Winthrop Center | 115 Winthrop Square | Financial District

Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Would lower Manhattan circa 1928 be an example of the "Philadelphia" effect?

Seems like Boston's Financial District has a good assembly of supporting players and the chorus, but is still waiting for the stars to take the stage.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

DZH22 said:
Well, the obelisk would mitigate the height difference as opposed to a tall box. It would be a sharp sloped (more like Washington Monument than Bunker Hill) so would start it's main taper to the point about 750' at most. I guess you're right that it's still not that much different than Philly, although Philly's other biggest problem is that it had the height limit for so long, so its table-top was about 100 feet shorter than Boston's. (600' tower is already 20% taller than 500' tower) I just feel like the obelisk is a slim enough form, and the triangle point can add good height without seeming overbearing or tacked on. (as opposed to the side spire on this original proposal)

I think a Comcast height tower that doesn't taper to a point would be too tall for Boston's financial district. I probably wouldn't complain about it, but I don't want our skyline to lose its balance and suddenly look like Oklahoma City's or something else just as stupid. It's a delicate matter to be a clear tallest but still blend appropriately with the rest of what's there.
Click to expand...

I don't think that anything "too tall" would throw Boston's skyline out of whack. The Hancock and Pru are substantially taller than anything else in the Back Bay - I don't think that we would argue that they're really out of place.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

good point^
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

A great example of a building that would look horrible alongside a tall is the State Street building.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

stick n move said:
4202295498_c7be61cc7f_o.jpg
Click to expand...


Really don't like this at all. Zero character. Improper massing/scale, but the wicked rooftop garden/bio-dome thing looks something out of vanilla sky.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

bosdevelopment said:
Really don't like this at all. Zero character. Improper massing/scale, but the wicked rooftop garden/bio-dome thing looks something out of vanilla sky.
Click to expand...

That's why it was nothing more than a conceptual massing/concept study after the dream fell apart when Renzo left.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

bosdevelopment said:
Really don't like this at all. Zero character. Improper massing/scale, but the wicked rooftop garden/bio-dome thing looks something out of vanilla sky.
Click to expand...

Anything that invokes memories of that horrible movie should not be built
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Not that I'm for or against an 1000 footer, but flying into San Diego recently really got me wondering about the FAA's thought process (or influence from local government) on the height limit of 800ish(?) for this tower.

On a side note included into my point, San Diego is going through a building boom of its own judging by the amount of cranes.

Tied into the boom, cranes are even closer to the flight path of the airport than the buildings which even seems more od to me.
 
Last edited:
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

rdeastcl said:
Not that I'm for or against an 1000 footer, but flying into San Diego recently really got me wondering about the FAA's thought process (or influence from local government) on the height limit of 800ish(?) for this tower.

On a side note San Diego is going through a building boom of its own judging by the amount of cranes.

Tied into the boom, cranes are even closer to the flight path of the airport than the buildings which even seems more od to me.
Click to expand...

San Diego has a 500' height limit. As far as I am concerned, boom or not, its skyline is, and always will be, pathetic.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

DZH22 said:
San Diego has a 500' height limit. As far as I am concerned, boom or not, its skyline is, and always will be, pathetic.
Click to expand...

My point isn't about the skyline, my point is that the "FAA" set height restrictions on the Trans National Place tower because of safety reasons. That being said, San Diego from a pilots perspective is way more scary to land in than Boston even with an 1000 ft tower in the purposed location of Winthrop Square.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

rdeastcl said:
My point isn't about the skyline, my point is that the "FAA" set height restrictions on the Trans National Place tower because of safety reasons. That being said, San Diego from a pilots perspective is way more scary to land in than Boston even with an 1000 ft tower in the purposed location of Winthrop Square.
Click to expand...

Well planes do not land over the downtown area. They take off that way. San Diego is still tougher to land at than Logan is regardless of that fact.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Maybe not the right thread, but the Winthrop Square Garage is closing for good nest week.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

This is definitely the right thread, and it's promising. I've been waiting for news of the garage closing for years now.

Although they say it's closing "indefinitely" and due to structural issues, I would bet the most economical option is to tear it down.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Globe says structural problems,
"City officials are closing the Winthrop Square garage in downtown Boston indefinitely due to structural problems. The 550-space city-owned garage will close Friday night because of deterioration and excessive moisture found during recent repairs. Boston officials said the garage will remain closed pending a more detailed structural analysis."
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

bosdevelopment said:
the wicked rooftop garden/bio-dome thing looks something out of vanilla sky.
Click to expand...

If you see any rooftop garden or really nice, totally public space at the top of a skyscraper render, you can be sure it will never happen. They put one of those on top of every skyscraper render to smooth out the community approval process.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Is this thread bubbling up just because the garage closed or is there any other news about a building going up? I know the "Tommy tower" was axed for a number of reasons. Wasn't there also a building on the site that some nut job was claiming some type of architectural significance that meant it should be saved / worked into the new design?
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

If by "nut-job" you mean 30% of this message board, then yes! Paul Rudolph is the architect.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Yes, the thread came back specifically because of the garage closing, which is huge. The decision on whether to fix or take down will determine whether anything gets built on this site in our lifetimes.
 
Re: Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

FYI, signs at the garage say closed "indefinitely." The closing has absolutely nothing to do with any tower construction moving forward at this site.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top