Well, it's finally here. The rendering of Boston's possible 1000' tower by Renzo Piano.

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Graphic/2006/11/13/1163454847_4706.jpg

Monday, November 13, 2006
One bidder for 1000-foot tower site in Boston

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's invitation to developers to build an iconic, 1,000-foot-tall tower on the site of a decaying city-owned parking garage drew only a single bidder today.

Steven Belkin, chairman and founder of Trans National group and an owner of the Atlanta Hawks basketball and Atlanta Thrashers hockey teams, proposed a tower -- which after approvals may turn out to be Boston's tallest building -- with extensive retail space on the ground floor.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority issued a request for proposals for the Winthrop Square public parking garage site, at 115 Federal St., in May; bids were due on today. Belkin, a hugely successful businessman but not as of yet a real estate developer, was considered by many to be the one to beat because he owns a key adjacent property, 133 Federal St.

The odd-shaped parking garage, with a footprint of a little over an acre, is considered much more valuable if a building there could also include the space occupied by Belkin's building.

Belkin has hired Meredith & Grew/Oncor as development manager for his project, and he has been working with architects including the highly regarded Renzo Piano of Italy, who designed the commercial and cultural Centre Pompidou in Paris.

"Very clearly he's been working on this for quite a bit of time,'' said David I. Begelfer, chief executive of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties' Massachusetts chapter. "He has the land, he has the money, and without question he has the determination to build this."

Belkin pioneered the successful use of "affinity" credit cards, those tied to businesses or nonprofit institutions, and has started more than two dozen companies. He is extensively involved in charitable work in Massachusetts, including efforts on behalf of Harvard University, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Belkin also owns Belkin Family Lookout Farm, in Natick, Mass. He graduated with a degree in engineering from Cornell University in 1969 and received a masters in business from the Harvard Business School in 1971.

Menino surprised the development community in February by giving a speech in which he invited developers to think big, after many year during which tall towers were shunned in Boston. The 60-floor Hancock Tower in the Back Bay is the city's tallest office building.
(By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe staff)
Posted by Boston Globe Business Team at 01:46 PM

As I said on the Boston thread, this tower looks taller than 1,000' even without the spire.

Another 1000 footer outside NYC and Chicago. Looks good although would like to see some more renders to judge better

I would like to see rendering showing other angles.It's hard to judge it based on just one rendering.

It looks really nice against the rest of the Bostonian skyline. I hope this gets built!

I love this tower, looks so modern and high

unbelievabel how many supertalls are coming at the moment

nice project

go boston!! very nice. will it be taller than Pei's hancock tower??

yes, this will be Boston's new tallest.

how much is a 1000 feet in meters?? sorry for the stupid question..

305 meters, 1m = 3.28 feet

unbelievabel how many supertalls are coming at the moment


I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this isn't a trend, it's an awakening. This flood of supertalls is here to stay. Good for Boston, looks like a nice tower.

I like your attitude! For sometime people around here have been saying that the boom is almost over. On the other hand, the 90's were the only postwar decade that didn't witness massive development. There are at least cities in the US that I think could sustain a thousand foot tower, and it looks like the NIMBY powers are waning. The stigma of supertalls is gone - people are excited at a national level about FS(or CS now) and the new WTC. Developers take note of this. Nashville, now Boston, and possibly St Louis, Miami and SF. I'm hoping for an intesting decade.

From that render, I dont like it. If I see others then maybe I'll change my mind but the only thing special about this is the height.

Beautiful tower! Crispy needs to be brigged.

Shiny, Boxy, & HOT! We need a new tallest in Seattle......

Piano Tower Would Give Boston a Lift
Sunday, November 19, 2006 1:54 PM EST
The Associated Press
By MARK JEWELL

BOSTON (AP) — Finally, things are looking up — 1,000 feet and 75 stories up — in this history-rich city where colonial era church steeples are prized over skyscrapers, and the skyline's few tall buildings are largely conservative in design.

Boston businessman Steve Belkin's proposed glass-and-steel tower would top the city's current tallest building by more than 200 feet and 15 stories, reflecting a resurgence in the downtown commercial real estate market, observers say.

