The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave @ Wentworth | 525 Huntington Ave | Fenway

datadyne007

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I'll be working on filling in all the background info about this project soon. This project is of course the site of the useless "Vancouver Park" (created as an interim solution to the issue of the building not getting built because of the Great Recession) in the Vancouver Triangle.

A Facebook page was created today and renderings from Beacon Architectural Team have been posted:

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Hubway docks in a rendering!!!

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Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Bland, but more infill here = good.

Amazed that any local NIMBYs would let parkland get built on without self-immolating, but it must be a testament to just how institutional this area is.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

The color scheme and "Wentworth" layout oddly remind me of the Old Garden.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

not terribly familiar with this stretch. massing looks fine, hubway station out front. BUT, why the hell no street level interaction?!? Near a college, a subway, and a bike station. Can't support some small retail!
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

<NIMBY>
But what about my OPEN SPACE?!? TEH SHADOWZ!!
</NIMBY>
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

If I had the ear of anyone with any pull over at Wentworth, I'd advise them that next time they want to land bank a parcel, don't make it a park. I'm shocked the NIMBYs aren't already screaming bloody murder.

I'm happy to see this lot get developed, but I wish it weren't so boring. You'd think Wentworth would up their game a bit more with NEU's West Campus and MassArt's new tower on their door step.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

You'd think Wentworth would up their game a bit more with NEU's West Campus and MassArt's new tower on their door step.

My thoughts exactly--more milquetoast architecture in one of the few spots of the city where non-boring stuff can pass muster.

What's that? I'm just another whiner among a long line of complainey-pants with nothing better to do than bitch on this forum? Well you apologists for these non-designs can come over here and suck it. I'm fed up with this spineless dreck.

(breath kz, breath!)
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

WIT has been rather unsuccessful with retail in its dorms in the past. 555 was supposed to have it and it was so poorly planned/marketed/etc that it eventually just became the WIT Center for Community Learning and Partnerships (CLP).
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

How many beds?
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

305 Beds, 72 Units - Mostly single bedrooms in the apartments, not double like 610 and 555. Based on surveys of students who lived off campus, WIT finally realized that it was the dorm style (WIT only has doubles in all the current apartments) that was turning a large group away from living on campus.

PNF - http://wit.edu/imp/docs/Final 7-12-12.pdf
DPIR - http://wit.edu/imp/docs/Wentworth-PIR-9-26-12.pdf
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Innocuous but needed infill. The green fritted glass panels look cheap; metal with a dimensional detail (i.e. not Alucobond) would be an improvement. I also would prefer a stronger cornice line.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Looks good to me. There isn't a need for a park there given the much bigger one just up the street. I was wondering what was going to happen here once they got rid of the gas station.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

I don't know if I'd call it innocuous. I think it looks a lot like a parking garage with glass windows. It's as if they told the architects that exterior details were strictly verboten.

I also wish they would try harder to make the street-level active. Even if they're so opposed to retail, why not a school bookstore or second entries into busy administration offices or something. A big impervious stretch of windows is bad for the street. This makes for a shitty building, IMO.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Agreed about retail options and street interactions. This area of Huntington could use more food and drink options for sure.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Ah I wish it was a little bit taller. That area has a nice cluster of high-rises.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

305 Beds, 72 Units - Mostly single bedrooms in the apartments, not double like 610 and 555. Based on surveys of students who lived off campus, WIT finally realized that it was the dorm style (WIT only has doubles in all the current apartments) that was turning a large group away from living on campus.

PNF - http://wit.edu/imp/docs/Final 7-12-12.pdf
DPIR - http://wit.edu/imp/docs/Wentworth-PIR-9-26-12.pdf

It's interesting that we have a crisis with the rising cost of education but students refuse to live in traditional shared dorm rooms off double-loaded corridors. They want private suites with full hotel/home style amenities.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Nothing brings out the cranky old man in me more than modern dorms.

I may have been too young to go through the Depression, fight in WWII or 'Nam but dammit our dormrooms were hell and we liked it!
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

Confirmed this morning:

Yes, that is a double Hubway station on Huntington Ave. We are also planning for bike storage and a maintenance center in the basement.
 
Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

If it makes you feel any better, I am working on a 10 storey freshman dorm down at UPitt. 500 beds in mainly doubles, triples, and I think they may have squeezed in a few quads when the top floor got lost to VE.
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Re: The Apartments at 525 Huntington Ave (Wentworth)

^ 5 floors got VE'd from 525. The original WIT IMP called for 12 stories.
 

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