"The Last Tenement" Discussion | 42 Lomasney Way | West End

Poolio

Poolio

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If you thought the lone tenement looked out of place before, it's going to look downright lost sandwiched in between two 450 foot towers. I sincerely hope they never tear it down. I'd like to see a modest development on that triangle that saves/renovates the tenement in the process.
 
Poolio said:
If you thought the lone tenement looked out of place before, it's going to look downright lost sandwiched in between two 450 foot towers. I sincerely hope they never tear it down. I'd like to see a modest development on that triangle that saves/renovates the tenement in the process.
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2 450 foot towers? Is the Alcott going to be a twin tower structure???
 
Poolio said:
If you thought the lone tenement looked out of place before, it's going to look downright lost sandwiched in between two 450 foot towers. I sincerely hope they never tear it down. I'd like to see a modest development on that triangle that saves/renovates the tenement in the process.
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Is it occupied?
 
#bancars said:
Is it occupied?
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Ever since the tearing down of the West End, over 60 years ago, that tenement has remained on that spot. The rumors: it was owned by the mob and their political connections allowed them to keep it; it was owned by a wiley family that has since used the building to rent out for billboard use and thus has made a hefty sum over the decades; it was owned by a Boston politician who kept it going for rental income...the stories abound to this day. Never did I see anyone go in or out of it, though it always looked occupied. All I can say is someone who is not bothered by the traffic noise and chaos must live there. It would make a neat one family dwelling with three floors and a roof deck. I wonder what the property taxes are like?
 
Life Coach Mike said:
Ever since the tearing down of the West End, over 60 years ago, that tenement has remained on that spot. The rumors: it was owned by the mob and their political connections allowed them to keep it; it was owned by a wiley family that has since used the building to rent out for billboard use and thus has made a hefty sum over the decades; it was owned by a Boston politician who kept it going for rental income...the stories abound to this day. Never did I see anyone go in or out of it, though it always looked occupied. All I can say is someone who is not bothered by the traffic noise and chaos must live there. It would make a neat one family dwelling with three floors and a roof deck. I wonder what the property taxes are like?
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Mike -- could be a family with limited hearing [at least in earlier generations]
Back a while ago -- before the TD Garden replaced the Gahden and later led to the re-route of the Green Line -- the track to Science Park made a nasty screechy bend near next to the Lone Tenement

from right after the construction of the Green Line Causeway St. Elevated [before the Gahden was built]

Causeway_Street_Elevated_construction%2C_September_1911.jpg

Construction of the Causeway Street Elevated on Lowell Street in September 1911. What is now 42 Lomasney Way - the last tenement building remaining from the West End - is in the left row of buildings.
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Today -- I would guess the noise level is much lower
 
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whighlander said:
Back a while ago --
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wow you beat me by mere moments on my trip down memory lane.
i wish to consecrate the moment the the good times started (again).....


West End Residents Walk Out of Garden Garage Development Meeting – NorthEndWaterfront.com

northendwaterfront.com northendwaterfront.com

West End Residents Walk Out of Garden Garage Development Meeting
By Matt Conti Nov 7, 2015

West End neighbors went ballistic this week after the Garden Garage project, previously denied by city officials, came back for further review with only two fewer stories (from 46 to 44; 465 feet to 447) and few other changes from the original proposal.

Since 2011, Equity Residential has sought to replace the Garden Garage located at 35 Lomasney Way in Boston’s West End with a residential tower, currently proposed with 470 units.
A November 4th Impact Advisory Group (IAG) meeting hosted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority started with approximately 45-50 people, according to residents, with the vast majority walking out in protest.
contd
 
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Poolio said:
If you thought the lone tenement looked out of place before, it's going to look downright lost sandwiched in between two 450 foot towers. I sincerely hope they never tear it down. I'd like to see a modest development on that triangle that saves/renovates the tenement in the process.
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A few years ago and I was in your camp. I have completely changed my attitude, and this is mostly based on walking beside the line tenement about twice a day for over six years.