"I think it's going to make a lot of our other buildings look very boring, quite honestly," said Frank Nelson, a Boston-based executive director with the commercial real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield. "We need it."

The design by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano emerged last week in response to Mayor Thomas Menino's call in February for private development proposals to replace an aging city-owned parking garage in the heart of the Financial District.

Officials in Boston and other U.S. cities typically seek to rein in developers' wishes to build high above neighboring office buildings, but the sky was the limit for Menino. He encouraged a bold architectural statement to surpass the John Hancock Tower, which for three decades has stood as New England's tallest building at 60 stories and 792 feet.

The Hancock anchors Boston's Back Bay section along with the 42-year-old, 52-story Prudential Tower.

In the nearby Financial District — home to the likes of Fidelity Investments and State Street Corp. — most tall buildings top out at around 40 stories. The last time a new Boston building of more 40 stories went up was in 1987, with the completion of the 46-story One International Place.

In a city that has managed to save historic structures such as King's Chapel and the Old Statehouse from overshadowing high-rises, reluctance to build high runs deep. A state law restricts new buildings that would cast a shadow on Boston Common, and past proposals to build 50 stories or higher in the Financial District have failed to secure city approvals.

"We are an old city that is not that tall, so we take a look at each and project and make sure it is appropriate," said Susan Elsbree, a spokeswoman for the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the city agency that will review Belkin's proposal.

So when Menino called for a project taller than any the city had seen before, the mayor and others hoped several developers would respond by last Monday's design-submission deadline, leading to a competitive selection process.

But in the end, there was just the proposal from Belkin, the founder of credit card and travel companies, and part owner of two Atlanta pro sports teams, the Hawks and Thrashers.

However, real estate officials say Menino's failure to bring in more than one development proposal is not an indication that the downtown commercial real estate market has failed to break out of a five-year slump.

They say the office building market is starting to catch up with recent booming residential growth in high-rise downtown condominiums. They cite the Boston office market's vacancy rate of 8.2 percent in this year's third quarter — the lowest in more than four years, according to the commercial real estate firm CB Richard Ellis.

Observers say Belkin was the only developer to come forward because he has an edge over rivals to make the most of the hemmed-in Winthrop Square development site, where the skyscraper would replace the parking garage on Federal Street.

Because Belkin already owns a mid-rise building adjoining the oddly shaped site, he could expand his skyscraper to the space occupied by his existing building, which could be torn down.

"He really had the edge coming in," said David Begelfer, chief executive of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. "The space issue has made it a much more limited opportunity for other developers."

Belkin wants to call his skyscraper Trans National Place, after his company, Trans National Group.

Piano, the project's Italian designer, is a Pritzker Prize-winning architect known for his work on such projects as the Centre Pompidou in Paris and The New York Times Co.'s new headquarters in Times Square.

His Boston design would create 1.3 million square feet of office space, with a mix of retail and restaurant space on lower floors. A 1-acre park would be built at ground level, with more public space on the building's roof.

There is no specific timeline for the project, and the city says it's review process could involve more than one stage before the final building design is approved. But real estate industry officials say they're optimistic the project will be built, given the recent rebound in the downtown office space market.

Don't expect Boston to resemble Manhattan's skyline. The site for Belkin's tower is one of the last prime pieces of real estate available for development in the downtown core, and new projects on the city's South Boston waterfront are height-restricted to provide unobstructed flight paths to nearby Logan International Airport.

"I think the sight for this new building is so prime that it's the last of the great downtown building sites in Boston," said Nelson, of Cushman Wakefield.

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I like it...love the height too

It's a box, nothing iconic about that, sadly.

I love the design, very minimalist. Only that too plain to be the City's landmark.

I do like the design, except I don't care for off-center spires. Th late modern style popular circa 1973-85, that includes the JHT, is back in force. Best of all, this is an office tower, so it won't get cancelled over the residential slowdown.

Too plain for my taste.
Piano could have produced at LEAST an LBT type of design.
It's a glassy box. A big one indeed, but just a box still.
Bit of a of waste if it goes ahead unchanged.

But hey, perhaps it will bring in creativity for future projects.

It looks very good in context of this angle. I'd like to see renderings from other angles to judge better.

