Radian (Dainty Dot) | 120 Kingston Street | Chinatown

Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Looks like ARCH STREET. Another POS.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

By Arch St, do you mean 101 Arch? If so, I would consider that a highly succesful property and one of the best facadectomies in the city. The tower itself is par for the 80's course, but looks better than its fraternal twins on Summer and State.

Maybe you meant 33 Arch (I first thought you meant 101 because I thought the facade of the Dainty Dot was still includes). 33 is a filler building, but not particularly offensive, except at the street level along Arch.

If the current proposal of 120 Kingston was the first iteration, I don't think it would receive the same criticism. It would be unoffensive, unimaginative, and completely Boston financial distrectesque. It's only that we know how far its been dumbed down that is causing the "outrage".
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

It's a crime that the Globe and Herald haven't jumped on this. Development in Boston has fallen to the level of "You see that bit of grass and shrubs? Make your building less interesting than that, or it doesn't get built."

That's an embarrassment of the highest order.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

The rendering looks like a total cheap-o job...

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/11/03/construction_to_begin_on_chinatown_tower/

Chinatown tower plan moves ahead
Dainty Dot building to make way for housing, restaurant, parking

After years of delay, the developer of a 26-story tower at the edge of Chinatown said he will begin construction next year, replacing the vacant Dainty Dot building between Chinatown and the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

Developer Ori Ron said the new complex will transform the gateway to Chinatown and enliven a corner of the neighborhood that is largely devoid of activity after 5 p.m. His glass and stone tower will have 100 rental apartments and 100 condominiums, as well as four levels of parking and a restaurant on the ground floor.

?We want to bring people to this area and remove a building that?s been a blight on the neighborhood for 55 years,?? said Ron, principal of Hudson Group North America, a Swampscott development firm. ?This is another piece of the economic engine that serves Chinatown.??

The $105 million project, at Kingston and Essex streets, was initially approved in the spring of 2008, but had been on hold because of funding difficulties and concerns about its design. Some neighbors also fought for preservation of the 121-year-old textile building that stands on the site.

The ornate structure, occupied in recent decades by the Dainty Dot Hosiery Co., was built in 1889 after the Boston fire of 1872 destroyed residences and many businesses. The nonprofit group Preservation Massachusetts has put the building on its most endangered list because of its location in a once-significant textile district.

However, it was denied landmark status in 2007 by the Boston Landmarks Commission, which noted its historic value was diminished when a portion of the building was lopped off in the 1950s to make way for the old elevated Central Artery.

During a meeting last month, the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved an array of changes to Ron?s proposal for the site, including the addition of 50 rental units, which will help make it more attractive to lenders. The project will also result in the development of 38 units of affordable housing elsewhere in Chinatown.

?The new housing in this project will serve as a fulcrum we can use to bring more development to this neighborhood,?? said John Palmieri, BRA director. ?It?s a very important location in the city, and this will help improve its appearance and vitality.??

City officials have encouraged dense development in the area to turn it into a livelier, 24-hour neighborhood that will attract new residents and businesses. The project was hotly debated during community meetings, with some neighbors arguing the tower would be too tall for the neighborhood. Ron, who purchased the building for $9 million in 2006, initially proposed a 300-foot tower but agreed to reduce its height due to 270 feet.

Much of the debate focused on the project?s impact on the adjacent Greenway. But directors of the park system said it will add a 2,000-square-foot section to the park, and will also offer outdoor seating for restaurant patrons and park visitors. Ron will devote space for a Greenway maintenance room on the site and install laser-etched glass fins that will be accented with LED strips.

Ron said he intends to begin construction in the spring or summer of next year. The residences will range from studios to three-bedroom units, but he has not decided on rents or prices for the condominiums in the complex.

Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
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Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

ARRRGH!
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Is the parking here going to be above or below grade?

Also: The design is obviously quite boring, but might the materials be nice? "Glass and stone" sounds at least a bit promising.

The ground floor restaurant facing the Greenway will be a nice addition, although it could end up being a Cheescake Factory of PF Changs.
 
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Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Ron and his architect also showed how they had basically made the building more boring to satisfy Boston Redevelopment Authority planners who did not want it becoming an "iconic" structure that would take attention away from the Greenway or other nearby buildings
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http://www.universalhub.com/node/27351

Ron will devote space for a Greenway maintenance room on the site and install laser-etched glass fins that will be accented with LED strips.
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http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/11/03/construction_to_begin_on_chinatown_tower/
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

lmao "take attention away from the greenway"

the BRA can't be that delusional...what were they thinking; that the developer was planning to build a Casa Batllo? there are plenty of sleek condo towers in the world...how many tourists or leisure strollers pay attention to them?
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Its not great but I'm glad something fairly substantial is getting built there to help nit up a rough edge of town.

Now, if only we can do something about the garage across the street...
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

^ The garage across the street is a classic. I certainly hope they don't touch it. I think it is a wonderful little building because it doesn't pretend to be anything but a garage. It has aesthetically pleasing lines and doesn't bother me a bit. I have always liked the way it looks and I certainly hope it stays intact.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Bubbybu said:
there are plenty of sleek condo towers in the world...how many tourists or leisure strollers pay attention to them?
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Oh but the LED strips... that will truly make it memorable!
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Adding that 2000 sq. feet to the Greenway sold me on it.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

SO, is this what Shen meant when he wanted a "Boston" looking building?
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

JSic said:
Its not great but I'm glad something fairly substantial is getting built there to help nit up a rough edge of town.
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But the Dainty Dot already is substantial, urban, and doesn't look like crap.

There are other gaping holes in Chinatown that need filling.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Arborway said:
Yes, it's a nicer way of saying "something that would have gone up in Atlanta in 2002".
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Actually it looks like the crap condos that have grown up in NYC over the last 10 years. This building is really the Manhattanization of Boston, not skyscrapers.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

blade_bltz said:
But the Dainty Dot already is substantial, urban, and doesn't look like crap.

There are other gaping holes in Chinatown that need filling.
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THIS!
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

vanshnookenraggen said:
Actually it looks like the crap condos that have grown up in NYC over the last 10 years. This building is really the Manhattanization of Boston, not skyscrapers.
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Van I think I'm rubbing off on you lately. We really don't need you of all people to lose it.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Disaster.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

^ The garage across the street is a classic. I certainly hope they don't touch it. I think it is a wonderful little building because it doesn't pretend to be anything but a garage. It has aesthetically pleasing lines and doesn't bother me a bit. I have always liked the way it looks and I certainly hope it stays intact.
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207_not_sure_if_serious.jpg


That garage literally looks like a pile of junk.

But the Dainty Dot already is substantial, urban, and doesn't look like crap.

There are other gaping holes in Chinatown that need filling.
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Well, yeah, if they're getting rid of the Dainty Dot completely, then its not such a good idea. But I was thinking more of that parking lot on the Greenway. These types of rough edges need to be taken care of.
 
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