Quincy Market Update/Renovation | Faneuil Hall Marketplace | Downtown

This is a beautiful glass & steel structure. The white signage is temporary to prevent people from seeing inside while Sephora sets up. The walls are all glass. The good news is that Sephora is leasing the space. They can leave or the management company can chose not to renew the lease & use the space for something else like maybe events, gallery space, performances, farmers market, flea market, restaurant etc in the future. Now is the time to speak out and let them know we want a more vibrant, public use for the structure.
 
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stefalarchitect said:
Serious question: How does one design this so that locals want to go there frequently?
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I actually don't mind the new building, although not crazy about the planned use, my comments go to the market overall. It just seems that the market has declined over the years as far as retail vibrancy goes. My sense is there are more vacancies these days and underutilized retail spaces. Maybe it's the shift to online shopping or it's maybe it's just not that unique of a formula anymore, with chain stores in historic buildings.

I work a block away from the market. This place is dead for many months of the years. Summers on the other hand are too congested with people. I wouldn't be surprised if the boston public market attracts more locals than quincy market on a typical non summer day. My co workers and I often get off our lazy duffs and walk through quincy market to get to the North End for Pauli's sandwiches, Umberto's Pizza, Tenoch tacos etc. For years we have chosen the longer walk in cold weather. Other times, we grab food at the doorstep of quincy market, Al's, Zo's, Clarks etc. For drinks after work, we go to places near the custom house, the waterfront, along state st etc. which all surround but are not actually in quincy market. We never go into the market to eat or drink. I know many others downtown who are in the same pattern. Seems like a lost market opportunity for Quincy Market with many thousands of people working every workday just a short walk away. I think it's the way the market is managed as a unified outdoor mall.

There may be a way to attract locals and keep the tourists coming. Currently, the market has corporate type anchor restaurants that horizontally sprawl and take up huge amounts of sidewalk space such as Cheers, the Tequila Cantina place, Dick's last resort, Wagamama etc. I'd rather see smaller footprint spaces leased to restaurants etc. that would be viable to locally owned operators. I think locals would be more inclined to go if there were unique places to eat and drink. Perhaps I'm idealistic and due to the sheer number of tourists Quincy Market is doomed to mediocrity, our version of Fisherman's Pier.

I'm thinking more of this direction:
Lrfox said:
Stone Street (pictured) or Belden Place:

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commuter guy said:
I actually don't mind the new building, although not crazy about the planned use, my comments go to the market overall.
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Yeah, I understood that. I personally like the new building; its unique but reserved and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb with Faneuil as its backdrop, as they intended with their design.
I work a block away from the market. This place is dead for many months of the years. Summers on the other hand are too congested with people. I wouldn't be surprised if the boston public market attracts more locals than quincy market on a typical non summer day.
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+1. Bos Public Market is very nice, more local, relatively quiet. I visit every once in a while.

There may be a way to attract locals and keep the tourists coming. Currently, the market has corporate type anchor restaurants that horizontally sprawl and take up huge amounts of sidewalk space such as Cheers, the Tequila Cantina place, Dick's last resort, Wagamama etc. I'd rather see smaller footprint spaces leased to restaurants etc. that would be viable to locally owned operators. I think locals would be more inclined to go if there were unique places to eat and drink. Perhaps I'm idealistic and due to the sheer number of tourists Quincy Market is doomed to mediocrity, our version of Fisherman's Pier.

I'm thinking more of this direction:
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That's my concern, too. Quincy Market is too crowded with tourists for locals to want to go there, IMO. That's why i was interested in how you could physically design this better so that you get a better mix of locals and still retain a large tourist crowd. Smaller footprint spaces could possibly work, though. Stone Street (in the picture) looks very nice, too. I'd love to see something like that here.
 
I think the restaurants are getting a bit of a bad rap here.
there are 3 chains in the whole place (Waga, Morcomick, Cheers--which is still local).
There are tons of locally owned restaurants from good (Anthem, Salty Dog, and Mija) to not so good. There are even a few legit dive bars in there as the rest of the city laments on the loss of their beloved local shithole.