If this were any other city I'd say go with it, but Boston is so kick-ass I'd like to see more before i judge it.

From this angle however it compliments everything else very nicely.

I like it, fits great into the skyline.
Something too spectacular just wouldn't.

is there pic's of the site, were it might be located at

A typical steel & glass American Box building -- no style, no class. One hot fire & the bldg would come down, since steel melts, and steel in the backbone of the bldg. El cheapo, el cheapo!

Interesting you would say that since I think using concrete to build skycrapers is El Cheapo, El Cheapo.

Steel with proper fire protection insualtion is better than concrete.


Anyways, I think the building is alright for Boston. Not too flashy, but not too boring either.

Any updates on this project? I haven't heard anything lately!

Hmm I sort of like this tower. I don't think Boston needs something too different, but the height gives the skyline some more visual interest.

I like the design so far, but given that we have only seen one render I cannot judge it fully yet.

great project, i hope it triggers more height for boston! i have noticed, although very impressive, it lacks height for a city of that stature and size.

The design is kinda plain, but it would still be a real boost for the Boston skyline.

City's tallest tower clears first hurdle


Businessman Steve Belkin was designated by the Boston Redevelopment Authority today to build the city's tallest building.

The tower would be on the site of a parking garage in the Financial District.

Belkin has proposed an unusual 1,000-foot tower, perched on columns three stories above Federal Street, with a public park underneath, restaurants, and a gathering area called a town green.

Elevators on the outside of the glass building would whisk tenants and visitors skyward; atop the 80 stories would be a half-acre "look-out park."

"Boston's known for its revolution," Belkin told the BRA board. The building, he said, "will revolutionize skyscrapers. We’re actually creating green space ... We’re giving land back to the community."

Belkin made millions from a network of companies in the travel, financial, and communications businesses, and began plotting to build a tower more than a decade ago when he bought a commercial building adjacent to the city parking lot.

He has hired noted architect Renzo Piano, who spoke of the proposed building's "slender, slim" profile.

The BRA designation is the first hurdle. Belkin has pledged to begin construction in 2008 and finish by 2011.

His initial plans were enthusiastically endorsed by BRA board members. "It's very exciting for the city," said Consuelo Gonzales-Thornell.

Chairman Clarence "Jeep" Jones quipped, “It seems so attractive what are you going to do when everybody in the city wants to be there at the same time?" (By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe staff)


http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/0125_building_005.jpg
Italian architect Renzo Piano (left) and Steve Belkin. (Globe photo)

Link (http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2007/01/citys_tallest_t.html)

Hehe I work right across the street from it. If I still work there when construction starts for this....Ill be posting pics often. BTW, anyone know the name of the other 40+story tower under construction near the Filenes/Macy's and the Suffolk law school? I can't seem to find it at all. I know they started demolishing stuff for it.

And another development I noticed is near the john hancock tower, nothing posted about whats getting build but stuff is getting torn down. Any info appreciated.

I love this tower, looks so modern and high. Have a nice design :okay:

great idea with the green space, nice tower

The rendering looks very much like the Bloomberg Tower in NYC when viewed from up Lexington Ave. The only big difference is the antenna is on the side, not on top..

Cool...I don't think I've heard of a city calling for bids on building a tower...well, we did take bids on an existing building in New Orleans that the city owns to develop a hotel, so I guess that counts. But, all of the new towers that I've seen have been through private developers. A very interesting concept for Boston. I like the tower.

Hehe I work right across the street from it. If I still work there when construction starts for this....Ill be posting pics often. BTW, anyone know the name of the other 40+story tower under construction near the Filenes/Macy's and the Suffolk law school? I can't seem to find it at all. I know they started demolishing stuff for it.

And another development I noticed is near the john hancock tower, nothing posted about whats getting build but stuff is getting torn down. Any info appreciated.

Instead of listing them, not sure if you know this site, http://architecturalboston.com/forum/index.php
Everything that is being built in any city from Providence to Portland.
Cool site.

Very nice. Good height, very clean and sleek looking and really adds a lot to the skyline. I also don't mind the boxiness, because a well done box can imo look as nice as any other shape. Maybe it's just because I'm from Toronto.

i love boxy towers, they're simply elegant and when they're really tall they look bigger than with any other shape.

