The Alcott (née Garden Garage Towers) | 35 Lomasney Way | West End

9/23/20 - From Staniford at night and a blurry cell phone pic from the NRB in Longwood Area to provide some skyline context.

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There is soooo much space behind the Garden to expand and build on. I Didn't even know when I walked past it, that there was a ton of space even there. Theres lot after lot.
 
kmp1284 said:
Such glowing mediocrity! Seriously though, with a few exceptions Boston has become such an ugly city over the last ten years.
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I, too, remember how gorgeous the West End used to be before the new construction. :cry:

Back when the Tip O’Neil Building could shine brightly as a true work of art, before it became surrounded by this modern garbage with its “food halls” and its “housing”.

Remember the parking lot in front of the Garden? Remember how practical it was? 😭
 
kmp1284 said:
Such glowing mediocrity! Seriously though, with a few exceptions Boston has become such an ugly city over the last ten years.
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What London has done is like Boston x10. London might be the world's ugliest city at this point. Boston will never resemble such a sloppy mess as London is today.

Really the only things making Boston uglier in the last 10 years are the losses of the Dainty Dot, Times Building, and that corner building in Kenmore. Otherwise.... the whole North Station area now overshadows the absolute ugliest part of Boston (Charles River Park/new West End neighborhood), Seaport is replacing a sea of parking lots and the architecture is surprisingly varied and improving, Fenway is replacing a dead zone of parking lots and gas stations, Assembly is built from scratch, North Point (admittedly blech) was abandoned trainyards, Kendall is a lateral move for architectural appeal except bigger... Then Millennium Tower and 1 Dalton both look bleeping great, and are the 2 single biggest visual changes to the city! Add in the upcoming Congress Street Garage and the Harbor Garage Tower, and we are doing A-OK.
 
Blackbird said:
I, too, remember how gorgeous the West End used to be before the new construction. :cry:

Back when the Tip O’Neil Building could shine brightly as a true work of art, before it became surrounded by this modern garbage with its “food halls” and its “housing”.

Remember the parking lot in front of the Garden? Remember how practical it was? 😭
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+1. I have no idea what the heck KMP is talking about. Boston is more beautiful, cleaner and world-class than it ever has been (at least since the 1890's). Really, folks, the song WAS tongue in cheek - - NOBODY loved the Dirty Water. And Boston was a sewer hole in the 1960's. I love to read dirtyoldboston.com as much as the next person for nostalgia - - but do I want a return to that city as a whole? No thanks.

Also, to echo DZ above, one can also add the spectacular pedestrian/bike infrastructure in Somerville/Medford/Cambridge, the Seaport, Fenway, etc. And don't forget the spectacular boardwalk at Lovejoy Wharf and others.

Hell, pretty soon, I predict the Harborwalk will eclipse the Freedom Trail as a tourist activity.
 
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shmessy said:
Boston is more beautiful, cleaner and world-class than it ever has been (at least since the 1890's). Really, folks, the song WAS tongue in cheek - - NOBODY loved the Dirty Water. And Boston was a sewer hole in the 1960's. I love to read dirtyoldboston.com as much as the next person for nostalgia - - but do I want a return to that city as a whole? No thanks.
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Comparing Boston of the 1960's to today is pointless, because the culture, the economy, and just about everything else has changed so completely; it's comparing apples and oranges. There were a lot of things about 1960's Boston that were better IMO: the vibrant downtown shopping district, lack of homeless people, the MTA/MBTA in better condition overall, more civility in people generally, the communities were safer, housing affordable, family wage jobs very much available, etc. Today things are cleaner and shinier, and there are a lot more pedestrian and biking facilities than back then. So, to me it's a mix. Me, I liked it better back in the 60's, but obviously a lot of nostalgia in the mix on that one.
 
What I do think is a huge negative is the over-reliance on glass cladding. It anonymizes.
 
awood91 said:
LOL except not even because there was no public access
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*wink*

Charlie_mta said:
Comparing Boston of the 1960's to today is pointless, because the culture, the economy, and just about everything else has changed so completely; it's comparing apples and oranges. There were a lot of things about 1960's Boston that were better IMO: the vibrant downtown shopping district, lack of homeless people, the MTA/MBTA in better condition overall, more civility in people generally, the communities were safer, housing affordable, family wage jobs very much available, etc. Today things are cleaner and shinier, and there are a lot more pedestrian and biking facilities than back then. So, to me it's a mix. Me, I liked it better back in the 60's, but obviously a lot of nostalgia in the mix on that one.
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Ah, yes. I'm sure the 5-10 years between the arrest of the Strangler and the rise of Bulger must've been really nice. Sarcasm aside, though, wasn't the Combat Zone in full swing by the 60s? I've never thought of it as a particularly safe or civil decade in the city.

shmessy said:
What I do think is a huge negative is the over-reliance on glass cladding. It anonymizes.
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This is why I don't like Millennium Tower all that much, but the new West End towers each do something to break up the glass.
 
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