West End Library | 151 Cambridge Street | West End
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stick n move
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I’m glad that they actually showed this thing from the persoective of what people walking around it on cambridge street will see and I think its perfectly fine. This is also a 100% affordable tower, mass timber, and the city experimenting with building housing on top of city owned lots/buildings, lots to like here.
Justbuildit
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For all the lovers and haters, public comments are open until February 10...
Personally I'm a fan. Cambridge street is too wide and full of traffic and despite being at the boundary of beautiful Beacon Hill, the architecture is miserable and uninspiring for the most part. Would be a nice addition to a busy corner.
www.bostonplans.org
Personally I'm a fan. Cambridge street is too wide and full of traffic and despite being at the boundary of beautiful Beacon Hill, the architecture is miserable and uninspiring for the most part. Would be a nice addition to a busy corner.
West End Library | Bostonplans.org
Development Projects and Planned Development Areas (PDAs) that the Development Review division is coordinating.
www.bostonplans.org
Well put. Can the city also build on the (non-historic, architecturally non-inspiring) fire station across the street, taking a page out of this playbook?
Scott
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Why not? This city-wide initiative to build housing on top of libraries, where possible, is good stuff. We get more housing and new libraries. Why not fire stations? Off the top of my head I would say that the stations on Neponset Ave and Morton Street in Dorchester would be good candidates too
theSil
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Strong agree. The selected design is cohesive (not pretending to be 3 different structures), has actual facade articulation, a promising looking material palette, and an inviting public space. I think it looks great and contextual. If anything, wish they had gone a little taller.
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I have spent many years walking up and down the stretch of Cambridge St between MGH and Bowdoin Sq end to end in the day. The pedestrian experience is unpleasant because 1) the road is wide, as @Justbuildit noted, and 2), nearly every building's articulation with the street/sidewalk is fortresslike and has neither perch nor niche. Every aesthetic screams, "hurry along, there's nothing here for you". Even the Old West End Church and Otis, while pretty, are somewhat imposing due to the iron fences and their placement being five feet up on a grade above the sidewalk. This leaves the pedestrian feeling extremely exposed. The commercial strip south of the fire station offers some protection, as does the Beacon Hill Tavern strip, but the wide pavement opening for the fire station, the cold office buildings, and the library all contribute to a feeling of no mercy from this particular urban experience. The current library is set back and the green space in front of it is completely fenced off, with the entrance being a sort of alley or chute between fencing. This little plaza offers a major change. It's an aesthetic refuge, even if it doesnt end up getting used by anyone other than homeless people (which will certainly end up happening, but that's another conversation).Personally I'm a fan. Cambridge street is too wide and full of traffic and despite being at the boundary of beautiful Beacon Hill, the architecture is miserable and uninspiring for the most part. Would be a nice addition to a busy corner.
West End Library | Bostonplans.org
Development Projects and Planned Development Areas (PDAs) that the Development Review division is coordinating.
It would be nice if Charles River Plaza ever redesigns its Cambridge St front., and got a different tenant than B o A. I think the shopping mall, internal orientation of the Plaza's commercial space (Whole Foods,CVS etc) is to the detriment of Cambridge St. Notice the current situation: bars, both physical and aesthetic, in every aspect of this building.
Final thing, is for those who like old walls or get excited when finding a vestige of a wall that's older than the surrounding structures (I imagine this pulls at the same aesthetic appreciation as those who revel in finding old RR rights of way or the lone BeRY pole somewhere), the retaining wall at the back of the Otis House is very old and kinda cool and can be seen from the driveway between the library and Otis. The new plaza will likely have a view of it.
Final final thing... I wish the city did the same thing instead of their renovation of the Roslindale Library. It's very similar to the West End Library — low rise and circular — and really would contribute more to the urban fabric with housing (or more floors) on top.
Charlie_mta
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The one concern I have is that residents might park illegally, or drop off people, or have things delivered, in the way of fire trucks trying to leave the station.
The city-wide initiative is looking at fire stations too (boston.gov page) and here's a medium post of theirs where they mention fire stations as well. In that post they have a link to a Google Drive folder with a bunch of RFI responses to the Housing with Public Assets request. If you go to the Beacon Hill RFI response (warning google drive PDF), for example, the beacon hill civic association requests for the fire station across Cambridge St to be considered for development as well as the West End Library.
I'm curious how one could live over a fire station without hearing the alarms every single time they go off. They're intentionally loud to alert the firefighters and would require some serious sound dampeners. There would have to be some sort of buffer floors before the housing could begin, and it would be even more difficult to ignore with open windows. With all the development opportunities still available in this city we're still 50+ years away from this being any sort of worthwhile consideration.
