Raffles Boston (40 Trinity Place) | 426 Stuart Street | Back Bay

nm88 said:
The programming sounds interesting. I wish they had put as much thought into the building's exterior. How the Saunders family, owner of a beloved Boston institution, and the Raffles Group, a singular brand themselves, history and good taste presumably important to both, could abide such a mundane and generic glass box is surprising. I have no doubt the opportunities for luxury and entertainment within will abound, but the artless exterior does not reflect well on either company and suggests little more than a profitable real estate deal.
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9+ years ago when this exterior was conceived it was not as generic (this proposal went through a fairly extensive community process to get the green light, which took some time).
Secondly, let's observe the quality/fit/finish of the exterior. If this is jewel-like, as I suspect it might be, then this will not be as mundane as you fear.
 
More press on Raffles. Includes new renderings of the building entrance, the Secret Garden, and one of the penthouse units.

www.boston.com

Take a look inside Raffles Boston Back Bay Hotel & Residences, opening in 2022

An iconic luxury hotel will open in the Back Bay next year inside a 35-story glass building designed with the city’s Emerald Necklace in mind. The $400 million-plus Raffles Boston […]
www.boston.com
 
Raffles Entrance.jpg
Raffles Secret Garden.jpg
Raffles Penthouse.jpg
 
nm88 said:
The programming sounds interesting. I wish they had put as much thought into the building's exterior. How the Saunders family, owner of a beloved Boston institution, and the Raffles Group, a singular brand themselves, history and good taste presumably important to both, could abide such a mundane and generic glass box is surprising. I have no doubt the opportunities for luxury and entertainment within will abound, but the artless exterior does not reflect well on either company and suggests little more than a profitable real estate deal.
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Not only that,but it’s a blue glass box right next to the Hancock building! Did anyone consider context at all???? Regrettable fumble.
 
bigpicture7 said:
9+ years ago when this exterior was conceived it was not as generic (this proposal went through a fairly extensive community process to get the green light, which took some time).
Secondly, let's observe the quality/fit/finish of the exterior. If this is jewel-like, as I suspect it might be, then this will not be as mundane as you fear.
Click to expand...

Maybe there should be a virtual steering wheel to enable a swerve over a nine year period.......

In my line of work, no one is advising investing in Sears stock.

That being said, the blue glass Hancock building was right there in existence 9 years ago. The Raffles building will inevitably be known as “Mini Me”. Great interior, great hotel, horrible decision on exterior.
 
Here I am imagining if the developers bought their way out of inclusive zoning requirements with in-lieu payments. Could you imagine this development being partially affordable?
 
This building has always screamed “new South” to me — a design that would easily fit into cities like Charlotte or Atlanta.

I don’t think it’ll have a major impact against the imposing facade of the Hancock and, the style which many have already mentioned, seems dated.
 
Vivanna said:
I mistakenly assumed this would be a concrete structure since it is an ultra luxury condo building like One Dalton, this one will rise fast!
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I spoke with one of the construction managers last week. Once they reach the 7th floor, it will rise with concrete core/superstructure. The steel below will bear the load of the concrete superstructure above the 6th floor.
 
www.bostonglobe.com

You may not know the name of this hotel yet, but soon it will be a standout in the Boston skyline - The Boston Globe

Singapore-based Raffles chose Boston to open its first North American hotel, and after years of planning, the 35-story building will loom large in the Back Bay.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

What a BS headline. This will "loom" over nothing. It's across the street from the Hancock and will be next door to the BXP Back Bay buildings.

Also, the level of corporate brown-nosing in this piece would make Shirley Leung blush.

7JH4NMFDIRACPNSMHGQQPNA53U.jpg


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Equilibria said:
www.bostonglobe.com

You may not know the name of this hotel yet, but soon it will be a standout in the Boston skyline - The Boston Globe

Singapore-based Raffles chose Boston to open its first North American hotel, and after years of planning, the 35-story building will loom large in the Back Bay.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

What a BS headline. This will "loom" over nothing. It's across the street from the Hancock and will be next door to the BXP Back Bay buildings.

Also, the level of corporate brown-nosing in this piece would make Shirley Leung blush.
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They've already toned back the headlines a bit, which originally said it will "dominate the Boston skyline" and "tower over the Back Bay." "Standout" and "loom" are still overstated, but not quite as bad.
 
JumboBuc said:
They've already toned back the headlines a bit, which originally said it will "dominate the Boston skyline" and "tower over the Back Bay." "Standout" and "loom" are still overstated, but not quite as bad.
Click to expand...

I noticed that while I was adding the pictures and questioned my sanity :).
 
I, like many, see this every day. If we can call North Station done now, South Station done in 5-10 years, then I have high hopes for Back Bay in 10-15. This is just the first project. The station itself next and then the tower at the mall will absolutely transform the area.

In regards to the buildings design, I think the color will be closer to 1 Dalton. Which is not a bad example for what this is all about. The views and the interior finishes and the money. This building looks fairly inviting from street level to me, which is absolutely NOT the case for 1 Dalton. All in all I think this building will certainly not hurt anyone, and is a good start for an area that will soon enough not look like 1987.
 
And now the headline is: "You may not know the name of this hotel yet, but soon it will be a standout in the Boston skyline".

From NIMBY to YIMBY all in the course of one morning. Maybe the editor lurks archBoston.

As an aside, there was a really good in-depth blog post last month that detailed how the NYT aggressively A/B tests their headlines to drive engagement. Such is the nature of news today.
 
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