Looks real good. :)

I don't think anybody has updated the actual height of this building...on the title of this thread it says 1,000 ft. The actual height to the top of the glass is 1,087 ft. and the tip of the spire will reach a dizzying 1,270 ft.!! Maybe not as huge as some of the other megatowers in other parts of the world but that's HUGE for Boston!

Well this tower if constructed will be one of the best 1000+ footers in the world. It just looks so nice, it seems like it was taken out of the studio of the WTC in NY.

Yes, it will be a nice building but I don't know about the best.

Also, this doesn't look very imaginative for Renzo Piano.

This is the Renzo Piano designed Aurora Place in Sydney:

http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2004/07/17/aurora_narrowweb__200x283.jpg

In this image its the big fat white building.

Shows how well it fits into the skyline. Looks even more spectacular from the harbour. Since Boston also has a harbour, I think a more unique building should be built. But then again, from all I've heard, Boston is a very proper and sensible place. So I suppose a proper and sensible and nice building would be good.

http://www.piffs.org/photogallery/Buildings/images/Sydney%20Skyline.jpg

Just my thoughts...

Nice, i would love to see this in Boston.

Looks nice to me, and DAMN that is tall...

has shades of NYC's new Times Tower...but this is nice...crispy...more glass...slender....i say build it Boston ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! ! !!! !! !!

Not necessarily good news but apparently, the height to the roof is now at least 1,145ft. I'm not exactly sure if the spire will soar any higher than 1270 ft with the change. Also it is now 80 floors instead of the original 75 floors.

In the shadow of the future?
Trans National Place tower up for review
Christopher Loh, cloh@bostonnow.com

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Projected as the tallest building in New England, the proposed Trans National Place tower, slated for completion in 2011, could cast a shadow over the Boston Public Garden.

At 80 floors and 1.3 million square feet of office space, the 1,000-foot tower would be located at 133 Federal St. and is set to enter its official review phase this summer.

According to the Friends of the Boston Public Garden, the tower would cast a 15-minute shadow over the park every morning.

Project officials are unsure of the predictions and said they are performing a "comprehensive series of studies."

Backed by Trans National Properties of Boston, the project will include 40,000 square feet of retail space and 31,000 square feet of public space. Trans National Properties owner Steve Belkin said the tower incorporates "innovative world-class sustainable design."

In 2011, Boston's skyline will feature three new skyscrapers. Here are Boston's projected top-five tallest buildings in 2011:

1. Trans National Place: 1,145 feet
2. South Bay Tower: 777 feet
3. Hancock Place: 771 feet
4. Prudential Tower: 732 feet
5. South Station Tower: 604 feet

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Graphic/2007/05/25/1180145581_3533.jpg

we need to build this one too ..Boston will look remarcable :)

This building is amazing! Fianally Boston is getting Taller! Wow, this building is elegant!

Thats nice! Boston's highrises are spectacular but the city is lacking of skyscrapers. I am hoping that it will go through.

With the three new skyscrapers, Boston will be no more shadow in the future.

Here's a diagram I made of the tower compared with Boston's sister cities (SF, Philly) tallest tower. The diagram is probably inaccurate due to the fact that there isn't a final height announced yet. I used SSP diagrams.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y226/DarkFenxmon/Diagram.png

The tower is gonna be in 2 times higher than the original Boston skyline

Whats a NIMBY? ive seen it on a ton of sites, never bothered to ask lol. Anyway, the new height is good. i was embarassed when i looked at the top 100 tallest in the world, and boston didnt have one. I know the boxy shape many dont like, but face it, in bostons skyline it looks very creative, because our buildings are all boxy. plus its very enviromentally friendly, and i cant wait to go up that elavator.

Whats a NIMBY? ive seen it on a ton of sites, never bothered to ask lol.

Not
In
My
Back
Yard

Conservative minded people/residents who oppose development of any kind in the local or surrounding area.

Whats a NIMBY?

"Not In My Back Yard"


:cheers:

love the building, and I hope Piano will do a better job than what he did in New York with the Times building.
I Love Boston, and I think this would be a great addition.
please build it!!!!