How about we just build taller on the existing developable lots and then this wouldn't be such an issue?
How about we just build taller on the existing developable lots and then this wouldn't be such an issue?
With the communication equipment available today it's debatable whether or not firefighters need an alarm to alert them to an emergency. It's likely a safety measure for pedestrians and drivers concerning emergency vehicles about to enter traffic. If I lived on top of a firehouse, I'd want to live several floors up.
Scott
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We can't do this because skyscrapers aren't tall enough?
Every development above a firehouse is usually several stories above the garage level because the floors above the garage are reserved for the firefighters themselves.
DC is already doing this(and we have too at 125 High). It doesn’t have to be residential above necessarily but it’s an effective way of getting municipal property on the tax rolls. This concept has always interested me seeing how much land some of our police/fire stations and libraries occupy.
www.clarkconstruction.com
skaengineers.com
Square 50 | Clark Construction
Engine Co. 13 andHyatt Place Hotel - SK&A
A 12-story mixed-use building that incorporates a new fire station and a 214-key hotel, as well as community and retail spaces.
skaengineers.com
Some history of the Project site:
Key:
Green - 7 Chambers Street, now at the head of 151 Cambridge Street
Yellow - 5 Chambers Street, now a part of Cambridge Street
Red - The Old West Church
Early Years
Originally known as the New Fields, the West End remained largely undeveloped in the first years of Boston's history due to its relative isolation, being semi-cut off from the rest of the town by the presence of the Trimountain. For many decades it remained primarily pastoral in nature, though in the 18th century it increasingly became home to various industrial uses, including ropewalks, copperworks, and mills. By the early 1700s maps of the town began to show a windmill in the area of the future site of the Old West Church, together with a few mansions in the general vicinity.
The West End - 1722
Mid-18th Century
In 1718 John Staniford purchased approximately six acres of land (which included the Project site) from Samuel Lynde on the north side of Cambridge Street. Staniford later laid out two highways which became known as Staniford and Lynde Streets. Immediately to the west of his land was a tract of four acres owned by Charles Chambers, who also built a road that became known as Chambers Street.
In 1737 the original West Church (aka the Lynde Street Meeting House, or Ninth Congregational Church) was built immediately east of the Project site. The original structure was a wood-frame building. It was later occupied as a barracks by British troops during their occupation of the city prior to the Revolution; the British subsequently destroyed its tower during the Siege of Boston in 1775 when they suspected that the rebels were signaling to Cambridge from the spire. In 1795-1796 the church was joined by the First Harrison Gray Otis House, built by Charles Bulfinch for the Federalist politician and real estate speculator Otis.
The West End, 1743
View from Beacon Hill, looking north, 1775 - note the ruins of Charlestown in the aftermath of the Battle of Bunker Hill on the right
19th Century
In the 1800s the West End quickly expanded into a dense residential neighborhood, with houses giving way to rowhouses. In the latter part of the century the West End also experienced repeated demographic upheavals, as successive waves of immigrants (Irish, Italians, Jews, Eastern and Southern Europeans, Middle Easterners) established themselves in the area.
In 1806 the West Church was rebuilt as a brick Federal structure by Asher Benjamin. The church's congregation eventually faded out and it was converted into a branch of the Boston Public Library in 1892.
The West End - 1814
The West End - 1852
Aerial of Boston, looking east - 1866
View from Beacon Hill, looking up Joy and Chambers Streets, before 1916
Northeast corner of Cambridge and Chambers Streets, 1911
15-17 Chambers Street, ca. 1890-1920
Joy Street Portal
In 1916 the Joy Street Portal, a westerly extension of the East Boston Tunnel, was opened immediately southwest of the Project site. The construction of the portal involved the demolition of several buildings on the north side of Cambridge Street between Chambers and North Russell Streets.
North side of Cambridge Street between Chambers and North Russell Streets, before demolition - 1912
The Portal - 1915
Cambridge Street Widening
In 1924 a widening of Cambridge Street was approved by Mayor Curley, requiring the demolition of the fronts of buildings on both sides of the street. As part of the expansion, approximately 150 families were ordered to vacate the area. 5 Chambers Street was one of the casualties of the widening, making 7 Chambers a direct abutter of the new Cambridge Street. The Harrison Gray Otis House also needed to be moved back by 40 feet in order to be spared from the expansion.
