The Kensington | 665 Washington Street | Downtown

KentXie

KentXie

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I'm surprise there was no thread for this. Anyways, so far there are no news about it but recently I walked past the site and saw people clearing out the single story building. Looks like they are starting set the building up for demolition so I'm guessing the building will break ground by Spring of next year.
 
Has the Glass Slipper moved across the street yet? That also has to happen before anything can be built.

We used to have a H-U-G-E thread about this project, back when the Gaiety Theatre was still standing.
 
Just went by the site today at around 9:00 am and they were demolishing the 1 story building. By the time I went by it again at 2:00, the whole building was gone.
 
Hope it disappears soon. We don't need trash like that.
 
Ron Newman said:
Is the Glass Slipper still standing and open?
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I think they already moved to centerfold. That whole block was levelled.
 
The new Glass Slipper location has very flimsy-looking temporary signs made of fabric. With all this time to prepare for the move, I would have expected something a little more permanent-looking.
 
The new Glass Slipper location has very flimsy-looking temporary signs made of fabric. With all this time to prepare for the move, I would have expected something a little more permanent-looking.
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guess you've never actually been to the glass slipper then huh?
 
nope, nor to its neighbor.

(To clarify, I'm referring to signs on the outside of the building)
 
I was by this site the other day and was shocked to see that basically the whole block had been leveled. I didnt know this project would have such a huge footprint. Its too bad the neighborhood advocates were so obsessed with reducing the height of the building rather than other more important things, like maintaining Washington Street's rhythm, keeping the tower's profile as slim as possible and ensuring good design in general. The resulting project possesses none of these attributes.

But hey, we got a few stories knocked off!
 
The neighborhood adovcates were most interested in preserving and reopening an old theatre, or failing that, having it replaced on site as required by the Midtown Cultural District zoning. Unfortunately, the first did not happen, and I don't know if there is still an active lawsuit regarding the second.
 
...

...no malice intended Ron, just that if you had ever been inside the Glass Slipper, it wouldn't surprise you that they have a crappy sign out front.
 
briv said:
I was by this site the other day and was shocked to see that basically the whole block had been leveled. I didnt know this project would have such a huge footprint. Its too bad the neighborhood advocates were so obsessed with reducing the height of the building rather than other more important things, like maintaining Washington Street's rhythm, keeping the tower's profile as slim as possible and ensuring good design in general. The resulting project possesses none of these attributes.

But hey, we got a few stories knocked off!
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Now it'll look more like the Seaport District.
 
From Wednesday.. pushing the dirt piles around

 
Chinatown Developments
Apr 6, 2007
by Adam Smith



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.



Link
 
What is this building?

This is going to be a rental building, yes?
 
Mike said:
But little has happened at the site since developer Kensington Investment Company won city approvals in 2003 and demolished the historic Gaiety...
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Wow, has it been FOUR YEARS ?
 
Mike said:
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.
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Illustrates that this process sometimes gets absolutely nobody what they want. Here everybody is a loser --including the public.
 
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