Take over the property, tear it down, consolidate all the roads next to each other - probably on the ONeil / Avalon side of the street - and use the remaining space to make an actual usable park and/or a small residential development. This space is underused and the building totally thwarts the effective use of space around here, reinforcing the feeling of the area being a “void”. Once this latest construction project is completed, this all might change, I will grant that. But I don’t think the tenement really adds anything other than whimsy and nostalgia.
 
FK4 said:
A few years ago and I was in your camp. I have completely changed my attitude, and this is mostly based on walking beside the line tenement about twice a day for over six years.

Take over the property, tear it down, consolidate all the roads next to each other - probably on the ONeil / Avalon side of the street - and use the remaining space to make an actual usable park and/or a small residential development. This space is underused and the building totally thwarts the effective use of space around here, reinforcing the feeling of the area being a “void”. Once this latest construction project is completed, this all might change, I will grant that. But I don’t think the tenement really adds anything other than whimsy and nostalgia.
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This is how I feel as well, except the last tenement could be saved and built around within the superblock. Either way removing the oneil building is what makes it work.


upload image to url
(Sorry for shitty mapdraw app)
 
FK4 said:
Take over the property, tear it down, consolidate all the roads next to each other - probably on the ONeil / Avalon side of the street - and use the remaining space to make an actual usable park and/or a small residential development. This space is underused and the building totally thwarts the effective use of space around here, reinforcing the feeling of the area being a “void”. Once this latest construction project is completed, this all might change, I will grant that. But I don’t think the tenement really adds anything other than whimsy and nostalgia.
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I don't see why the building couldn't be left and programmed to activate the park you describe, which would be my first choice. Even if the building had to be moved, I think its too iconic and representative of what Boston lost not integrate into whatever might happen here. I have often thought that it would be great (though challenging) to use it as part of a city museum.
 
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goody said:
I don't see why the building couldn't be left and programmed to active the park you describe, which would be my first option. Even if the building has be moved, I think its too iconic and representative of what Boston lost not integrate into whatever might happen here. I have often thought that it would be great (though challenging) to use it as part of a city museum.
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Because to fully utilize the space, the building would have to be moved, and that would be an insane amount of money that could much better be spent on something else. The problem is the building forces the roads to wind around it, if you consolidate the roads, you get more contiguous space for a bigger piece of land… I don’t relish the idea of losing it, but I just don’t think the benefits of keeping it outweigh what could be more significant at benefits of redoing the whole area.
 
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This is turning into a full blown thread derailment, and my apologies for continuing it....

This is sort of what I'm thinking. Forgive the kludgy artwork, but it gives the idea. The building on the left would be a 10 or 12 floor residential. The one on the right would be similar to the lone tenement in design and materials.

Lone tenement plan.png


Someone mentioned on here a while ago a West End museum (found it) which would be a cool use of the two smaller buildings. Exhibits and photos in the new building, then knock some holes in that old party wall to give visitors a chance to walk through the last genuine West End tenement in existence.

(If mods want to split all this lone tenement talk into a separate thread, you might consider taking posts 623 - 638 as well.)
 
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goody said:
I don't see why the building couldn't be left and programmed to active the park you describe, which would be my first option. Even if the building has be moved, I think its too iconic and representative of what Boston lost not integrate into whatever might happen here. I have often thought that it would be great (though challenging) to use it as part of a city museum.
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Make it part of a head house for my pet project - BLX to Kendall via north station!
 
Poolio said:
lone-tenement-plan-png.2923
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I like your idea. I would make the new building north of the tenement about 30-40 stories tall and expand its footprint to the north, bridging over the one-way SB branch of Nashua Street.
 
It's a tough line to straddle, fitting in with the emerging scale of the new towers and not overwhelming the tenement. West End Place and Amy Lowell establish a scale more in line with what I was thinking. But if the footprint could be expanded there might be more flexibility.

Not sure exactly where the Green Line tracks run once they disappear underground. Would this be a likely impediment to any sizable development here?
 
The GL tunnel goes under the trees on the north side of the tenement. I think there's still space immediately NW of the tenement that is not over the tunnel to get in a deep foundation to anchor development there.
 
The land has to be pretty valuable... could definitely support another tower assuming the tunnels aren't underneath the lot.

I get the history of this building, and maybe it can be incorporated into a project but it doesn't really fit the neighborhood anymore.
 
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