Cambridge Street, looking east - ca. 1925
Cambridge Street looking west - ca. 1925
Removal of the Joy Street Portal
In 1952 the entrance to the East Boston Tunnel was removed, having only been used by maintenance and non-passenger trains since 1924.
Cambridge Street, looking east, 1952
Urban Renewal
Beginning in 1958, the entire West End was, uh..."renewed," leading to the demolition of the tenements on the project site and the elimination of Chambers Street.
Aerial of Cambridge Street and the West End, ca. 1955
View of the West End, 1962
View from Cambridge Street, 1962
Boston Public Library
In 1968 the present library building was built on the Project site. The Old West Church, which had been restored as a place of worship in 1963, moved its materials to the new library.
Library building, 1987
Key:
Green - 7 Chambers Street, now at the head of 151 Cambridge Street
Yellow - 5 Chambers Street, now a part of Cambridge Street
Red - The Old West Church
Early Years
Originally known as the New Fields, the West End remained largely undeveloped in the first years of Boston's history due to its relative isolation, being semi-cut off from the rest of the town by the presence of the Trimountain. For many decades it remained primarily pastoral in nature, though in the 18th century it increasingly became home to various industrial uses, including ropewalks, copperworks, and mills. By the early 1700s maps of the town began to show a windmill in the area of the future site of the Old West Church, together with a few mansions in the general vicinity.
The West End - 1722
Mid-18th Century
In 1718 John Staniford purchased approximately six acres of land (which included the Project site) from Samuel Lynde on the north side of Cambridge Street. Staniford later laid out two highways which became known as Staniford and Lynde Streets. Immediately to the west of his land was a tract of four acres owned by Charles Chambers, who also built a road that became known as Chambers Street.
In 1737 the original West Church (aka the Lynde Street Meeting House, or Ninth Congregational Church) was built immediately east of the Project site. The original structure was a wood-frame building. It was later occupied as a barracks by British troops during their occupation of the city prior to the Revolution; the British subsequently destroyed its tower during the Siege of Boston in 1775 when they suspected that the rebels were signaling to Cambridge from the spire. In 1795-1796 the church was joined by the First Harrison Gray Otis House, built by Charles Bulfinch for the Federalist politician and real estate speculator Otis.
The West End, 1743
View from Beacon Hill, looking north, 1775 - note the ruins of Charlestown in the aftermath of the Battle of Bunker Hill on the right
19th Century
In the 1800s the West End quickly expanded into a dense residential neighborhood, with houses giving way to rowhouses. In the latter part of the century the West End also experienced repeated demographic upheavals, as successive waves of immigrants (Irish, Italians, Jews, Eastern and Southern Europeans, Middle Easterners) established themselves in the area.
In 1806 the West Church was rebuilt as a brick Federal structure by Asher Benjamin. The church's congregation eventually faded out and it was converted into a branch of the Boston Public Library in 1892.
The West End - 1814
The West End - 1852
Aerial of Boston, looking east - 1866
View from Beacon Hill, looking up Joy and Chambers Streets, before 1916
Northeast corner of Cambridge and Chambers Streets, 1911
15-17 Chambers Street, ca. 1890-1920
Joy Street Portal
In 1916 the Joy Street Portal, a westerly extension of the East Boston Tunnel, was opened immediately southwest of the Project site. The construction of the portal involved the demolition of several buildings on the north side of Cambridge Street between Chambers and North Russell Streets.
North side of Cambridge Street between Chambers and North Russell Streets, before demolition - 1912
The Portal - 1915
Cambridge Street Widening
In 1924 a widening of Cambridge Street was approved by Mayor Curley, requiring the demolition of the fronts of buildings on both sides of the street. As part of the expansion, approximately 150 families were ordered to vacate the area. 5 Chambers Street was one of the casualties of the widening, making 7 Chambers a direct abutter of the new Cambridge Street. The Harrison Gray Otis House also needed to be moved back by 40 feet in order to be spared from the expansion.
Cambridge Street, looking east - ca. 1925
Cambridge Street looking west - ca. 1925
Removal of the Joy Street Portal
In 1952 the entrance to the East Boston Tunnel was removed, having only been used by maintenance and non-passenger trains since 1924.
Cambridge Street, looking east, 1952
Urban Renewal
Beginning in 1958, the entire West End was, uh..."renewed," leading to the demolition of the tenements on the project site and the elimination of Chambers Street.
