Seaport Neighborhood - Infill and Discussion

These are from yesterday Sept. 14th. If nothing else, this neighborhood photographs well
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That Hampton Inn is just scandalously bad. The original renders were a million times better and don't remotely resemble the finished product. There is something dysfunctional in the process in Boston when the architecture can change so drastically and so much for the worse. It's annoying to me you don't hear any pushback against this crap (except in this forum). It's also insulting to the folks who build decent buildings.
 
In Somerville, the developer sometimes comes back mid-construction to ask for approval of VE changes. The city usually doesn’t want to push back on those, because they don’t want the developer to walk away from a partially built project.
 
Smuttynose said:
That Hampton Inn is just scandalously bad. The original renders were a million times better and don't remotely resemble the finished product. There is something dysfunctional in the process in Boston when the architecture can change so drastically and so much for the worse. It's annoying to me you don't hear any pushback against this crap (except in this forum). It's also insulting to the folks who build decent buildings.
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I hate it too. But I mean, there were many renderings of this turd as is before it started construction. It went through a complete redesign, but there wasn't some bait-and switch that no one saw. At the time, this forum was surprisingly positive about it...

https://archboston.com/community/th...wood-suites-660-summer-st-seaport.5325/page-3
 
Back when I worked in the World Trade Center East building back in 2006 I think I walked maybe once or twice to South Station. Most days it in and out were all under ground on the Silver Line cause there really wasn't anything to walk through besides seas and seas of parking lots.

Knowing how packed the Silver Line was back then I can only image how bad it is these days with all this new construction. Besides dead cold Boston Winters, I wonder how packed the streets to South Station will be from that area once the construction gaps are filled in.
 
guitarguynboston said:
Back when I worked in the World Trade Center East building back in 2006 I think I walked maybe once or twice to South Station. Most days it in and out were all under ground on the Silver Line cause there really wasn't anything to walk through besides seas and seas of parking lots.

Knowing how packed the Silver Line was back then I can only image how bad it is these days with all this new construction. Besides dead cold Boston Winters, I wonder how packed the streets to South Station will be from that area once the construction gaps are filled in.
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In my anecdotal experience, Seaport Blvd from the channel to district hall is already one of the most consistently busy pedestrian stretches in the city.
 
Brad Plaid said:
Disappointing but not all that bad. Relatively discount appearance for a relatively discount hotel.
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Sure, if looked at as an isolated/down at the heels island.

But, here it truly IS all that bad - - - for what it does to a NON-DISCOUNT/World Class neighborhood and it's vista.

This VE'd building is a flaming bag of poop left on the doorstep of a well-designed home. Whenever I see it, I want to yell "Get your Baltimore out of my Boston!!!"

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The Courthouse is still the best looking thing down there, at least when you're viewing the Seaport from across the harbor.
 
shawn said:
The Courthouse is still the best looking thing down there, at least when you're viewing the Seaport from across the harbor.
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Yes, it has one decent side. And you did well to make particular that it's a winner at least from one side. But man, those other sides.......


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shmessy said:
Yes, it has one decent side. And you did well to make particular that it's a winner at least from one side. But man, those other sides.......


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Is this suppose to look bad? Love it.

Looks like an architect designed it instead of a developer's spreadsheet. I'd welcome a return to some monumental brick and bases that aren't just full glass and metal panel.
 
Bananarama said:
Is this suppose to look bad? Love it.

Looks like an architect designed it instead of a developer's spreadsheet. I'd welcome a return to some monumental brick and bases that aren't just full glass and metal panel.
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I'm with you about the materials.

But nice street level activity...........not. Consider: That is the first area human beings walk through upon entering the Seaport on busy Northern Avenue. And, at street level, it is a fortress. "Welcome to the Seaport - - now GO AWAY!". I understand, perhaps it's SUPPOSED to be a fortress and forboding to humans to feel comfortable around from the street (it is after all, one of the most worried about security targets in Boston). If that very valid reason is the case, then it is a shame it was built in the 1990's on such a prominent and iconic spot.

And there's an awful dearth of windows.

Once again, the bowed glass side is spectacular. And it worked out in the end that the other sides are now mostly hidden by neighboring developments. But that was a ghost town around that building before the others came in to hide it. Perhaps it was built with that in mind for the future.
 
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I agree it looks good from across the water and it is also real nice inside but from the street it is a blank brick wall and looks awful and the idea of a waterfront location for a courthouse wasn't very forward thinking. Just like the parcel used for the replacement for the Charles Street Jail, it should have been the site of an iconic development not what's there now which is disappointing.
 
I like the street facing sides of the court house, its interesting to look at and feels imposing. Theres tons of ground level retail right across the street, if thats what youre looking for. I like it more when theres variety of facades and interesting quirks that stand out due to something in its history. I wouldnt want a whole street of brick like the ground level of the court house, but one block isnt bad at all. The contrast is really cool too with the fortress on one side and the wonderful waterfront on the other.
 
The timelapse pictures from Google Street View between now and 2007 are quite interesting. I am too young to remember Boston in 2007 for the most part. Anyone have any interesting memories? Here's a couple pics I wanted to share:

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Where Whiskey Priest/ABG later opened, and it what is now a 10 story u/c St. Regis. Wow.

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Where the Cisco Brewer's Beer Garden is now, one of the last parcels in the Seaport Sq development left to be developed. What a difference.
 

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AndrewOnTheMBTA said:
The timelapse pictures from Google Street View between now and 2007 are quite interesting. I am too young to remember Boston in 2007 for the most part. Anyone have any interesting memories? Here's a couple pics I wanted to share:
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My family would go to Our Lady of Good Voyage on occasion, and it was this lone building the sea of parking lots. Most of my memories are related to the Masses there - record setting Lord's Prayers to get everyone out of the 7PM Mass before the 8PM Mass folks showed up.

The concert pavilion was down that end of the Seaport across the street back then (still called Harborlights). In the summer you could hear the concerts inside the chapel. Also there were a lot of tour buses staged there for some reason.
 
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