Then do it better. unlike some of the other spots on Boylston (gas stations, tire shops, etc.), this one has decent urban bones and good tenants (Machine, Baseball Tavern).
The Bon | 1260 Boylston Street | Fenway
- Thread starter Equilibria
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Then do it better. unlike some of the other spots on Boylston (gas stations, tire shops, etc.), this one has decent urban bones and good tenants (Machine, Baseball Tavern).
Czervik.Construction
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Is it ok that I like the proposal? Feels like there is a lot of animosity here. Aside from losing Machine/Ramrod (which I assume is still popular and could probably relocate and its patrons wold follow), this is a dumpy block with a 2 story building on it.
Baseball tavern? This spot has changed hands many times and is interchangeable with the many other sports bars in the area. Pining over a mattress store? Sad for losing Domino's? C'mon lads. Although, I do wish I was that franchisee, probably buying a condo in 1 Dalton with all that pizza money.
Although the retail is a bit sterile, the area needs housing for students. I'm in.
Baseball tavern? This spot has changed hands many times and is interchangeable with the many other sports bars in the area. Pining over a mattress store? Sad for losing Domino's? C'mon lads. Although, I do wish I was that franchisee, probably buying a condo in 1 Dalton with all that pizza money.
Although the retail is a bit sterile, the area needs housing for students. I'm in.
Does anyone know someone at Machine and if they would even consider moving? This whole thing is gross (although I dont hate the exterior of the building. Theres no other 18+ queer nightlife space in the city.
"The Boylston Black Box will be comprised of approx. 6,000 square feet of space. The bona fide arts and cultural performance venue will consist of a main entrance fronting on Boylston Street and a feature staircase leading to ‘double-height’ space. In addition to the 120-seat theater, the Boylston Black Box will also include ‘flex’ space which will be utilized for various purposes (i.e. suitable for small-group meetings, events and seminars, or alternatively, able to accommodate food & beverage catering to accompany performances)."
They describe all of the venues prior to this and they are all nightclubs, and say they want to embrace that LGBTQ identity, yet wtf is this??
"The Boylston Black Box will be comprised of approx. 6,000 square feet of space. The bona fide arts and cultural performance venue will consist of a main entrance fronting on Boylston Street and a feature staircase leading to ‘double-height’ space. In addition to the 120-seat theater, the Boylston Black Box will also include ‘flex’ space which will be utilized for various purposes (i.e. suitable for small-group meetings, events and seminars, or alternatively, able to accommodate food & beverage catering to accompany performances)."
They describe all of the venues prior to this and they are all nightclubs, and say they want to embrace that LGBTQ identity, yet wtf is this??
JumboBuc
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I wonder if we'll see any of the current retail tenants here move over to the Fenway Center project. That first phase has a ton of retail space in a somewhat awkward location; it could work well for the delivery-focused Domino's and mattress store, for example. Plus the timelines should line up.
Equilibria
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Not being queer myself, isn't the point of a nightclub like this that it's countercultural and somewhat off-the-beaten-path? I'm not sure that Fenway's that kind of neighborhood at this point...
Being queer doesn't have to be 'countercultural', and that is not the goal of every queer bar. And if you've been to Machine recently then thats definitely not the vibe theyre going for... Maybe some of the fetish parties at Jacques or other bars are what you're thinking of. This is more a bar for young queer people, QPOC, trans kids, drag shows etc. Its a safe neighborhood, with a massive LGBT health center as its neighbor so this seems like a great spot for big gay lol, not counterculture.
stick n move
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I like it too and agree with your points for the most part. The reality of life is that things change and people adapt. Thats why for the most part I dont think gentrification is evil as the neighborhoods were nice at one point, then people moved out and some became neglected, and now some are being brought back. Neighborhoods change a lot over time, its crazy to want to keep them the same forever. When people move out of places, other move in. Neighborhoods adapt to the times. The businesses that are in this current building were not always there and they can find a new spot if they dont move into the new building. Thats just how it works. If they want to stay in the same place then they can. This is going to be much better than the current building imo. One thing thats definitely true is we need much more places for the middle class business owners and renters. There are lots of proposals, but people keep messing it up even though its to their own benefit. Things have a way of working out over time though.
