'm a lone voice in a room full of folks who are (righteously) concerned about gentrification and displacement, and a spectrum of other issues (height, scale, parking counts, loss of views).
 
Tolerating bad design only amplifies its impact. I do what I can, but I'm a lone voice in a room full of folks who are (righteously) concerned about gentrification and displacement, and a spectrum of other issues (height, scale, parking counts, loss of views).

Because if you are displaced what the building that does it looks like doesnt really matter. Design really should be secondary to those concerns.
 
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Well.... There's a few well done buildings.

Cues from Lovejoy or Assembly Row could have helped here.
 
Because if you are displaced what the building that does it looks like doesnt really matter. Design really should be secondary to those concerns.

I think you've mistakenly inferred disinterest in concerns regarding gentrification, displacement, and the ever-shrinking opportunities for home ownership and tenancy in East Boston and surrounding areas. These issues and climate resilience are at the top of the list for those of us who are involved in moving the neighborhood in the most sustainable direction. I've actually posted quite a bit on the topic. If I write more on aesthetics and historic preservation, it's because these are concepts I can address with authority rather than mere speculation.

Cues from Lovejoy...

Perhaps...

or Assembly Row...

Fuck no.
 

This screams retail corridor. Marginal is a waterfront road that goes by maverick and follows most of the waterfront. Cant think of a better retail corridor in Eastie than they could have put here. The 1 good thing is the buildings for some reason dont go right up to the street so you could build 1-2 story buildings that go from the back of these buildings up to the sidewalk with retail in them. Hell if you made them brick it could even give the street a more traditional charm than if these buildings had just met the sidewalk and had ground floor retail. Someone needs to get in their ear and make this happen. Theres already the best views of the city here imagine a retail corridor. Theres lots on the other side that can be developed too. Maybe if not this cycle, in the future when theyre squeezing as much as they can into the prime real estate of the city theyll add retail along this street in these spots.
 
Idk but are they not in an even better spot flood damage wise than the future retail of 150 seaport.,
 
When the entire eastie waterfront is done how many condos is this gonna add? 5,000? More... less?
 
I'm not certain either. I can tell you that both areas are a total failure from a climate resiliency standpoint. And remember, the harbor-side elevators at Aquarium station are remain under repair due to last winter's storms. The era of not considering these issues as part of waterfront planning has come to a sloppy end.
 

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