The Hub on Causeway (née TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

stick n move said:
Im not in the said it was crap camp, but I did say they definitely could have designed this better......

As far as the res it was either redesigned slightly or more likely the renders are just much lighter than reality. They saved it by outlining the floors between the colossal order pattern in black and the glass is a much darker blue than rendered. Imo that made it look a good amount better.
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No way you gettin' off this easy bucko. :)
You were fully horrible to the Residential tower. :rolleyes:

Just ribbing you a bit. All is forgiven. More momentum is definitely coming from this stage of the project nicely timed with the B's and Green playoff happenings.
 
I said its not “crap” but “they definitely could have designed this better”. It came out better than the renders though, because of the fact that the much maligned colossal order windows are offset by the black lines. So its good enough... Thats how I feel. I dont think either tower is really all that great compared to what the location commanded, but theyre not bad either, theyre (good enough). The base IS this project imo and is a huge improvement and THE placemaker of the area now. The towers are good enough as the backdrop of an amazing street level. Thats always been my position.
 
stick n move said:
I dont think either tower is really all that great compared to what the location commanded, but theyre not bad either, theyre (good enough). The base IS this project imo and is a huge improvement and THE placemaker of the area now.
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I agree with this. The towers aren't bad but the big win here is 100% the podium. My biggest issue with the towers remains the residential leaving tons of height (and additional residences!) on the table. The downtown plateau is just extending out to North Station now.

Considering the combo of the FAA and "shadows on the park/ocean/anywhere" rules in our city, it's very difficult to watch one of the few potential sites for a new tallest under-build by hundreds of feet. There was no good reason to cut the residential right on top of a train hub. The design is decent and the execution better, but once the office tower and the Garden Garage tower are built we will really lament that the residential here didn't go 600'+ like originally planned. Aesthetically, Boston deserves better than the buzzcuts we end up with in every single neighborhood. The office tower was never meant to be the tallest here and the city should have applied more pressure to have a more substantial residential portion.
 
Hardisx said:
What the podium area used to look like for those who don’t remember...

https://t.co/3wtyOiK4fi?ssr=true
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im very rarely of the "that's the way things were in my day AND WE LIKED IT!" crowd, but in the case of causway/boston garden, i really do prefer the way it used to be. very gritty, "big city," dark, vaguely intimidating -- in a good way.

given that all of that has been gone for a while, i MUCH prefer what's going on now to the shawmut/fleet/TD centergardenwhatever with an empty lot in front of it that was the reality for 20 or so years. so all in all i'm a fan of the hub on causway.
 
DZH22 said:
I agree with this. The towers aren't bad but the big win here is 100% the podium. My biggest issue with the towers remains the residential leaving tons of height (and additional residences!) on the table. The downtown plateau is just extending out to North Station now.

Considering the combo of the FAA and "shadows on the park/ocean/anywhere" rules in our city, it's very difficult to watch one of the few potential sites for a new tallest under-build by hundreds of feet. There was no good reason to cut the residential right on top of a train hub. The design is decent and the execution better, but once the office tower and the Garden Garage tower are built we will really lament that the residential here didn't go 600'+ like originally planned. Aesthetically, Boston deserves better than the buzzcuts we end up with in every single neighborhood. The office tower was never meant to be the tallest here and the city should have applied more pressure to have a more substantial residential portion.
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Im hoping that once all of these are finished along with the garden garage tower the neighborhood gets used to it and then maybe just 1 can slip through. This area and the back bay have the highest allowed limit per the faa, so its either here or nothing. Winthrop was never going to break the plateau of the waterfront skyline. The towers set further back can go taller but are capped where they are because from the waterfront they meet the buzzcut of the towers downtown closer to the water.

Even the Hancock has this same exact effect, from the waterfront it lines right up to the roofs of the towers downtown. So if we ever want to break through the buzzcut were going to need something in either Bulfinch, North Station, or the nearby parking lots to break the plateau. Just 1 would be fine. Next to north station tower towards the river is 850’. I dont care much about everything else but come on... just give us 1 new tallest, do it downtown, and itll be cool. Bostons waterfront is already one of my favorites, I think something in the 800+ range would be awesome, just do it, get it done... and we can all shut up about it forever after that haha.
 
chrisbrat said:
im very rarely of the "that's the way things were in my day AND WE LIKED IT!" crowd, but in the case of causway/boston garden, i really do prefer the way it used to be. very gritty, "big city," dark, vaguely intimidating -- in a good way.

given that all of that has been gone for a while, i MUCH prefer what's going on now to the shawmut/fleet/TD centergardenwhatever with an empty lot in front of it that was the reality for 20 or so years. so all in all i'm a fan of the hub on causway.
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RIP Analex Building!
 
i loved the old Causeway St as mentioned above. Had many experiences there in the late hours, working graveyard shift on that block over there. There was an odd, dingy, edginess, almost quiet, loneliness about it in the late hours.... and that leftover, Old Boston thing to it--not easy to put down in words, and now, lost forever.
 
I can't lie, I'm a big fan of urban grit, elevated rail, small streets, high density. The new Causeway Street is great, but I miss the urban grit. I must say the new development did make a stylistic bow to the old North Station and even the Analex Building.
 
I too miss the Boston I moved to in the mid 80’s the noisy elevated train line the banging of the elevated expressway the Combat Zone, seedy Park sq the musty smells,etc it felt like the big city ,I luv that I got to witness its transformation and I work for a company that played a row in it all and hoped it continues to become a world class city we can all proudly say we are from here!
 
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I miss none of the former grit or elevateds (road or rail). I am glad to finally have a North Station worthy of the name.
 
I have fond memories of the old Garden area: The grit, lack of sunlight, the two story McDonalds, the Analex building and the nearby Stop & Shop bakery where we used to park becuase my uncle had connections. I have a soft spot because that's what I grew up with. It was my introduction to the area.

That said, I'll take what's happening there now over all of it.
 
I also have very strong nostalgic feelings for the old, moody Causeway St. But this is a pretty good substitute, since I very much doubt Boston will again see the likes of what what preceded the parking lot.
 
I'm pleasantly surprised I dont hate the residential tower. Its decent citizen and not too hard on the eyes
 
Suffolk 83 said:
I'm pleasantly surprised I dont hate the residential tower. Its decent citizen and not too hard on the eyes
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Well it's a much nicer tower than the Avalon North Station, which for some reason was strangely well-received on this forum despite being Kensington-level dull on one of the city's most prominent gateway sites. Never understood the love (or lack of hate) for that one.
 
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