Worcester Infill and Developments

The front spires have been recently removed:

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Embarrassing decision. When I visit Worcester these are the types of structures that hold my interest. I think I remember this one. It's right downtown isn't it? Really pathetic that they couldn't find a way to do an adaptive reuse here.
 
The Elmwood Adams building has been sold, apartments & restaurant planned.

$2.5M apartment, restaurant development slated for Elwood Adams building

A Hingham developer has purchased the former Elwood Adams Hardware building for $442,000 and plans to renovate the building into a mixed-use property.

Hugh McLaughlin, a principal of BradyMac Capital Advisory, said the top three floors of 14,700-square-foot building will be renovated into up to 14 apartments, mostly one-room.

The space was previously used as storage for the hardware store, which closed last fall.

The firm will invest up to $2.5 million to complete the project, which will include work on the first floor to attract a retail store or restaurant, McLaughlin said.

With the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences across the street, McLaughlin said he plans to market the apartments to college students or young professionals.

http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20180730/NEWS01/180739997/1002
 
And this building has been sold.

AR-180729962.jpg


A five-story office building on Main Street in downtown Worcester has sold for nearly $2.9 million, well below its initial sale price.

The building, with addresses of 545, 542 or 554 Main St., was put on the market early this year for $4.8 million by businessman Frank Carroll.

The buyer was 554 Main Street Partners LLC, an entity registered to Paul Morano of Worcester and Obiora Menkiti of Washington, with an address of the real estate firm Mentiki Group. The sale was recorded Tuesday at the Worcester Registry of Deeds.

The office building dates back to 1876, according to city property records, with newer additions in 1882 and 1925. It totals nearly 77,000 square feet and was last assessed by the city at nearly $3.6 million.

http://www.wbjournal.com/article/20180726/NEWS01/180729962
 
Glad to see these developments, and the idea to open a restaurant in the Elwood Adams building will add to the appeal of that area of Main Street. I hope they will treat the history of the 236 year old hardware store with some deference and incorporate aspects of it in the new restaurant.
554 Main Street could also support street level retail in the “theatre district”
 
Game changer for Worcester! Being classified as a AAA city with a new state of the art ballpark is an image boost that Hartford and Springfield could have used. New Haven too close to Yankee territory! And a little closer to AA Portland for player movement.
 
Game changer for Worcester! Being classified as a AAA city with a new state of the art ballpark is an image boost that Hartford and Springfield could have used. New Haven too close to Yankee territory! And a little closer to AA Portland for player movement.

Well, I think Hartford has had its fill of ballpark building for a while. :) Springfield wanted to be in the running, but nothing really came of it.

They seem to be going with "Worcester Red Sox", but I hope they announce a naming contest. Minor league names can be incredibly stupid, but they can also build brand equity and local identity. Teams seem to be moving away from having their affiliates share a nickname with the big club. That's especially true in this case, since the Red Sox have two affiliates with that name.
 
One of the articles had a mascot drawing with Woo Sox attached?
 
They trademarked the name, but that image is probably fan made. For starters, the bear is "Paws", so-named because of Pawtucket, so I'd be surprised if he appears in the Worcester logo.

EDIT: Did some research on old baseball teams in Worcester:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Baseball_teams_in_Worcester,_Massachusetts

Not a good name in the bunch. However, the "Worcester Worcesters", the only major league team in Worcester's history, have been referred to as the "Ruby Legs", which sounds perfect. Plays off of "Red Sox" while also being a local reference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worcester_Worcesters
 
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I would love if they dug the Ruby Legs name out for the new Worcester team.
 
You don't like "Worcester Busters"? Retro and slightly inappropriate, it would be a good fit to the city..
 
"Worcester Worms". With two smiling earthworms end to end in a "W" shape as a logo.
 
Ruby Legs isn't bad, but I'd like to see them incorporate the Wormtown nickname in to things. Worcester Worms? Wormtown Busters? I don't know, something. I also greatly look forward to hearing outsiders try to pronounce Worcester!

[edit]
And I see Toby was way ahead of me on the Worms concept.
 
Lipstick on a pig.

"Yes, our economy is in tatters, we blow up our grandest cathedrals in the center of our city for parking lots, and our citizens are too degenerate to care ... BUT A MINOR LEAGUE TEAM!!"

I'm sure this will come with all sorts of tax breaks. Taxpayer funding that could've salvaged the Notre Dame but will instead give a parking-lot-surrounded stadium that sits empty 270 days per year.
 
The Commonwealth will spend $35M to build affordable housing in Kelley Square and to build [EDIT from Polito's speech] a through roadway in Kelley Square, market-rate housing incentives, and a municipal parking garage.

Also, the press conference is very explicit, as is the Governor. "Triple-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox". The team does not yet have a name. [EDIT: Confirmed by Lucchino - "yet to be named baseball team", at which someone started chanting "WooSox!" and Larry added "there's one of the candidates right there."]

Also, just noted that every Worcester Public Schools student will get 1 free ticket per year. That's a nice touch.

Lt. Governor Polito just dropped that Madison Properties is committing money to redeveloping Kelley Square and Wyman Gordon South. Market rate housing, hotels...

Surprise from this article: Union Point was in play until this week.

https://www.masslive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/08/b5623be0ca9125/it-was-a-grassroots-effort-how.html

SURPRISE!! Larry drops a bombshell: they already have a naming rights deal with Polar for "Polar Park".
 
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The Commonwealth will spend $35M to build affordable housing in Kelley Square and to build [EDIT from Polito's speech] a through roadway in Kelley Square, market-rate housing incentives, and a municipal parking garage.

Also, the press conference is very explicit, as is the Governor. "Triple-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox". The team does not yet have a name. [EDIT: Confirmed by Lucchino - "yet to be named baseball team", at which someone started chanting "WooSox!" and Larry added "there's one of the candidates right there."]

Also, just noted that every Worcester Public Schools student will get 1 free ticket per year. That's a nice touch.

Lt. Governor Polito just dropped that Madison Properties is committing money to redeveloping Kelley Square and Wyman Gordon South. Market rate housing, hotels...

Surprise from this article: Union Point was in play until this week.

https://www.masslive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/08/b5623be0ca9125/it-was-a-grassroots-effort-how.html

SURPRISE!! Larry drops a bombshell: they already have a naming rights deal with Polar for "Polar Park".

I'm always skeptical of giving teams $$$ but can live with this deal if its mostly infrastructure. Would like to know what the projected tax revenues will be from all of this of course. However unlike RI which is going out of business Mass can afford the 35 clams to take a flyer on this all working out.
 

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