Aerial of Cambridge Street and the West End, ca. 1955
View of the West End, 1962
View from Cambridge Street, 1962
Boston Public Library
In 1968 the present library building was built on the Project site. The Old West Church, which had been restored as a place of worship in 1963, moved its materials to the new library.
Library building, 1987
Amazing, thanks so much. I’ve seen a lot of amazing photos of both old time Cambridge Street as well as the West End razing, but these are new.Some history of the Project site:
Key:
Green - 7 Chambers Street, now at the head of 151 Cambridge Street
Yellow - 5 Chambers Street, now a part of Cambridge Street
Red - The Old West Church
Early Years
Originally known as the New Fields, the West End remained largely undeveloped in the first years of Boston's history due to its relative isolation, being semi-cut off from the rest of the town by the presence of the Trimountain. For many decades it remained primarily pastoral in nature, though in the 18th century it increasingly became home to various industrial uses, including ropewalks, copperworks, and mills. By the early 1700s maps of the town began to show a windmill in the area of the future site of the Old West Church, together with a few mansions in the general vicinity.
The West End - 1722
Mid-18th Century
In 1718 John Staniford purchased approximately six acres of land (which included the Project site) from Samuel Lynde on the north side of Cambridge Street. Staniford later laid out two highways which became known as Staniford and Lynde Streets. Immediately to the west of his land was a tract of four acres owned by Charles Chambers, who also built a road that became known as Chambers Street.
In 1737 the original West Church (aka the Lynde Street Meeting House, or Ninth Congregational Church) was built immediately east of the Project site. The original structure was a wood-frame building. It was later occupied as a barracks by British troops during their occupation of the city prior to the Revolution; the British subsequently destroyed its tower during the Siege of Boston in 1775 when they suspected that the rebels were signaling to Cambridge from the spire. In 1795-1796 the church was joined by the First Harrison Gray Otis House, built by Charles Bulfinch for the Federalist politician and real estate speculator Otis.
The West End, 1743
View from Beacon Hill, looking north, 1775 - note the ruins of Charlestown in the aftermath of the Battle of Bunker Hill on the right
19th Century
In the 1800s the West End quickly expanded into a dense residential neighborhood, with houses giving way to rowhouses. In the latter part of the century the West End also experienced repeated demographic upheavals, as successive waves of immigrants (Irish, Italians, Jews, Eastern and Southern Europeans, Middle Easterners) established themselves in the area.
In 1806 the West Church was rebuilt as a brick Federal structure by Asher Benjamin. The church's congregation eventually faded out and it was converted into a branch of the Boston Public Library in 1892.
The West End - 1814
The West End - 1852
Aerial of Boston, looking east - 1866
View from Beacon Hill, looking up Joy and Chambers Streets, before 1916
Northeast corner of Cambridge and Chambers Streets, 1911
15-17 Chambers Street, ca. 1890-1920
Joy Street Portal
In 1916 the Joy Street Portal, a westerly extension of the East Boston Tunnel, was opened immediately southwest of the Project site. The construction of the portal involved the demolition of several buildings on the north side of Cambridge Street between Chambers and North Russell Streets.
North side of Cambridge Street between Chambers and North Russell Streets, before demolition - 1912
The Portal - 1915
Cambridge Street Widening
In 1924 a widening of Cambridge Street was approved by Mayor Curley, requiring the demolition of the fronts of buildings on both sides of the street. As part of the expansion, approximately 150 families were ordered to vacate the area. 5 Chambers Street was one of the casualties of the widening, making 7 Chambers a direct abutter of the new Cambridge Street. The Harrison Gray Otis House also needed to be moved back by 40 feet in order to be spared from the expansion.
Cambridge Street, looking east - ca. 1925
Cambridge Street looking west - ca. 1925
Removal of the Joy Street Portal
In 1952 the entrance to the East Boston Tunnel was removed, having only been used by maintenance and non-passenger trains since 1924.
Cambridge Street, looking east, 1952
Urban Renewal
Beginning in 1958, the entire West End was, uh..."renewed," leading to the demolition of the tenements on the project site and the elimination of Chambers Street.
Aerial of Cambridge Street and the West End, ca. 1955
View of the West End, 1962
View from Cambridge Street, 1962
Boston Public Library
In 1968 the present library building was built on the Project site. The Old West Church, which had been restored as a place of worship in 1963, moved its materials to the new library.
Library building, 1987
Very cool that Lynde St, despite being a dead end alley now, retains a very old feeling to it, and offers a glimpse of how narrow the old streets in the West End were. These pictures are painful to look at, Boston would be so different without such a massive scar on it from these projects.
