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

[whighlander]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

I think Whigh is saying it should be on the side parallel with the highway, not facing it. That might be workable. Yeah, you could still see it from a car, but it wouldn't be in direct line of sight as you are driving.

Statler -- Exactly

And I wouldn't do the 200' long message strip -- that is just plain ugly as one objector noted

It would be designed for the pedestrian experience -- and this should become a "designated entertainment district" with the TD Garden + the Hub on Causeway movies, restaurants, hotel, etc.

 

[CSTH]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Statler -- Exactly

It would be designed for the pedestrian experience

Ok, fine - but in that case I still think we can aspire for more than 'give people a chance to watch TV while they're standing outside'. (For realz - this is a transformative development in an extremely prominent & high traffic area, the capstone of an utter revolution in this part of the city executed at great cost over the last 3 decades ... and the focus of discussion here has been 'it should be taller' and 'they should add a tv...)

I think it would be more interesting if they hung a duplicate of the actual scoreboard that hangs over the rink/court above the 'front door' at causeway and canal, protruding a bit beyond the street wall so that it would be visible at least in part from up and down causeway, duplicating the display (down to the 'penalty' lights and clock') on the indoor board while games are going on.... and made canal st pedestrian only, at least during games, with wide drinking pens in front of the bars ... And made the intersection of canal and causeway a raised platform for traffic calming....and named it Bill Russell square.... The 'outside scoreboard' would evoke a giant lantern illuminating the gateway to the garden, and could serve as a marquee for garden events when the arena is dark.

And I think on the highway-facing side of the garden, above the tracks, the the perpetual beer billboard should be replaced with a five-story tall map of the entire MBTA service district, showing the real-time location of every CR and r/g/b/o/s vehicle...along with arrival and departure times for everything hitting at North Station. And maybe you overlay red/yellow/green indications of traffic on the highways like Google Maps does...Think of it as a graphic mix between the departure board and the old '9 minutes to harvard square' sign. (You could just put a duplicate of the departure board too, but it wouldn't be as fun). The implicit message being "if you took the train, you wouldn't be stuck in traffic now (...and you could even be watching TV on your phone)

You know, place making, catalyzing distinctive communal experiences, etc...

 

[Tombstoner]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

And I think on the highway-facing side of the garden, above the tracks, the the perpetual beer billboard should be replaced with a five-story tall map of the entire MBTA service district, showing the real-time location of every CR and r/g/b/o/s vehicle...along with arrival and departure times for everything hitting at North Station. And maybe you overlay red/yellow/green indications of traffic on the highways like Google Maps does...Think of it as a graphic mix between the departure board and the old '9 minutes to harvard square' sign. (You could just put a duplicate of the departure board too, but it wouldn't be as fun). The implicit message being "if you took the train, you wouldn't be stuck in traffic now (...and you could even be watching TV on your phone)

You know, place making, catalyzing distinctive communal experiences, etc...

Nice idea. Maybe a bit too busy with the real-time CR/R/G/B/O + the NS Schedule + the Google traffic idea simultaneously (or maybe that's not what you're suggesting). I think the CR/R/G/B/O real-time location of trains would be sufficient...it would also allow for a more graphically pleasing/abstract-to-emphasis-the-aesthetic version of the system map (not the current MBTA one) that would be an interesting/dynamic graphic and serve the purpose you mention of showing transit "on the move."

 

[JeffDowntown]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

I think Whigh is saying it should be on the side parallel with the highway, not facing it. That might be workable. Yeah, you could still see it from a car, but it wouldn't be in direct line of sight as you are driving.

And no driver would just stare out to the side, ignoring the road in front of them... right. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[HalcyonEra]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

And no driver would just stare out to the side, ignoring the road in front of them... right. What could possibly go wrong?

What exactly would be different from this than the screen on the WGBH building adjacent to the Pike?

 

[cca]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

What exactly would be different from this than the screen on the WGBH building adjacent to the Pike?

Nothing ... but that is never going to happen again. GBH set a bad precedent.

cca

 

[AmericanFolkLegend]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

The BBJ article sites the office tower as 21 stories and 440' tall. That doesn't make sense. Am I missing something?

 

[datadyne007]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

The BBJ article sites the office tower as 21 stories and 440' tall. That doesn't make sense. Am I missing something?

There are 21 leasable floors of the tower itself. (I just counted on the render) The height is including the podium which the space within is not being marketed as part of the "office tower."

 

[Equilibria]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Not to be a stickler for this yet again, but the name of the project has changed... change the thread name?

 

[statler]

Changed. Thanks.

But while we are on the subject, I'll go on the record saying I think "The Hub on Causeway" is an awful name.

 

[Equilibria]

Changed. Thanks.

But while we are on the subject, I'll go on the record saying I think "The Hub on Causeway" is an awful name.

Agreed .

