Shreve, Crump & Low Redevelopment | 334-364 Boylston Street | Back Bay

From those pictures this building actually looks quite impressive and in good condition. I do not see the need to replace this building. It fits like puzzle on the street scape and with the surrounding buildings. The only thing that we can anticipate for its replacement is some insipid piece of modern garbage that could not live up to the present buildings presence.
Demolition of this building definitely needs to be rethought.
 
That's a beautiful building. It fits in well with its surrounding, and has high architectural detail. It has the sculptures or whatever you call them on top and looks better then all the other buildings on the block. However, I'd say demolish it because time must move forward, progress must happen. We must not get stuck in the past and block demolition of just one building. The new building's only going to be 90 feet and we should reserve judgment until the renderings come out. If it sucks, I'll favor keeping the building, but if it's good, it should get dozed. But they might demolish first and release renders second :(.
 
Important building? Maybe not. But handsome nonetheless and with lovely details. Details like this once lost are gone forever. Sad. Wish we could keep it.
 
of all the buildings they could demolish, its too bad they got this one because, in my opinion, this is one of the ones that would have been best to keep. for example, right next to this building is another that has a tweeter in it and its much less attractive then this one.
 
As one of the resident boosters of Modernism, I say the Shreve's building is a keeper. High-end eatery on the ground floor, boutique hotel above. If Gehry comes near it, kick him in the berries.

And on the former home of the WEIU, I'm with Lurker and Padre Mike -- the interior and the quality of light was very cool. Would make for a cool Jazz club.

If Drucker wants to rip something down and start from scratch, there's a row of dog-shit buildings on the North side of Boylston (the Copley block between Clarendon and Dartmouth). Fish out your checkbook, Ronald, and start here.
 
If a building of this caliber can be sacrificed than all the aspects that make Boston what it is are at risk. I realize this point has been made previously but I feel the need to reiterate. Boston is not just unique because of a few buildings of historical and architectural value but because when visiting the city there are so many other buildings that provide a great backdrop for the real attractions. All you have to do is compare the filler buildings of yesterday with those of today. There is absolutely no comparison.

Not to have a sense of European envy, but what makes the cities in Europe special is the old ornate architecture. You get an urban experience there that really isn't present many places in America. Boston is always said to have a very European feel to it. Some of this is due to the lack of a street grid and the years the city has had to mature compared to other American cities. But this is not the only reason. All you have to do is imagine all the building in Boston that are not necessarily of historical value but attractive nonetheless. Now imaging all of these "borderline" buildings replaced with some modern ones. What you have is a city that is very unremarkable and not worthy of being world class except for the occasional history buff.

Unless the current state of new construction changes, which it probably never will, than buildings like this must be saved especially since the general consensus is that work like this just can't be done anymore. If this is the path that this city is planning to take then given enough time Boston will become the same as any other place and become generic rather than original. We have to save what we have because there is little hope of improving on it.
 
^^Thank you hubcrawler; I could not have said it better. Ever been to Rome, where large areas and major streets have been built up with apartment buildings from the 60's and 70's? All that's left is boring flatness, stained concrete, and cheap streetscapes for kilometers. Save row upon row of large new construction for Boylston St, along the Fenway, where there's nothing worth keeping in the first place.
 
Take a page out of WWII devestation

Walk down the Długi Targ Long Market Street in Gdańsk -- it transports you back 400 years or so to the Hanseatic League days.

But -- while it is pleasant to the eye -- its all a modern reconstruction of what the street looked like in 1939. During the ensuing 6 years up-to 90% of the structures were either destroyed or very heavily damaged by bombs, shells and demolition.

With the exception of some small number of the most historic buildings whose interiors were restored meticulously -- the rest is just a restored facade with a standard modern concrete box behind it.

The Shreve's and continuing along Boylston facade can be saved and the remainder demolished for a modern structure.

As an aside, I saw an 8 story brick facade being supported by steel while a large building was built behind it near Kinds Cross Station in London last summer.


Westy
 
Explain

I mean no harm by asking this ...

Is it not ironic that when "others" say they are against a project, they are (quickly) accused of being "NIMBYs", yet when something is proposed to which you all object (tearing down a building), it is instead seen as being "right" and/or "for the good of Boston?
 
No, it isn't ironic, because there are two completely different situations. Those arguing against the demolition of SCL Building make the point that this building is necessary for the health and unique quality of Boston's streetscape. It's a part of the city's history....these are people who care for the city overall, not NIMBYs, especially since the majority live no where near that building.

