South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

Monorail, monorail, MONORAIL!

thesimpsonsmargevsthemonorail1157690485-48z1aksfn.jpg
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

Mono---Doh!
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

Cool illustration of the phases... interesting fact a friend told me - this building will be the only office tower in America with a direct exit off an Interstate highway without a traffic light - just drive off the highway, directly into the parking garage.

SouthStationPhases123.jpg
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

This is so cool. Check out http://www.cesar-pelli.com/flash.cfm and navigate to Projects -> Office Buildings -> Boston South Station Air Rights Development (8th box from left). They have a new panaromic view of the skyline with SST in there.

This is similar to what kz1000ps created for us last year. kz1000ps, you should take this new pic and add 115 WS to it.
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

Wow, what a coincidence. We both submitted entirely new posts to this thread at the same time AND this thread has been dormant for about 2 weeks. That is a really cool image, and a fun interesting fact. Thanks PelhamHall!
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

I'm just learning how to post pics... I have a lot more of some of these interesting projects...
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

^Looks like pulling into South Station will have all the charm of pulling into Penn Station...
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

If only they could do something about the ceiling of South Station itself. It should be ornate and grand for a station of that age, instead it feels like you're standing under a bridge. Is that the original ceiling?
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

...and it'll only get better when it's closed off to the sky completely!

What South Station could look like:

Eurostar%20St%20Pancras.jpg


800px-BlnHauptbahnhof34.jpg


800px-Berlin_Central_Station_Entrance_Area1.JPG
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

The South Station building itself used to extend along Summer St and Atlantic Ave much further, and accommodated many more tracks. It was the busiest station in the world during the 1940's. When the Station was renovated, the building was chopped off at both sides (Stone and Webster took over the land on the Summer St. side), and the interior was gutted and almost completely reworked. There used to be a much more ornate ceiling in the waiting area, though I do not believe there ever was a glass canopy over the train tracks.
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

The South Station building itself used to extend along Summer St and Atlantic Ave much further, and accommodated many more tracks. It was the busiest station in the world during the 1940's. When the Station was renovated, the building was chopped off at both sides (Stone and Webster took over the land on the Summer St. side), and the interior was gutted and almost completely reworked. There used to be a much more ornate ceiling in the waiting area, though I do not believe there ever was a glass canopy over the train tracks.

Padre, AMTRAK funded the most recent renovation as part of the NEC electrification project. I recall mention that they re-opened a quarry in CT so they could match the stone facing on the Atlantic Ave. side. Wiki has a brief history of the changes in ownership.

South Station waiting room, post-war
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Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

Over by the ticketing booths you can see a very ornately detailed ceiling - is it safe to assume that this is what used to be throughout the station?

I think South station (the building, not the platforms) is doing quite well considering the fact that train ridership is down some 80% since its peak. Hopefully the platforms will be overhauled with this new development.
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

For some history go to http://www.south-station.net/StationHistory.asp and follow the links there. The most recent renovation predates Amtrak's electrification by at least a decade.
Ron a fairly detailed history of South Station and who paid for what can be found in this project study. The Feds picked up most of the cost of the station and the new bus terminal. (There is even mention that there was once a Our Lady of the Railways chapel there.)

http://ocw.mit.edu/NR/rdonlyres/Civ...4107-9A27-E0C599F31D17/0/fowler_fre_paper.pdf
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

Someone here says that the Catholic chapel was converted from a former newsreel movie theatre. It's too bad that this part of the station no longer stands.
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

I remember watching the wings of the building being torn down, only to be partially rebuilt years later. Seemed like one of those comedy prison punishments: "move that rock pile over here...now move it back." I also seem to recall seeing pre WW1 photos of a glass canopy over the tracks ala European railway stations. Anyway, the current iteration is much better that of the late 60's or 70's. That ornate ceiling you see was the ceiling over the main waiting room, and at least in my lifetime, did not extend further. Those wooden benches you see in the 40's photo lasted until the early 80's. I spent a few nights sleeping on them over the years, courtesy of friendly railroad cops and missed connections.
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

I wanna see some damn progress for christ sake. Is that train station in Paris? VERY COOL
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!

The ones I posted on the last page were of St. Pancras Station, London (top) and Lehrter Hauptbahnhof, Berlin (bottom two).
 
Re: South Station Tower - Full Steam Ahead!


What seems odd here, is that the residential section is sandwiched between the main tower, the bus terminal mid-rise, as well as buildings along Summer Street and the Postal Annex. Dosn't seem like much of a view urban house hunters who would want water or skyline views from their home. If they switched those 2 components, the residentail area could have more light, better all around views, and better access to the possible ammenities of Gateway Center area, and re-developed Fort Point.

Will be interesting to see what the final buildout entails.
 

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