Quincy Market Update/Renovation | Faneuil Hall Marketplace | Downtown

Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

I have no problem with having those stores downtown, but is Faneuil Hall the best place for them? Move Gap into the the old B&N space. The prefect location for it now.
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It's where they are now, and they work there. Why move them? And if we're trying to turn downtown into a 24/7 work/live area and a spot locals want to visit, why try to create an area with a monoculture economy of "unique" (subjective at best) stores residents will rarely use? All you'd be doing is amping up the "Tourists Only" vibe most Bostonians already get from that area. I'm not saying Faneuil Hall should be all CVS's and Gap's, but again, those types of places are useful, and you're shooting yourself in the foot if you get rid of all of them. For sure, throw out the Pewter Palace and replace it with Paul Revere's Olde Tyme Hatt Shoppe, but leave the Gap alone. It's one of the few things in Faneuil now that works for people living downtown.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

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Restoration in Store for Boston’s Faneuil Hall Marketplace

BOSTON — The historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace attracts an estimated 20 million visitors annually, making it one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. But in recent years, the dozens of shops, pushcarts and restaurants that fill three separate buildings have drawn fewer and fewer Bostonians.

In fact, the city’s longest-serving mayor, the late Thomas M. Menino, used to say that the market was the only place in the city he could have lunch without being recognized, said Howard F. Elkus, a founding principal of Elkus Manfredi Architects, a Boston firm.

Hoping to lure the locals back, the marketplace’s operator, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation, a privately held real estate investment firm in New York, has proposed the first major overhaul of the property since the 1970s. Ashkenazy bought the ground lease to the city-owned marketplace in 2011, and has spent the last two years working with Mr. Elkus to develop a master plan.
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Read the whole article
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

One thing that would be nice and possibly easy would be reworking the street level on Clinton and Chatham Streets. They're both dead as a door nail right now outside of a few pass throughs and the Sissy K's/Wrong Kong alley of terror and body spray. I realize some things need back sides, but it would go a long way if they could even get a handful of those brick walls opened up. They've done a bit of that on the Greenway side, and it would be great if they could do more.

Other than that, I personally don't think that area needs much of a "fix." Not that you can complain about a nice face lift. People looking for a Reading Terminal or Boroughs Market will get it with the new Haymarket Buildings, so leaving this as a chain retailer slash tourist trap is fine by me.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

underground said:
One thing that would be nice and possibly easy would be reworking the street level on Clinton and Chatham Streets. They're both dead as a door nail right now outside of a few pass throughs and the Sissy K's/Wrong Kong alley of terror and body spray. I realize some things need back sides, but it would go a long way if they could even get a handful of those brick walls opened up. They've done a bit of that on the Greenway side, and it would be great if they could do more.

Other than that, I personally don't think that area needs much of a "fix." Not that you can complain about a nice face lift. People looking for a Reading Terminal or Boroughs Market will get it with the new Haymarket Buildings, so leaving this as a chain retailer slash tourist trap is fine by me.
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I disagree. I think there's an implicit goal here of making the area more accessible to both locals and tourists. Create a more curated mix of local vendors and a few anchor tenants. Create an opportunity for tourists and locals to interact, and not just across a cash register. If you've ever been to Chelsea Market in NYC, I think that is a fantastic project that draws both audiences and also captures the history of the building/area.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

This plan sounds great. I wish part of the plan was a re-do of the building on the east end that was designed to wall off 93. I imagine we're stuck with that unfortunate tower between the greenway and the South Hall, but I'd support knocking down the crescent shaped portion and replacing it with a building similar in shape and alignment to Fanueil Hall, just at the other end of Quincy Market. I think it'd fit. Would be an epic spot for a boutique hotel.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

This looks awesome--Replica of the older version just updated to bring it to more modern times: Hopefully it won't lose that Boston Feeling.

Curious-- what is the glass atrium Building supposed to be to the left?
Looks like possible skating rink?
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

TheRifleman said:
This looks awesome--Replica of the older version just updated to bring it to more modern times: Hopefully it won't lose that Boston Feeling.

Curious-- what is the glass atrium Building supposed to be to the left?
Looks like possible skating rink?
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"A separate greenhouse building that was once a flower shop would be replaced with a leaf-shaped glass pavilion that will house a major retailer, Mr. Lustig said. Uniqlo, the Japan-based clothing store, has committed to opening a flagship location in Quincy Market."
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

This is interesting:

But he insists that Ashkenazy will not remove “99 percent of the tenancy,” although it may move tenants around and alter their spaces. The tenants who will go, he said, are those who lack local ties or relevance.
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So, places like Salty Dog, Ames Plow should still be around although the renders show their patio spaces being repurposed?

