Radian (Dainty Dot) | 120 Kingston Street | Chinatown

Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Boston02124 said:
stop now and save the rest!
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I think they are saving that part of the building. The BRA renderings are confusing but it looks like that section will be under glass or something. Looks horrible in the renderings.

Of course this is a double loss compared to the original proposal - bad preservation and a generic new building.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

BostonObserver said:
I think they are saving that part of the building. The BRA renderings are confusing but it looks like that section will be under glass or something. Looks horrible in the renderings.

Of course this is a double loss compared to the original proposal - bad preservation and a generic new building.
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Nein... I think they are sloppily reflecting the building across the street in the glass. http://goo.gl/maps/jTtu

8AANx.jpg
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

The base looks like there may interior parking garage at ground floor and and possibly a few floors above grade.

Is this the case?
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

This building does wonders in activating the street level on the Greenway side.

#EpicMassiveFail #ShenStrikesAgain
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

I understand the complaints, but let's at least acknowledge that the Chinatown park is the real inpedement to activating the greenway side.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Sicilian said:
The base looks like there may interior parking garage at ground floor and and possibly a few floors above grade.

Is this the case?
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I believe it is.

I'm not sure why someone would go to the expense of a curved, mirrored glass facade at the corner, if behind said facade is a parking garage. So I tend to think some of the old facade will be preserved, and serve as the wall of the garage, for both safety and screening.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

stellarfun said:
I believe it is.

I'm not sure why someone would go to the expense of a curved, mirrored glass facade at the corner, if behind said facade is a parking garage. So I tend to think some of the old facade will be preserved, and serve as the wall of the garage, for both safety and screening.
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Not sure I'd be optimistic about this, Stellar.

I've seen quite a few examples in recent years of renderings showing illuminated glass that looks like potential retail (or clerestories on upper floors), where behind the glass is actually a solid wall or parking garage.

If I remember correctly, one notable example includes the ICA upper floors, where the original design was largely glass. When sunlight was recognized as a problem, the panes of the original design remained intact but were mounted in front of an opaque facade. Renderings showed these panes illuminated as if they were windows.

More recently renderings of 319 A Street Rear were illuminated, appearing to be active spaces at the lower floors. But these panes were are actually on four floors of parking garage. Behind the glass, some opaque material (or structure) will prevent headlights from being directed outward.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Sicilian said:
Not sure I'd be optimistic about this, Stellar.

I've seen quite a few examples in recent years of renderings showing illuminated glass that looks like potential retail (or clerestories on upper floors), where behind the glass is actually a solid wall or parking garage.

If I remember correctly, one notable example includes the ICA upper floors, where the original design was largely glass. When sunlight was recognized as a problem, the panes of the original design remained intact but were mounted in front of an opaque facade. Renderings showed these panes illuminated as if they were windows.

More recently renderings of 319 A Street Rear were illuminated, appearing to be active spaces at the lower floors. But these panes were are actually on four floors of parking garage. Behind the glass, some opaque material (or structure) will prevent headlights from being directed outward.
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All will be revealed with time!

Even if remnants are saved, the existing facade loses two stories, as it would be no higher than the four levels of above ground parking. Looking at the Kingston St elevation drawing of the original design, and judging from the shadow line, the facade looked to be about three feet deep. And maybe a bit deeper on Essex St.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Demo.

photo.jpg



Video:

Sorry for the shaky hand in the beginning.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

mcus29 said:
Demo.

photo.jpg



Video:

Sorry for the shaky hand in the beginning.
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Yep I was able to get some of the demo today.
They are moving pretty fast.

7693378702_618064c909_c.jpg
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Dainty Dot tower ready to rise
Boston Business Journal by Thomas Grillo, Real Estate Editor
Date: Thursday, August 2, 2012, 10:03am EDT

Demolition of the Dainty Dot building is underway in Chinatown and construction of a $105 million apartment tower is set for this fall.

“We are very excited about being in this wave of development throughout the city,” said Noam Ron, project manager at Hudson Group North America, co-developer of the project with Forest City Enterprises (NYSE: FCE-A). “We should be wrapping up demolition in the next few weeks and rolling right into construction.”

Last year, the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved plans for a 26-story tower at 120 Kingston St. that will include 240 apartments with 4,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. The project was previously approved in 2008, but since then the development team changed the design which allowed for an increase in the number of units. The project will also add a 2,000-square-foot outdoor space along the Chinatown section of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

The Hudson Group purchased the 113-year-old building in 2006 for $9 million. Neighbors fought to preserve the brick building and appealed to the Boston Landmarks Commission for historic status. But the appeal was denied because the commission noted that a portion of the building was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Central Artery.
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http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2012/08/dainty-dot-tower-ready-to-rise.html?s=print
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

the appeal was denied because the commission noted that a portion of the building was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the Central Artery.
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So the benchmark for whether something is historic is if demo happy people in the 50's thought it was historic?
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

gooseberry said:
So the benchmark for whether something is historic is if demo happy people in the 50's thought it was historic?
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That line concerned me too. Apparently because some of it was torn down to build the highway, it's okay to just demolish the rest of it regardless of how people appreciate it today. People need to be held accountable for this. This is complete backwards thinking and planning.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Doesn't the fact that it was a victim of expressway construction, but still survived, make it even more historical and worth protecting???
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

^ Indeed.
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Half of 120 Kingston was a marginal building when they were taking down buildings like India Wharf, Bulfinch designed.

42006.jpg


The National Register was too recent an institution to save and preserve it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Wharf
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

At least India Wharf got a truly worthy replacement that, unlike India Wharf, is unlikely to be demolished any time soon:

450px-2010_IndiaWharf_Boston3.jpg
 
Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown

Ugh, they tore down a Bulfinch for those? Monsters.
 
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