Worcester Infill and Developments

cubalibre said:
I guess my sarcasm above worked, as this is now proposed for the Mount Carmel plot. Not sure which direction the render points to but the garage is supposed to be built on the site where the church once stood:

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source:https://www.telegram.com/story/news...cquisitions-roman-catholic-bishop/7633744002/
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Planning Board Application

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From MassLive:

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‘It’s a gem’: Former Shack’s building in Worcester set to welcome new tenants after restoration highlights brick work, cast iron, terracotta lion heads


Two Elbridge Boyden buildings remain celebrated jewels of Worcester’s downtown landscape.

Mechanics Hall is the most well-known Boyden creation, constructed in 1855 on Main Street. It still attracts some of the world’s most talented musicians because of its acoustics.

The other, Saint Paul’s Church, combines rock-faced granite blocks and Gothic arches on Chatham Street.

The church provides one-of-a-kind views from the apartments inside the Chatham Lofts developed by the Menkiti Group.

The firm based out of Washington D.C. has plans, though, to highlight a third Boyden building in the center of Worcester.

The Menkiti Group has been working for more than a year on resuscitating the former Shack’s building, most recently covered with a facade and decades of dirt and grime.

Next week it will welcome a new tenant on the first floor, Bank of America, as it debuts a refurbished exoskeleton that gives life to what Boyden envisioned more than a century ago.

“This was one of the premier buildings of its time,” Vice President for Development at the Menkiti Group Mark Rengel said. “It was featured on maps of the city. It was one of the key buildings of its era. "

Bank of America plans to open its latest branch in Worcester on the ground floor of the building on June 14.

The branch is designed as part of the brand’s Advanced Center locations that can operate without employees on site. Kiosks inside will help customers when it’s fully operational. Visitors can also connect with Bank of America employees virtually.

The futuristic space meets the building’s past. Stained glass windows that were recently covered remain intact through the restoration and border the top of the bank’s space.
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Full Article

They've been working on this one for awhile, nice to see it come to completion.
 
It’s a nice building, I took a photo back in January during the exterior restoration. Nitpick: An employee-less BofA service center at this spot won’t help revitalizing Main Street. Same issue with the 7-Eleven closing down at the corner of Franklin Street, being replaced by a Santander branch😴

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Such a gem the only tenant we could find for the ground floor was a Bank of America.

JOY.
 
cubalibre said:
It’s a nice building, I took a photo back in January during the exterior restoration. Nitpick: An employee-less BofA service center at this spot won’t help revitalizing Main Street. Same issue with the 7-Eleven closing down at the corner of Franklin Street, being replaced by a Santander branch😴

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It sadly has the misfortune of being sandwiched between two of Worcester's many ugly structures. The faux facades on the old Wt Grants (left) and former bank (right) do not work.
 
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No new construction but there are plans to convert four old industrial buildings into “LaGrange Mill Lofts”.
The redevelopment encompasses two blocks in the Main South neighborhood which still has a good number of old factory buildings. I’m happy to see those preserved, including the smoke stacks (according to architectural drawings).

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source: t&g

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source:https://www.civicodevelopment.com/lagrange

www.telegram.com

From former mills to more housing?

The Planning Board has unanimously recommended an amendment to the city's zoning map for Main South to...
www.telegram.com
 
Proximity to the P&W is a detriment. Noise plus exposure to the trash containers that those rail cars carry can be overwhelming. They stink.
 
Blackbird said:
Love seeing old mills turned to housing, but all those parking spots definitely aren't very aesthetic. I'm worried it'll look like the 21st century incarnation of this.
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It’s likely going to look like the nearby Junction Shop Lofts, which have plenty of parking plus some green space and it looks fine. They’ll also be extending the existing community garden.

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Unfortunately nothing lasts in Worcester for very long. Seems many businesses may at first succeed but eventually they have short shelf lives and are not sustainable.
 
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I know malls are not a favorite on here, but I liked Greendale and it's Arsenal-lite aesthetic.
 
This mall was pretty dead except for TJX, Best Buy, Gold’s Gym, and a great taco place.
Too bad the mixed-use development plans fell through. Perhaps the new owner was in a hurry to sell and those plans seemed too audacious in the middle of the pandemic last year.
 
cubalibre said:
This mall was pretty dead except for TJX, Best Buy, Gold’s Gym, and a great taco place.
Too bad the mixed-use development plans fell through. Perhaps the new owner was in a hurry to sell and those plans seemed too audacious in the middle of the pandemic last year.
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Its the same story over and again for retail in Worcester. I can remember the Worcester Center Galleria being full and busy back in the early 1980's. The Greendale Mall had its day in the early 1990's. Even the Worcester Common Outlets had a few good years when it first opened in the mid to late 1990's. Eventually each one of them lost their luster and customers and tenants soon disappeared.
 
Malls are dying everywhere except a very few specific exceptions. If you have online resistant retail, some restaurants/ entertainment, mixed with offices, health care providers and residential, it works. Make it appealing. Assembly Square is the model which can be adapted to smaller and less affluent markets.
 
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