I thought Piano wasnt designing it anymore?
heard there was a fallout.

in fact, theres no reason to believe the building in these renders will ever be built! a different tower probably.
anyone got updates?

o i hate those people
anyone have pics for the south bay tower?

South Bay tower has been around. South Station has been since at least 2000. They are emblematic of Boston's failure to have major highrises materialize. Usually when a billionaire developer and the city mayor conspire to build something, it will at least have a chance. But no...it might cast a shadow.

Actually, the SST is slated to start work around the end of this year or beginning of next year. There are works at SST that has started already but nothing major.

nice to see Boston with a 1,000 foot scraper

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Graphic/2007/05/25/1180145581_3533.jpg

Wow... that's going to make one helluva difference.

It doesnt look to scale to me but hey!

Regarding south station tower does anyone know if this is going ahead? i priced a lot of that building back at xmas time, came in at around 450m dollars, that was with all the work to the bus terminal etc too

Construction is supposed to start later this year. It has been fully approved i believe.

I like it, hope it will be built

the tower looks........"nice"

The tower looks great and I hope it gets built. I've always wanted to see a supertall in Boston.

hope it gets built will look great hopefully when they build the cladding it doesnt start raining down glass.

The best thing about this tower is the colossal impact it will have by dwarfing everything around it.
But it's BOX for God's sake!!!!

How laim!?

i did some research,just so there is no confusion, here are a few things.

South Bay Tower-this was a asian looking large tower planned near the entrance of chinatown. it is most likely not going to happen. it is also known as the "gateway center"

South Station Tower-this is around the same height as the pru and hancawk, and will be built over south station. construction has already begun.

Trans-National Place-the big thing we are talking about. i dont think i need to say anything more :)

so...is there any news about construcction?? what is happening??

uhmmmm, nothing special.

so...is there any news about construcction?? what is happening??

Boston.....it takes forever for things to get done!

Boston.....it takes forever for things to get done!

They should adapt the Dubai Bureaucracy where everything that gets approved will get built on the next week or two! :lol:

wow. still proposed?

Friday, September 28, 2007
Belkin's super tower behind scheduleBoston Business Journal - by Michelle Hillman Journal staff

Belkin: Design updates slow tower plan
View Larger The proposed 1,000-foot Financial District tower proposed by entrepreneur Steve Belkin is behind schedule -- at least in part because he is redesigning the building to increase its square footage by 200,000 square feet to 1.7 million.

The tower is being designed by CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Architects Inc. of Boston after the lead architect, world-renowned Renzo Piano, dropped off the team in March. Belkin has not discussed the reasons for the split publicly, but Piano has said he was asked to increase the width of the skinny, 80-story tower he designed.

There are at least three design schemes being considered, including 76-, 77- and 79-story versions, according to a source who asked not to be named because the plans have not been finalized or made public. The Boston Redevelopment Authority's director of planning, Kairos Shen, recently confirmed the tower is expanding.

"Now it's grown to 1.7 million square feet," said Shen, addressing a crowd at a meeting of the Associated General Contractors of Massachusetts last week.

Sounds like they are making slow progress. No new renders yet.

In addition to the parking garage, a 12-story midrise building known as 133 Federal Street would be torn down.

I keep myfingers crossed for this new landmark in Boston!!!! Really nice one that fits perfectly into the Boston skyline!

Wow I really love this tower. And yea it does fit in pretty well! :cheers:

looks great? wen will it start? love new england area

O.K design, nothing special. The height is great :)
any news?

^^

Nope. The parking garage on the tower's site will be demolished in 2009, as planned. It will be a while until we see any news from this tower :(.

But still proposal, or now approved??

But still proposal, or now approved??

Still just a propsal. It's slowly progressing, as one of the properties that would be demolished has a September 2008 date to vacate. Since Piano resigned, we haven't even seen an updated render. It'll be a while on this one.

Beautiful. Is it the same "green giant", that was proposed earlier?

^^

Yup, just fatter since the developer asked for a bigger floorplate (some of the higher-price things, like the external elevator, have been removed :().

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Graphic/2007/05/25/1180145581_3533.jpg
This will quickly move Boston's skyline into the top 5 in the country.