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Very true. We are seeing local businesses get gobbled up at an unprecedented pace. We are seeing local businesses get gobbled up at an unprecedented pace. I know it may be unrealistic to create new dive bars and bodegas, but the loss of small businesses that appeal to average people (not just a young twentysomethings with money to burn) is a serious problem in the city.
i suppose it's not worth the expense and hassle to preserve the current facade, but i actually really like what's there. without getting into the whole facedectomy debate again, i do wish they could keep the ground floor/retail -- at least in appearance -- the way it is now, build whatever they like on top of it.
stick n move
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Yea I agree that would be nice. Or if its too expensive or too much of a hassle even just do a hub on causeway type of deal. That but instead of the “inspired by” type of design they have over there, do a “replica” ground floor where they recreate the ground floor of the old building, but included as the ground floor of the new building. That could turn out pretty good and keep the old vibe of this part of the street, but updated to fall in line with 21st century goals of the neighborhood.
Neither in the "we must save it!" category, but I actually like both buildings and I'd prefer either facade to a lot of what's being built nowadays. I'd certainly prefer anything new here incorporating the facade. I agree that the dorm here wouldn't be the end of the world, but you're losing character on two fronts (the architecture and two of the tenants). It's understandable why people aren't thrilled.
HenryAlan
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Probably worth a whole thread just for this topic, but essentially new developments include a revenue model that means rents too high for creative, eclectic store front businesses. I share your despair -- every time I walk through Kenmore I am really disappointed by what it has become.
JumboBuc
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Yet the newest thing in Kenmore is the Hotel Commonwealth.
HenryAlan
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Yep, and that completely wiped out an entire block of interesting independent mom and pop businesses. The same thing is about to happen to the other side of the square, too. As others have noted, much of Boylston St. was pretty lifeless 15-20 years ago, so its transformation has generally been a very positive thing. I don't think you can make the same argument about Kenmore Square, just because the major change to the built environment happened earlier.
I spent many an evening up there as a somewhat socially awkward spaceshot of a twenty something with my motley little gang of skater punks, backbench club kids, and at least one drag queen. We must've ruined several thousand dollars of MTV's film whenever the Real World would film its gang of poseurs there by making odd faces and strange gestures whenever we were in view of the cameras, usually rendering the shot useless. We did everything passively we could to make production of their stupid little show difficult. I don't know (or really care) if it made a real difference, but we felt we had to protect our turf from such nonsense (as in the city itself, not the club). It felt good.
guitarguynboston
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I feel Boston being a city big on it's history should do sidewalk plaques like LA with it's stars but at properties telling or at least acknowledging what was once before there. Something simple to show our city's history. With all this new construction I hate to lose where we came from
stick n move
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Cool idea.
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Uh yeah
London does blue plaques everywhere, on the walls of buildings
And sometimes other plaques too
Doesn’t need to be some oversized lectern.. problem is the private property rights preclude said plaques in the good old us of a ... but we should do them
London does blue plaques everywhere, on the walls of buildings
And sometimes other plaques too
Doesn’t need to be some oversized lectern.. problem is the private property rights preclude said plaques in the good old us of a ... but we should do them
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This is a good post, but you actually left out the most important part about gay clubs. It's not just about the neighborhood being safe. The club itself is a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people to be or discover who they are.
If anyone is interested about what gay clubs mean to us members of the community, read the quotes from the patrons of Pulse that fateful night.
Machine closing down is a big deal. Boston is a highly liberal, allegedly accepting city, yet gay life in Boston is practically nonexistent. There is no gay village. There are hardly any gay clubs (and now one fewer). There are hardly any gay bars. Boston has never been able to shake its puritanical roots. My friends from Toronto, Chicago, NYC, Montreal are all shocked how pathetic Boston's gay scene is, despite our billing as all accepting and "progressive."