 

[FK4]

I do like the use of the word "hub" but not here… I fucking hate all these idiotic, faux-classy, pseudoenglish names "x on y" it's so pathetic and forced..

 

[tobyjug]

"Yon Hubbe on Ye Olde Causeweighe Shoppes"?

 

[617]

It's hub-storic...

 

[FK4]

"Yon Hubbe on Ye Olde Causeweighe Shoppes"?

Ha!

"Shoppes" is the pits, you nailed that one... At least they're not spelling it Kauseway...

As a historical aside, the "Y" character in "Ye", as in "Ye olde xxx", is almost always mispronounced as the letter "Y"... In actuality, older Germanic languages, including Old English (and modern Icelandic) had special letters for the two forms of "th" (voiced or voiceless, "thick" vs "zither")... The letter called "thorn" (þ) was written in early typeface as a "Y" before simply being replaced by "th"... So "Ye" in the pseudo-quaint usage is properly pronounced "the".

 

[tangent]

Ha!

"Shoppes" is the pits, you nailed that one... At least they're not spelling it Kauseway...

As a historical aside, the "Y" character in "Ye", as in "Ye olde xxx", is almost always mispronounced as the letter "Y"... In actuality, older Germanic languages, including Old English (and modern Icelandic) had special letters for the two forms of "th" (voiced or voiceless, "thick" vs "zither")... The letter called "thorn" (þ) was written in early typeface as a "Y" before simply being replaced by "th"... So "Ye" in the pseudo-quaint usage is properly pronounced "the".

Learn something every day

 

[whighlander]

Changed. Thanks.

But while we are on the subject, I'll go on the record saying I think "The Hub on Causeway" is an awful name.

Statler -- actually when you look at it from a Network Concept as opposed to epistemologically

"Hub on Causeway" makes eminent sense

where it is located it sits astride the nexus of Green, Orange and CR & Amtrak [Downeaster] lines -- the densest concentration of transit except for South Station -- and you can throw in access to water transit as well [Lovejoy wharf]

arriving at North Station you have easy walking access to Charlestown, the North End, the Greenway and even the Esplanade

As far as discretionary activities are concerned it is where the Winter teams play some 80 times, as well as other miscellaneous musical, athletic [International Figure Skating, collegiate Hockey and Basketball] and other events -- sounds like a Hub of entertainment as well

 

[whighlander]

Re: The Boston Garden (TD Garden Towers) | 80 Causeway Street | West End

Ok, fine - but in that case I still think we can aspire for more than 'give people a chance to watch TV while they're standing outside'. (For realz - this is a transformative development in an extremely prominent & high traffic area, the capstone of an utter revolution in this part of the city executed at great cost over the last 3 decades ... and the focus of discussion here has been 'it should be taller' and 'they should add a tv...)

I think it would be more interesting if they hung a duplicate of the actual scoreboard that hangs over the rink/court above the 'front door' at causeway and canal, protruding a bit beyond the street wall so that it would be visible at least in part from up and down causeway, duplicating the display (down to the 'penalty' lights and clock') on the indoor board while games are going on.... and made canal st pedestrian only, at least during games, with wide drinking pens in front of the bars ... And made the intersection of canal and causeway a raised platform for traffic calming....and named it Bill Russell square.... The 'outside scoreboard' would evoke a giant lantern illuminating the gateway to the garden, and could serve as a marquee for garden events when the arena is dark.

And I think on the highway-facing side of the garden, above the tracks, the the perpetual beer billboard should be replaced with a five-story tall map of the entire MBTA service district, showing the real-time location of every CR and r/g/b/o/s vehicle...along with arrival and departure times for everything hitting at North Station. And maybe you overlay red/yellow/green indications of traffic on the highways like Google Maps does...Think of it as a graphic mix between the departure board and the old '9 minutes to harvard square' sign. (You could just put a duplicate of the departure board too, but it wouldn't be as fun). The implicit message being "if you took the train, you wouldn't be stuck in traffic now (...and you could even be watching TV on your phone)

You know, place making, catalyzing distinctive communal experiences, etc...

CSTH -- Excellent ideas if perhaps a bit over the top

But -- Yes this is a Hub in the HUB and it should act as such

As an aside when the statue of Russ was being discussed -- I suggested that he be suspended magnetically in mid leap while in the act of defensively rebounding a shot from an unseen Wilt which Russ' out stretched fingers caused to be just off target

And of course Russ and Bobby should flank the entrance to the Court of Champions

 

[lapradetom]

Changed. Thanks.

But while we are on the subject, I'll go on the record saying I think "The Hub on Causeway" is an awful name.

How about: "Gateway Hub/North Station"
.... or: "MetroGate at North Station"
.... or: "TransNorth Gateway"
.... or: "NorthStation MetroPlex"

Whatever they end up calling it, The currently named "Hub on Causeway" will probably end up being unofficially called what we've always known it as: That being either: "North Station", or "The Gaahden".

 

[bostonbred]

B Cause