The Kensington | 665 Washington Street | Downtown

There is a "THE glass slipper in roxbury on la grange (with space). there is a glass slipper on lagrange (no space) in boston, where the development was proposed. just a little tidbit.
 
I guess I can take this off the map. Maybe I'll add a new category for failed attempts. Shame we still don't have that Boylston Tower thread.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

I guess this project isn't dead.
sampan.com said:
The giant poster hangs from a building abutting the expansive sand lot at the corner of La Grange and Washington Streets. It advertises the upcoming Kensington Place residential tower.

But little has happened at the site since developer Kensington Investment Company won city approvals in 2003 and demolished the historic Gaiety Theatre and other low-rise brick buildings at the site. Now Kensington says it plans to start constructing the 30-story tower by the end of the year, once it completes financing for the more-than $100-million project.

?We?ve got a significant investment in there already, and likely we?ll have to put in additional funds, and we?re determining what that amount is,? said James J. O?Brien, vice chairman of Kensington.

?We hope to break ground this year as soon as we get a fix on what it is that we?re going to have to put together, both inside financing and outside financing.?

Construction costs and ?the overall housing market? pushed the project?s construction back, he said. Other short-lived roadblocks to the tower's development included protests from Chinatown groups and preservationists who wanted to save the Gaiety Theater. Also, owners of the Glass Slipper strip club challenged in court a proposed taking of their property at the site where Kensington hopes to build. The club has since relocated across La Grange Street.

?We intend to retain ownership,? O?Brien said, when asked if there were any plans to sell the property, a question raised in an April 4 blog about the project?s delay, posted on www.bostonchinatowngateway.com.

?We?re still confident that they will be moving forward shortly,? said Boston Redevelopment Authority spokesperson Jessica Shumaker.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

That kind of looks like an article from last April.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

Yes, Mike (from Weymouth) posted that article on 2007-04-07. Since groundbreaking did not occur at the end of 2007, let's hope they're just a little late. I think at this point, the project is a go.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

It's been yet another month. Any updates?
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

DarkFenX said:
I guess this project isn't dead.
Click to expand...

The Sampan.com piece is OLD. They have been recycling content for the past 3-4 months.

There is no activity on the Kensington eyesore, empty lot -- another great BRA win for the city.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

It boggles my mind why they allow the Gaeity theatre to be destroyed and then not build anything there. Shouldn't there be rules concerning demolition of historic or potentially historic sites if a developer does not have the funds to build. Now if the developer bolts, you'll end up with a parking lot.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

ChunkyMonkey said:
Shouldn't there be rules concerning demolition of historic or potentially historic sites if a developer does not have the funds to build.
Click to expand...


Not when you own the mayor.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

When the city allowed demolition of the Pilgrim theatre across the street, I recall them allowing a parking lot for only a fixed, limited amount of time, after which the developer had to start building or face increasing penalties from the city.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

Ron Newman said:
When the city allowed demolition of the Pilgrim theatre across the street, I recall them allowing a parking lot for only a fixed, limited amount of time, after which the developer had to start building or face increasing penalties from the city.
Click to expand...

I believe the same principle applied in connection with demolition of the buildings for the new Suffolk Law School on Tremont Street. Delays in construction in that case, I believe, resulted in significant fines imposed on Suffolk University.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

Here's the actual link:

http://www.architecturalteam.com/whatsnew/pdf/TheKensington.pdf

And here's some renderings of it from the pdf (if you have Opera and/or the latest version of Acrobat FULL VERSION, Adobe master collection CS3 edition, you can copy images off of the PDF):

kensington2.jpg


kensington1.jpg


Doesn't look too shabby, eh?
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

I thought they were keeping the China Trade building and building next to it?
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

^^ They are. None of the renderings show it building on the China Trade building.
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

I like the renderings. Not that you can gather much from it, but from the looks of the first one, the street level looks as if it will be relatively engaging.

What are the odds of this being built if it's on hold? Also, does anyone know what the hold up is (economy, opposition, both)?
 
Re: Residences at Kensington

Has to be financing. The city pretty much steamrollered over any neighborhood opposition.

China Trade is behind and to the right of the new building in that drawing.
 
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