Winthrop Center | 115 Winthrop Square | Financial District

[Boston02124]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

exactly^

 

[datadyne007]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I'm not sure it's anything so sinister...I think they just wanted to put up a massing with relative accuracy. They want you to look at their tower, nothing else.

This is correct. Architects don't have the time to model every single context building to accurate perfection for their renders. This keeps coming up on here. Often, the graphics people are given the info/proposals a day or two in advance of the submission. They rightly focus on their own building instead of trying to model all the context to perfection.

I think they actually did a nice job on MT. It's a bit too light, but it gets the concept across.

 

[DigitalSciGuy]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Oh! It took me a full 5 minutes of trying to figure out what that building was...I need to finish this cup of coffee...

Is the site sufficiently far enough from the Common for the height to not be a factor in casting shadows on the Common beyond accepted/regulated tolerances? Better yet, design an array of heliostats into the crown of the tower to light the Common and/or Winthrop Square and get ahead of the backlash in the public process...

 

[type001]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

http://www.hacin.com/shop-architect...s-newest-iconic-tower-slated-winthrop-square/)

So full disclosure, I tried to Google a still of the biker dude with half a robotic face from Weird Science, to which I would have captioned something witty. But Google failed me.

I really wished we weren't being teased with that rendering. Damn!

 

[Semass]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I walked down Federal Street yesterday and realized how overly wide the roadway is. Its effectively four lanes but only two blocks long. As part of this project it would be great to see the street go on a diet. The City could reclaim at least one lane without substantial impact on traffic or the major bus operations. The extra space could bump out the sidewalk so the underutilized streetscape could include better pedestrian scale amenities. I think there is outdoor seating at Cosi but the rest of the street is really bland and unpleasant to walk. The plaza in front of 100 federal is just a big bus stop. More space on the sidewalk to allow for outdoor dining, street trees, etc.

 

[nico]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Is that SST or Gateway tower in that render?
Edit : Guess that's the Ritz/MT.

 

[Lrfox]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Is that SST or Gateway tower in that render?
Edit : Guess that's the Ritz/MT.

I definitely see where you were coming from. I think SST would be between the Fed and 1 Financial in that image if it was there. Maybe blocked by 1 Financial a bit.

 

[DZH22]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I walked down Federal Street yesterday and realized how overly wide the roadway is. Its effectively four lanes but only two blocks long. As part of this project it would be great to see the street go on a diet. The City could reclaim at least one lane without substantial impact on traffic or the major bus operations. The extra space could bump out the sidewalk so the underutilized streetscape could include better pedestrian scale amenities. I think there is outdoor seating at Cosi but the rest of the street is really bland and unpleasant to walk. The plaza in front of 100 federal is just a big bus stop. More space on the sidewalk to allow for outdoor dining, street trees, etc.

It has a lot of extra space on it for commercial traffic, as much of it is slated as commercial-only parking during the day. Frankly, it's only a 2 lane street with parking on either side. This would be considered a normal width road in most American cities, if not a bit narrow. It's fine for what it is.

100 Federal Street already has a big plaza, plus a somewhat substantial park (Post Office Square) right on the other side of the building.

 

[whighlander]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I walked down Federal Street yesterday and realized how overly wide the roadway is. Its effectively four lanes but only two blocks long. As part of this project it would be great to see the street go on a diet. The City could reclaim at least one lane without substantial impact on traffic or the major bus operations. The extra space could bump out the sidewalk so the underutilized streetscape could include better pedestrian scale amenities. I think there is outdoor seating at Cosi but the rest of the street is really bland and unpleasant to walk. The plaza in front of 100 federal is just a big bus stop. More space on the sidewalk to allow for outdoor dining, street trees, etc.

Semasss -- have you noticed that there a parking spots for deliveries and such -- this a two lane very busy street

Give the road-diet a rest

 

[stellarfun]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Belkin discusses his proposal.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...new-economy/2hZRI9Tcqq8ahb4aSBDENJ/story.html

 

[citylover94]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Honestly that makes me like his proposal even less. Everything he mentions was an idea from somewhere else. Yes a gathering space is a good idea, but this sounds like a build it and they will come. And his tower design is imo boring compared to some of the others.

 

[Semass]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Semasss -- have you noticed that there a parking spots for deliveries and such -- this a two lane very busy street

Give the road-diet a rest

I am perfectly aware of what is there. I do not agree that this is a *very* busy street. Walk it at rush hour. Go ahead. Just because you have ingrained ideas of road usage from your vantage point in the burbs does not mean they are accurate. I walk this street top to bottom 5 of 6 times a week. Before you dismiss any thoughts out of hand I encourage you to check it out yourself. I maintain that you could reduce the street by one lane without impact on traffic, commercial parking or transit.

 

[datadyne007]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I am perfectly aware of what is there. I do not agree that this is a *very* busy street. Walk it at rush hour. Go ahead. Just because you have ingrained ideas of road usage from your vantage point in the burbs does not mean they are accurate. I walk this street top to bottom 5 of 6 times a week. Before you dismiss any thoughts out of hand I encourage you to check it out yourself. I maintain that you could reduce the street by one lane without impact on traffic, commercial parking or transit.

As someone who works on Franklin (and uses Federal to get to the food trucks at Dewey Sq and in the opposite direction to get to an office in PO Sq), I can confirm this is accurate. Federal is never a busy street by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[citylover94]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

I think it would work well with one driving lane and 2 parking lanes with the rest left to expanded sidewalks like this.

http://www.streetmix.net/dakersey94/63/federal-st

 

[Jahvon09]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Does anyone know the latest developments on this planned project yet?

 

[DBM]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Does anyone know the latest developments on this planned project yet?

The BRA holds all the cards and the BRA just fired its planning director. You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing... anticipate heavily stalled, with a chance of lengthy bureaucratically-induced delays.

 

[Jahvon09]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The BRA holds all the cards and the BRA just fired its planning director. You don't need to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing... anticipate heavily stalled, with a chance of lengthy bureaucratically-induced delays.

Like always. Nothing new!

 

[type001]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

^Exactly, so please stop violating rule #1 of ArchBoston. Don't bump a thread asking for news. If there is any, someone will post it.

 

[West]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Regarding one of the delays, the City Council on Monday discussed the sale of this site to the BRA:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...MO/story.html?p1=Article_InThisSection_Bottom

Council decided to postpone voting:

http://www.universalhub.com/2015/council-puts-vote-letting-bra-sell-old-garage

That Globe headline strikes me as misleading: this isn't looking terribly snarled, this is looking like the usual messy process. If the Council voted against the transfer to BRA, now that would look like a snarl.

 

[JohnAKeith]

Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The Globe's Shirley Leung had a column yesterday talking about the people who have been bankrolling the Boston 2024 bid; Steve Belkin ponied up $100,000. Gee, wonder why he'd want to get in good with the mayor?