South Station Tower | South Station Air Rights | Downtown

[stick n move]

Looking very good!

 

[Vagabond]

Wait I'm behind... is that a fake arch filling in between real arches?

 

[Justbuildit]

The "real" arches are a mix of the poured arches and a massive vertical support beam offset towards Summer St. Both were then covered in steel skeleton giving the current shape and now this cladding goes on top, so I think we'll have two identical arched systems between Summer St and the platforms.

 

[SMCYB]

Aside from this, are there any renderings of the rest of the station?

 

[Justbuildit]

Not up close from what I recall. Good to see the cladding matches that render though, and the elliptical ceiling is the same shape as the current structure. Hoping it looks a lot like that image.

 

[Longfellow]

It's a great design and befitting of what we deserve out of a train station. My only complaint is that the rest of the station interior is gonna be left behind in terms of niceness!

 

[Boston02124]

Today

 

[SMCYB]

It's a great design and befitting of what we deserve out of a train station. My only complaint is that the rest of the station interior is gonna be left behind in terms of niceness!

Even down to the "jagged" edge where the vertical column meets the arch, as you can see in taketern's photo.

 

[Javier]

 

[as02143]

Even down to the "jagged" edge where the vertical column meets the arch, as you can see in taketern's photo.

This rendering makes me wonder if the triangular sides are just white reflectors for the lighting systems or if they're also coverings for panel type lighting. Either way - i hope the tower owners have cleaning procedures and equipment - the brake and diesel dust will be caked over those surfaces making it dull grey quickly.

 

[chrisbrat]

You expect maintenance and *cleaning* anywhere near a T (or, really, any U.S. public transport) station!?!?

 

[BeeLine]

A few from the seaport today.

 

[cburns]

We had a crane jump this weekend and with that now complete, screens head further skyward…

 

[HenryAlan]

This rendering makes me wonder if the triangular sides are just white reflectors for the lighting systems or if they're also coverings for panel type lighting. Either way - i hope the tower owners have cleaning procedures and equipment - the brake and diesel dust will be caked over those surfaces making it dull grey quickly.

I'm not so sure diesel dust would be an issue, given how far the engines would be from these ceilings. Brake dust might be an issue, although I'm not sure how much of that is actually issued by a train that is very slowly coming to a stop at the end of the platform. Certainly a space of this sort deserves whatever proactive maintenance procedures are warranted by conditions, but maybe it's not so exposed to train emitted particles.

 

[bdurden]

I’m pleasantly surprised by the impact it is having from many angles. I initially thought it would be a noticeable but “filler” building like so many skyscrapers in the CBD. It’s clearly a standout.

 

[bdurden]

It's a great design and befitting of what we deserve out of a train station. My only complaint is that the rest of the station interior is gonna be left behind in terms of niceness!

The biggest issue I see with the main terminal is that they crowd the center area with the concessions. It makes the whole thing cluttered and claustrophobic. Get rid of all that and make it an airy waiting area. There is plenty of underutilized spaces on the perimeter for a coffee shop and sandwiches.

 

[Longfellow]

The biggest issue I see with the main terminal is that they crowd the center area with the concessions. It makes the whole thing cluttered and claustrophobic. Get rid of all that and make it an airy waiting area. There is plenty of underutilized spaces on the perimeter for a coffee shop and sandwiches.

It just feels dark and dingy in there. This is going to be a bright and open space with light colored accents. Not sure what could be done to fix that.

 

[Gunner02]

It's a great design and befitting of what we deserve out of a train station. My only complaint is that the rest of the station interior is gonna be left behind in terms of niceness!

I just can't believe there would be no agreement or plan to upgrade the well DE-graded SS. $10 mil would transform the waiting area, food court, etc., enough to appropriately round out this project. The bus terminal will be far more appealing with considerably less traffic. It seems silly that it wouldn't be added to the project, or potential subsequent proxy project.

 

[Stlin]

I just can't believe there would be no agreement or plan to upgrade the well DE-graded SS. $10 mil would transform the waiting area, food court, etc., enough to appropriately round out this project. The bus terminal will be far more appealing with considerably less traffic. It seems silly that it wouldn't be added to the project, or potential subsequent proxy project.

*In theory* the retail bits of South Station should be the responsibility the leaseholder. In theory, they'd be incentivised to make it a nice space, to attract tenants and retail business. Unfortunately, the leaseholder is Ashkenazy, who historically ran Quincy Market, and later South Station, as a slumlord would, ultimately poorly enough that they were pushed out of Quincy Market earlier this year. They're also mired in financial issues, having just lost a Manhattan tower and a few other properties to foreclosure.

Frankly, the T should take a page from Amtrak's book here. Ashkenazy was also the leaseholder of the DC Union Station commercial space and lost that lease to foreclosure last year, but as part of that entire saga, Amtrak filed for eminent domain, citing maintenance issues and disagreement about space priorities. A court just ruled in Amtrak's favor, and the handover is scheduled for July. Granted, Amtrak is putting up BIL money to compensate for the taking, but the T really should do what it can to push Ashkenazy out of South Station.

 

[BeeLine]

Viewed from around the South End Sunday.