Random Boston Architectural Finds

Well, no doubt they make a fortune as a venue spot! View attachment 19179
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I'm with you re: the confusion/frustration, but I guess I just assume that the powers that be over there know what they're doing and, somehow, it makes more fiscal sense to operate the space as a private function hall -- bummer though that may be for most of us.
 
squidman1 said:
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That takes me back. My first job out of college was at Bank of New England doing COBOL programming for their trust accounting system. I was on a pretty high floor with a killer view of the North End and the harbor out of my office window.

Fun times. Back then our bosses would take us to lunch or a harbor cruise whenever we completed a big project, free alcoholic drinks included. Ditto at the Christmas party and celebrations for other notable events, usually held at some nearby swanky hotel.

All very different these days. At my last job before I retired we had to pay $12 to attend the something-or-other (I forget what exactly, but definitely not Christmas) lunch held in some big generic conference room without windows in a bland generic building in a bland generic office park, and to add insult to injury we were asked to contribute dessert. Needless to say, no alcohol was served. And unlike provincial Bank of New England, this is a global financial behemoth I'm talking about.

Society sure has come a long way since the unenlightened times of my college days, baby.
 
In regard to the fancy rooftop restaurants:
Worth considering dining habits changed considerably between 1970 and 2000. There was a long increasingly steep decline in interest in these formal places where suit and tie would be the norm in the 70s through 90s and fancy sitdown lunches with clients or big formal dinners with friends were a thing people did regularly because it was one of the primary means for white-collar adults to socialize.

While high-end dining is still a thing, its definitely declined in interest and seems to really be reserved for steak houses and upscale seafood places now. Then there is the tier down of bistros and artisanal cookeries which try to pair high quality food with a generally informal atmosphere.

Also we are not NYC where the density and scale of people in the city can support these very high-end places and there is just a flood of cash roaming around at all times looking to make a splash.
 
kz1000ps said:
Blurb on 60 State from the December 1975 issue of US Modernist

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The siting alone would make a case-study statement. For its size it did a lot right.
  • Angled base to open the square and show deference to it's neighbors (Boston Massacre site, Old State House)
  • Placed at the top of the rise from Congress Street to State
  • Pushed the downtown 'wall' out 300 feet more
  • Terraced down to the FH area
  • Connected externally to State Street on both sides
  • Loading dock aligned with Chatham and grid
Also, for the time it was really functional and not incredibly showy, using earthy camouflage tones instead of pushing a wall of flat glass. And the room at the top does rock a kickin' view.
 
atlantaden said:
Well, no doubt they make a fortune as a venue spot! View attachment 19179View attachment 19178View attachment 19175
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We looked at this location as a reception for our wedding back in 2005! I'm glad we went with the Four Seasons at the Common. If I remember correctly, the Sate Room venue was under construction during that time and they were offering a really good deal. Not everyone was so gay-friendly back then as well, so we had limited options.
 
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Fun fact: you could apparently enter the Star Market from behind the Boylston escalators
 
squidman1 said:
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Fun fact: you could apparently enter the Star Market from behind the Boylston escalators
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True! It was a disgusting narrow but long store, huge rodent issues, and no windows since it was all under the Boylston arcade. Others who lived nearby back then (kz?) might remember it. The new Shaw’s (now downgraded to Star) was a wonder when it first opened.
 
Legal Seafoods, CPK, and Dicks Last Resort were all the "anchor" restaurants of the Pru when the upgraded retail element opened.

Also, this old permit archive (source of two plans above) from the City of Boston has proved itself to be a decently in-depth source for information about the complex, as well as a repository for an interesting amount of retail blueprints (B&N, Cheesecake Factory, and some other stores scattered around the mall). I can't help but feel like I'm being watched when I open up many documents at the same time, though
 
squidman1 said:
Legal Seafoods, CPK, and Dicks Last Resort were all the "anchor" restaurants of the Pru when the upgraded retail element opened.

Also, this old permit archive (source of two plans above) from the City of Boston has proved itself to be a decently in-depth source for information about the complex, as well as a repository for an interesting amount of retail blueprints (B&N, Cheesecake Factory, and some other stores scattered around the mall). I can't help but feel like I'm being watched when I open up many documents at the same time, though
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Where is that archive? I'd like to dig around it myself.
 
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