Winthrop Center | 115 Winthrop Square | Financial District

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

BosDevelop said:
what if the Great Hall included a restaurant/retail component similar to Eataly with many different options (both sit down and quick service) unique to that part of the city? I'm sure that would generate a ton of daily foot traffic.... Is there a competitor to Eataly?
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Movenpick Marche, which plays well in Europe, was tried at Prudential and ultimately failed.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

It showed fashion shows and shit in there. I think if Boston wants to make a statement along with Millennium theres no better way than showing off your beautiful new hall to the public. Get all of the dramatic city backdrop shots with the tower in the foreground and then show the event in the wtc transit hub esque hall. We don't have a space like this that I can think of, I would imagine that they would take advantage of it.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Gotham West is a great example of an upscale food court. Put those type of food counters along the sides of the hall with removable/re-configurable seating down the middle. Serve alcohol. It'll be as popular in winter as the Intercontinental patio is in summer (and probably with the same crowd, but so what? The suits have to drink somewhere...).

http://gothamwestmarket.com/


Then you clear out the chairs for an evening concert, pull out the runway for a fashion show, bring in booths for a winter farmer's market, etc...
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Ah, Gotham West. Fantastic little food hall. Is there anything like Gotham West, Gansevoort Market or the Pennsy in Boston?
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Seems like that sort of thing will likely happen, especially with the success of the public market.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

If millennium does get selected I will be very happy that 1 brom decided to go gold/black/bronze. 3 blue glass towers in a row with a new bullfinch triangle in blue and sst would start to be too much. Variety makes a huge difference.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

CSTH said:
^ That's called a food court.

A high end food court. Nothing wrong with that. A nice food court, maybe some sit-down too, is a freaking awesome thing.

But it's naive to think this is going to be a concert hall or something.

Maybe they'd throw a couple of events in the first year or two to demonstrate bona fides, but then the event coordinator would get promoted to a different job, the position would stay vacant for a while....

Not trying to be a hater. A food court / food hall deserves a thoughtful and well-executed architectural treatment as much as or even more than any other function. Just saying that believing that spaces generate programming is like believing that new office buildings create permanent office jobs.
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No sorry, it's not a food court. What I am suggesting has a mix of some quick service food (like a food court) AND also sit down, waiter service options. I've never been to a food court with tablecloths and waiters.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

probably most apt to think of it as a glorified international place. Some quick serve places for the workers, maybe a street level orientation and them some restaurants (like the Palm) for the after work/ evening. This will just be bigger with more open space for some potential functions. I'd be surprised if there is a significant retail presence. DTX is up the street and this isn't quite in that mix and then the Seaport is pulling more casual and high end retail.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

choo said:
probably most apt to think of it as a glorified international place. Some quick serve places for the workers, maybe a street level orientation and them some restaurants (like the Palm) for the after work/ evening. This will just be bigger with more open space for some potential functions. I'd be surprised if there is a significant retail presence. DTX is up the street and this isn't quite in that mix and then the Seaport is pulling more casual and high end retail.
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Yep - this is what I was thinking - a larger version of the IP "Courtyard" ... I'm not opposed to it, but I'm not sold on the design because of it, either. I'd much prefer a focus on the outdoor public space.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

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

617 said:
Spot on imo
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Trans National isn't tearing down the Rudolph building. Other than that he got it pretty well.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Equilibria said:
Trans National isn't tearing down the Rudolph building. Other than that he got it pretty well.
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That's correct. I spoke to CBT & TNP at the open house about this. Phase II guts the Rudolph Building but keeps the facade. I pointed out to them that it is rather unclear in their RFP response.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

tobyjug said:
The great hall looks like a colonoscopy image, complete with hemorrhoids.
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I am tempted to post a picture of my colonoscopy that my gastroenterologist gave me.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Has Trans National changed their plans since the initial submission? The Rudolph building is long gone in their renders...

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This image is from the online version of their presentation: http://www.cbtarchitects.com/presentations/transnational/playme.swf
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

The Globe article thinks the Lendlease tower looks like a Shanghai skyscraper and will immediately look dated. I think that is a bit of a stretch. I think my favorite is the Accordia, but I do like the boldness of the Lendlease proposal.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

i resent Trinity's proposal... and Millennium's for the same reason/s. Both proposals are designed to ignite controversy, and work up populist resentment against the BRA from community activists and generally, left-leaning citizens. A scare tactic to sway the Board from embracing iconic towers like Accordia's. Sorry, but these proposals are as far more cleverly contrived stunts than thoughtful, and well-designed towers.

The results of this poll speak to this reality loud and clear.

The BRA made very clear their desire to see good architecture done here and Trinity and Millennium have disqualified themselves with ridiculous proposals.

Millennium's proposal is WAY TOO LARGE for this parcel.... taken as a whole, their offer is little more than a bribe. The end result of Trinity's proposal; the tower itself - is an education.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

odurandina said:
i resent Trinity's proposal... and Millennium's for similar reasons. Both proposals are designed not only to ignite controversy, but to work up resentment against the BRA from left-leaning citizens. Sorry, but this is what it is.
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Dude. Take off the tin foil hat. These people are in business to make money. Everyone who submitted a proposal submitted what they thought was a good strategy to win. It cost $100,000 or more to make a proposal like this. No one set that kind of money on fire to stimulate controversy or whatever other nonsense conspiracy you've dreamed up.
 
Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

Once again, the interweb's embrace of the favorite idiot vs enlightened metaphor. 'Do what it takes to win,' vs good architecture. Wasn't it you who wrote the Globe months ago that the years keep passing and still no revenue from this site? If Boston can afford to do that, then Boston can certainly afford to put up a decent tower like Accordia (perhaps, the only good one from a very disappointing set of proposals). I like the idea of good distribution of lux units around the city. Judging from the rfp, it seems Golden and Walsh 'get it.' The market will determine the number of luxury units – and payout for affordable units is steady. So, we don't need to do huge here. But, if too many useful idiots fall for these stunts, we'll be suffering with another garbage tower.

If something good gets built, imo, it helps create a better mix with the less attractive office towers downtown.
 
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Re: 111 Federal St. | Formerly Trans National Place (Winthrop Square) Part 2

odurandina said:
i resent Trinity's proposal... and Millennium's for the same reason/s. Both proposals are designed to ignite controversy, and work up populist resentment against the BRA from community activists and generally, left-leaning citizens.
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Sorry odurandina, but I must wholeheartedly disagree with this one. A traditional/well-documented/tried-and-true business strategy is to specialize and differentiate; each of these developers was trying to do as strategy theorists love to exclaim "stay out of the middle of the road!" My guess is that these guys all knew it was going to be a crowded field, and they know that a proposal that is average across all factors will never win; simply put, they sought to differentiate, and took bold guesses as to which dimension they should focus on.

Business 101. Not everything is a left-driven conspiracy. Plus, it is in no developer's advantage to skewer the BRA.
 
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