Post Cards of Boston 1900's-1990

Boston02124

Boston02124

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My post card collection of Boston left click on picture to enlarge













 
in this picture, whats the story with the white building on the left?

 
in this picture, whats the story with the white building on the left?
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It's the "Newbry" (sic) building before it was expanded. The cupola is still there; it's just been enclosed by girthier streetfront development.
 
August 1962. I forget where I found this, maybe here?

boston1962082ms9.jpg
 
You are right.
The Annex is one of the few examples (taken in context with its surrounding neighbors in Court Square) of mixed use, true forum style architectural planning in Boston (Quincy Market being the most prominent). Always reminded me a little bit of the Royal Exchange Place in Glasgow.
 
I wish they had never enclosed the "Newbry" building...I prefer the skinnier tower instead of it enclosed in that mass bulk of a building! The "Newbry" was a very attractive building to say the least.
 
I prefer to call that building by its original name -- New England Life.
 
the one to the left of The Newbury is awesome!
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Quite. What's there now is beyond deplorable.

I prefer to call that building by its original name -- New England Life.
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Thanks, Ron...I'd forgotten what this was only a few years ago. I guess the comical rebranding actually paid off for them...
 
Ron - why don't you like the new name? I think it's more fitting and more "Boston" - I think if that building had been called "The Newbry" for decades, and then the insurance company moved in and tried to rename it "The New England Life Building" people would probably be upset! I'm so glad the insurance company left and it was redeveloped with larger streetfront windows, better lighting and all the cool graphics and stuff - that was such a miserable block back when it was a single-tenant building.
 
I like all the changes to the building's exterior, except for destroying the Copley Theatre (New England Life Hall). But "the Newbry" means nothing to me, while "New England Life" has obvious local character.
 
PaulC said:
Sort of, it's the city hall annex, latter the school department(if my memory is correct)
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It,s the school dept. and some city services are there,but it dos'e say city hall in this picture over the doorway
 
Good point Ron - I still like the new name though - it makes me wonder about naming buildings that are named after their tenants - what happens when the tenant vacates the building? Can the Hancock Tower be the "Hancock Tower" if John Hancock leaves? Or the Prudential Center for that matter?

Isn't the Pan Am/MetLife building in NYC an example of this? I don't think Pearson Publishing (the anchor tenant) would want to be in the "New England Life Insurance Building" - are there any other examples either here in Boston or elsewhere?
 
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pelhamhall said:
Ron - why don't you like the new name? I think it's more fitting and more "Boston" - I think if that building had been called "The Newbry" for decades, and then the insurance company moved in and tried to rename it "The New England Life Building" people would probably be upset! I'm so glad the insurance company left and it was redeveloped with larger streetfront windows, better lighting and all the cool graphics and stuff - that was such a miserable block back when it was a single-tenant building.
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I think the Newbry is the dumbest renaming of a building that I've ever seen. They created a word trying to mimic an accent that doesn't exist. Why not just call it "The Newbury"?
 
My preference would have been to drop 'Insurance' and keep it 'the New England Life Building'. Also, its official street address is on Boylston Street, not Newbury.

Didn't Sears move out of the Sears Tower in Chicago?
 
I don't think anyone has stopped using the term "Woolworth Building" either.
 
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