Also, does anyone know if Durgin-Park is still in it's original location or was it moved when they redid the area back in the 70's?
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

chumbolly said:
This plan sounds great. I wish part of the plan was a re-do of the building on the east end that was designed to wall off 93. I imagine we're stuck with that unfortunate tower between the greenway and the South Hall, but I'd support knocking down the crescent shaped portion and replacing it with a building similar in shape and alignment to Fanueil Hall, just at the other end of Quincy Market. I think it'd fit. Would be an epic spot for a boutique hotel.
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The building on the east end, Marketplace Center, is under separate ownership. The Greenway District Planning Study recommends increasing the height allowance on that portion of the site to encourage its redevelopment. The BRA is working on new zoning for the District based on the Planning Study.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

I think there's an implicit goal here of making the area more accessible to both locals and tourists
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It already is. The tourists have their knick knack shops, and the locals (aka the people who like in the immediately surrounding neighborhoods) have their staple amenities like the Gap and Banana Republic. Again, face lift needed. Blank wall activation needed. Moving out some of the dead wood retailers probably not a bad idea. But massive reworking? No way.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

statler said:
Also, does anyone know if Durgin-Park is still in it's original location or was it moved when they redid the area back in the 70's?
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Yes, Durgin-Park is still there. And when I went there a few years ago, it was awful. I appreciate the old-timey charm but they are skating by on their history rather than having good food, service, or environment.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

dirtywater said:
The building on the east end, Marketplace Center, is under separate ownership. The Greenway District Planning Study recommends increasing the height allowance on that portion of the site to encourage its redevelopment. The BRA is working on new zoning for the District based on the Planning Study.
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Good to know. Fixing this building would do the most to improve Quincy Market for me. Walking on the Greenway, you almost can't tell that Quincy Market is there. I would love it if Quincy Market and the Armenian Heritage Park/Harbor Islands Greenway parcels were better connected and integrated.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

I really miss the little locally-owned shops that used to be on the second floor of the market buildings. They were all replaced in the '90s by chain stores like Disney, Crate & Barrel, Urban Outfitters, etc. But I also pine for the old Coffee Connection shops...

Anyway, I do hope they revamp some of the pavement to make it more accessible. The cobbles are lovely to look at but awful to walk on. (Some of that may be Faneuil Hall proper rather than Faneuil Hall Marketplace -- the boundaries between the two properties have never been clear to me.)

I also hope we don't lose the upper level of the Quincy Market Rotunda as a public space. The furniture and historical displays there are dated, but the space is really a treasure, especially in the morning before the crowds arrive.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

abdinoor said:
Yes, Durgin-Park is still there. And when I went there a few years ago, it was awful. I appreciate the old-timey charm but they are skating by on their history rather than having good food, service, or environment.
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Sorry, I worded that poorly. I know it is still there. I was wondering if it's current location is it's original location or if it was moved at some point.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

statler said:
Sorry, I worded that poorly. I know it is still there. I was wondering if it's current location is it's original location or if it was moved at some point.
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My understanding is that it is in its original location. That section of the North Market was never renovated during the conversion to a festival marketplace.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

Lisbon said:
Good to know. Fixing this building would do the most to improve Quincy Market for me. Walking on the Greenway, you almost can't tell that Quincy Market is there. I would love it if Quincy Market and the Armenian Heritage Park/Harbor Islands Greenway parcels were better connected and integrated.
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Ideally, the complex would be replaced by 2 independent 3 story mostly glass buildings angled to funnel visitors onto the Greenway through some sort of Triumphal Arch

The intersection of the axis of the Main Quincy Market Building [aka alternative to Blue stripe of the Walk to the Sea] and the Greenway is one of the most important venues in that part of the city and should be celebrated
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

abdinoor said:
Yes, Durgin-Park is still there. And when I went there a few years ago, it was awful. I appreciate the old-timey charm but they are skating by on their history rather than having good food, service, or environment.
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I have to say the same thing about the Union... though I love both and still go back.
 
Re: Update Planned for Faneuil Hall

I would love to see Saus move into a bigger space in Quincy Market.
 
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