Now take the case of Columbus Center. The NIMBYs there were concerned about traffic in THEIR neighborhood, pollution in THEIR neighborhood, tall buildings in THEIR neighborhood. They didn't give a shit that the development would benefit the city as a whole....that's the difference.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

No renderings in the on-line edition of the Globe.
Opulence is key to new office project
Premier address demands a singular design, architect says

By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff | November 7, 2007

As usual, Ronald Druker has an idea for something different in real estate.

The developer who brought opulent living to Boston with Heritage on the Garden is now planning to build ultra high-end office space at the corner of Boylston and Arlington streets, at the former location of Shreve Crump & Low.

"If there are luxury hotels and luxury residences, this will be a luxury office building," Druker said yesterday.

His proposal, to be filed with city regulators today, is for a 210,000-square-foot building made with expensive finishes, high ceilings, and other touches more commonly found on residential properties - such as terraces on top floors.

The property is being designed by a noted architect, Cesar Pelli.

With a premiere address diagonally across from the Public Garden, the location deserves a singular design, Pelli said.

"This is a special project," he said yesterday. "To be working in this very critical part of Boston, doing a small delicate building, it has to be just right."

Pelli, whose office is in New Haven, is known for buildings from the towering Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to the Museum of Modern Art residential tower in New York. He has also designed a 40-story glass tower that is expected to be built soon over South Station in Boston.

A watercolor of Pelli's and Druker's concept shows granite and wood on the first floor, with 7-foot-square windows on upper floors, framed in light gray limestone. The building would have prominent bays of floor-to-ceiling glass, with black metal panels separating the floors.

Pelli described the style as "modern contextual," but added, "I'm making it up on the spot. It will be a very Bostonian building." Pelli will also design a lobby on Boylston, which he said would be of "wood and marble and subdued colors."

The window bays, with specially designed curved-glass corners, would maximize the views. "We really concentrated on bringing the Public Garden into the building," Druker said.

The members of the team also knew they did not want another building made of brick.

"When we developed Heritage on the Garden, we had a spirit and fervor that we had to do something very well," Druker said. "This is probably the last site on the Public Garden, and we feel the same responsibility."

To make way, Druker intends to raze the Arlington Building, former home of Shreve's, and three lesser structures. Shreve's has moved up Boylston Street to the corner of Berkeley.

While the demolition may prove to be unpopular in the neighborhood, Druker chose to make the new building, at nine floors, smaller than what he is allowed to build under current zoning.

The building will boast 150 parking spaces underground, and a fitness club and fine restaurant on the ground floor, along with retail space to complement the upscale shops across Arlington at Heritage on the Garden.

He expects to market the office space to international bankers, hedge-fund managers, venture capitalists, family foundations, and perhaps law firms that want a pricey home on the Public Garden. How pricey? "We will certainly be at the top of the market," he said.

Druker, who built and quickly sold out the swank Atelier|505 luxury condominiums in the South End, as well as apartment residences next to his Colonnade Hotel in the Back Bay, said he believes Boston's vastly improved office market will still be in good shape in early 2011, when he expects to complete the latest project.

The third generation in the family business, Druker had not previously met Pelli. But he wrote to the Argentine-born architect and the pair later toured the Back Bay, Public Garden, and roofs of the buildings in the area.

"We talked about doing a gray-flannel suit," Druker said, "like Cary Grant, in terms of what is elegance and style, and what also is Boston."

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2007/11/07/opulence_is_key_to_new_office_project/
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

So far I'm liking what I hear. It would take an excellent design to warrant the demolition of what is already there. I'm glad that they are approaching this project in this manner - realizing that a quality building is essential for this location.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

The image in the globe is not terribly exciting. Druker is arguably the most design conscious developer in the city, but this doesn't appear to meet his previous achievements.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Untitled-1-1.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Untitled-1-1.jpg


VS

DSCF0701.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Yeah... that's kinda weak. What's with the setback? There are times and places for it and this isn't one of 'em.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

By 'setback' you mean the upper stories? I sort of like it, prevents the building from being just a box.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Where are all the panhandlers in that rendering?
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Is there any precedent for the facade of a building being preserved for use in another building? I'm talking about removing pieces of a facade to be added to a new or existing building in a seperate location.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

The 'Field House' at Powderhouse (Nathan Tufts) Park in Somerville was built out of stones from dismantling a railroad station about a half mile away.
 

Back
Top