Quaker Lane + Congress Square | Downtown

DowntownDave · Apr 10, 2019

All of the top floors are now open. The topmost floor is a cafeteria:

Plenty of outdoor seating (too cold I suppose for it to be open now)

This corner feels sort of like the prow of a ship:

An amphitheater for all hands meetings is on the two floors beneath the top:

It's difficult for me to come in this office as it is tempting to look out the windows instead of work.

statler · Apr 10, 2019

Is this complete or is there more construction elsewhere not shown in the photos?

BeeLine · Apr 10, 2019

statler said:
Is this complete or is there more construction elsewhere not shown in the photos?

I think we still have 2 or 3 buildings on Congress to go. See #684 up thread.

FK4 · Apr 11, 2019

BeeLine said:
I think we still have 2 or 3 buildings on Congress to go. See #684 up thread.

I looked upthread quickly but didn't see any comprehensive render page, but #684 does have link to a file... I'm quoting here the best single post of renders we have from a couple yrs ago, but I dont think anyone ever extracted all the images from the project proposal as we usually have. It looks like there's at least one other building to get added to for this.

timsox6 said:
Got some renderings on that site that have never been posted to this forum before, so here goes. I'd offer context, but my knowledge of the street names around there is a little dubious.

BeeLine · Apr 22, 2019

https://flic.kr/p/RRb4PK

https://flic.kr/p/TtiYzC

https://flic.kr/p/RRb6ui

BeeLine · Apr 22, 2019

It looks like we have two structures left to be renovated/refurbished. 13-15 Congress and 19-21 Congress. I thought I had heard that 13-15 Congress was to become another boutique hotel but nothing about 19-21 Congress.

Looks like some internal work is happening at 13-15 Congress.

13-15 Congress

13-15 Congress

No visible activity I could see at 19-21 Congress.

19-21 Congress

shmessy · Apr 22, 2019

Beeline, as always, thank you for yiur incredible work.

Looking at those pictures, I certainly hope to see many humanoids on those streets around those beautiful buildings sometime soon once they become occupied.

DBM · Apr 22, 2019

BeeLine said:
It looks like we have two structures left to be renovated/refurbished. 13-15 Congress and 19-21 Congress. I thought I had heard that 13-15 Congress was to become another boutique hotel but nothing about 19-21 Congress.

You're right--except [happily] 19-21 Congress is definitely part of the [URL="http://www.bostonplans.org/getattachment/7283ec1e-1dd4-4f01-bb5c-d10807c86b06"]overall hotel redevelopment proposal.

atlantaden · Apr 22, 2019

Such a great project, but damn, I didn't realize it was to be done in phases! That's a disappointment, I was expecting it to be wrapped up sometime this summer or so.

Brad Plaid · Apr 22, 2019

All in all (the hotel should have been at least 5 stories taller) this is a master class in old/new coexistence.

Lrfox · Apr 23, 2019

shmessy said:
Beeline, as always, thank you for yiur incredible work.

Looking at those pictures, I certainly hope to see many humanoids on those streets around those beautiful buildings sometime soon once they become occupied.

Yeah, I'm anxiously awaiting the final product. The architecture here is very good, but for it to be a complete "win" in my book, the little streets around it have to be as activated as the initial proposal/renderings suggest.

TheMagicMan · Apr 23, 2019

Looks amazing---The building architecture stays true to Boston's downtown heritage.

BeeLine · Apr 23, 2019

DBM said:
You're right--except [happily] 19-21 Congress is definitely part of the overall hotel redevelopment proposal.

DBM, thanks for the information. Not sure how I missed that one. This is really a very interesting project and built with quality materials.

odurandina · Apr 23, 2019

Those sublime angles Beeline!!

God bless you!!

BronsonShore · Apr 24, 2019

Lrfox said:
Yeah, I'm anxiously awaiting the final product. The architecture here is very good, but for it to be a complete "win" in my book, the little streets around it have to be as activated as the initial proposal/renderings suggest.

That was I was most excited about, too, but I'm a little worried about what I'm seeing. For starters, the restaurant doesn't appear to have any entrance to Quaker Lane - it's elevated a half a floor off the ground.

Lrfox · Apr 24, 2019

BronsonShore said:
That was I was most excited about, too, but I'm a little worried about what I'm seeing. For starters, the restaurant doesn't appear to have any entrance to Quaker Lane - it's elevated a half a floor off the ground.

This is the exact thing that worried me when I walked past recently. Though the rendering above doesn't seem to show the restaurant with outdoor seating. It looks like it's all centered around the small building across the lane. I do get that the road surface would be the last thing to completed, I hope resurface it like the renderings.