Not to mention the internal food court is (I believe) 100% local and the only chain I can think of is Reginas. Plenty of places in there that are as good or better than Paulis (although nothing is as good as Tenoch or Zo--but not many places are).

Could there be some higher end (quality, not price) options? Sure, but to say that the restaurants are the same as anywhere else is not the case.
If locals choose not to go there because of the stigma that its touristy, thats on them/you. I have more fun with the tourists than most Boston locals anyway. Being with the tourists is a nice breath of fresh air.

A nice improvement would be moving the crappy carts from the glass enclosures of the main building into a communal retail space in the north and/or south buildings and using the reclaimed space for more communal seating between different restaurants ala Stone St.
 
^Not to mention 15% off if you can prove you live/work in the area. I sometimes go to MMMac and Cheese.

Thin is- even with 15% (and sometimes they're reluctant to give it to you) off, there are still better options around. I can get a Japanese Fried Chicken Mealbox from Moyzilla at City Hall Plaza on Tuesdays for $8. I can get a delicious Gyro at Zo for $8 any day of the week. Haymarket Pizza is far better/cheaper in anything in Quincy Market itself. Even BonMe at the public Market or Saus are better options.

It's not that Quincy Market is awful, it's just that you can do a lot better.
 
$5 margs at Zuma are decent, although a few of those sugary drinks and your driving down hangover blvd
 
Given the rich and storied history of the Market District, this new edition is ornery. Inscrutable. ...But times change. What better place for the outstanding ladies of Boston and the visiting masses to enjoy a fine cosmetic shoppe.
 
My main issue with the food stalls in Quincy Market today is that most of them are overpriced and mediocre, especially compared to the stalls in Boston Public Market.
 
Many of you are making out Quincy Market to be something like the old Pru foodcourt, which it's not. The food options, as mentioned here, are mostly local. The building is historic. And I enjoy being around tourists during the heavy season. I like the energy they bring. Very unlike places like NYC, you really don't get many places in Boston where you end up among a crush of spend-happy people.
 
"Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., a New York-based real estate firm, acquired the ground lease to Faneuil Hall in 2011. Four years later, it launched a master plan to reimagine the historic tourist destination into an urban oasis. In a press announcement, Ashkenazy said Sephora’s opening was “an integral part of the master plan.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/03/01/sephora-opens-at-site-of-faneuil-hall-s-flower.html

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Another "urban oasis?" Why...does every other corner need to be filled with blank glass walls? I'm very disappointed in the choice of retailers for this otherwise neat building. Plus it's there for no other reason than to rake in cash from mostly women. How does this "oasis" bring people together? Another store to ignore on my way to the waterfront.
 
Padre Mike said:
Another "urban oasis?" Why...does every other corner need to be filled with blank glass walls? I'm very disappointed in the choice of retailers for this otherwise neat building. Plus it's there for no other reason than to rake in cash from mostly women. How does this "oasis" bring people together? Another store to ignore on my way to the waterfront.
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This is an unbelievable affront, even in a city with plenty of bad decisionmaking. What the FUCK is this? We went from a nice homey florist to a cold, corporate glass box. It doesn't fit in, it adds nothing, it's not attractive and it's not unique. Wow, wow, wow. This is an abomination.
 
How is Sephora "integral" to anybody's master plan? Ashkenazy plans to make Faneuil more soulless and corporate?
 
Is that black and white pattern behind the glass there to stay or is it temporary?
 
FK4 said:
This is an unbelievable affront, even in a city with plenty of bad decisionmaking. What the FUCK is this? We went from a nice homey florist to a cold, corporate glass box. It doesn't fit in, it adds nothing, it's not attractive and it's not unique. Wow, wow, wow. This is an abomination.
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Absolutely ghastly. What you said. Every word. ...on the bright note; if this is any indication that the Building Dept is little more than a gang of cold, heartless bureaucrats, maybe that will work in our favor for the permitting of these last 4 Big Towers. :)
 
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