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Original_Graphic/2007/05/25/1180145581_3533.jpg
This will quickly move Boston's skyline into the top 5 in the country.

That pic doesn't include the 600' South Station Tower on the left and another one at about 350', Russia Wharf, to the right of that. The skyline is improving.

I already love Boston's skyline, this addition will make it even better!

OTOH I wish somebody will start building something in place of older districts (Dorchesters/Roxbury and such) which IMHO don't hold much of architectural value.

Boston's skyline is in dire need of this tower.

I hope it gets built! :okay:

^^no new news yet, the demolition of the existing building is delayed to 2009 because of economic conditions...:ohno:

That tower will really dwarf the rest of the skyline, but it looks ok IMO. :)

IT ISN'T BAD. HOWEVER BOSTON DISERVE A BETTER BUILDING...................................

^^ what's the matter with this building? this building is quite attractive in my opinion.

Boston's skyline is in dire need of this tower.

I hope it gets built! :okay:

I agree. A big city like Boston needs a skyline that really represents it.

really good tower.could move into the top 20 or top 10 skylines in the us with that.

This project is becoming more of a pipe dream every day:

1. FAA is pressuring the developer to lower the height to 800 ft
2. demolition delayed until 2010 by the earliest
3. not enough demand for tower, developer doesn't even have a lead tenant
4. very little news about this lately, Boston already has many short towers going up, so this isn't necessary nor even wanted

So it's not a dead project yet, but it's looking very close to one.

i never had much hope for that tower

These are not good news for Boston, I like that building a lot

Lousy scrum-buffing FAA is trying to reduce the height of this tower to 800 feet. I just wanted the building to stay above 300 metres. I guess the architect who is designing Trans National Place probably hates the FAA.

There is no way that this tower will get under construction, we have two 400 ft towers on hold as well (including one which made a massive hole in the middle of downtown), so if there isn't enough demand for a few short towers, there definately isn't enough demand for this. Suffice to say, I'd say this project is dead pernamently.

This tower does look very good...and not too tall!

Finally...A Super-Tall to rise over the center of Boston!

someone should make a list of all proposed towers to find out how many of them get built in the end, would be interessting... i would say less than 60%of all towers get build.

Not surprised, given that it is Boston after all. This is officially dead. What a joke. Nothing but the mayor spouting hot air. Development in Boston is pathetic.
Developer’s move nixes plan for Tommy’s Tower
By Thomas Grillo
Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The 1,000-foot Tommy’s Tower is dead.

Steven Belkin, the developer of what would have been the city’s tallest skyscraper, is selling his 56,000-square-foot building in the Fenway and moving his Trans National Group travel agency to 133 Federal St., sources told the Herald.

The 12-story Financial District tower would have been demolished to make way for the 80-story glass tower that Mayor Thomas M. Menino hoped would be built. With TNT Vacations moving its staff to Federal Street, it is unlikely Belkin will raze the building anytime soon, sources said.

This is the latest in a series of missteps that doomed the “iconic tower.” First, Belkin and celebrated Italian architect Renzo Piano parted ways. Later, Belkin and the city could not agree on a price for the Winthrop Square parking garage, which would have been part of the project. Then financing for commercial development over $10 million dried up.

Robert Griffin, president of Cushman & Wakefield, the global commercial real estate company, is handling the sale of the Fenway property at 2 Charlesgate West near Fenway Park [map]. He said the six-story building’s location near the Longwood medical area makes it a valuable asset at a time when the vacancy rate in that area is zero. The building is assessed at $5.6 million.

There nothing iconic about this building. I couldn't see it getting built. But who knows maybe theres still hope, I don't think there is but who am I.

Wasn't a bad design, would look appropriate compared to the Hancock. Certainly as you said though not iconic, but still a good tower. Shame but oh well. Would have still spruced up the skyline.

However It'd be nice to fill up the gap between the Hancock and Downtown (Cluster of Skyscrapers) so maybe we'll get something there in the 600-1,000 foot range. Though on second thought it's going to take more than 1 building to fill that gap. lol

from what I've seen in pictures thats a pretty big gap much bigger then micheal strahan's lol

In a way, I like that gap(the skyline, not Strahan's)! What I wish to see is more density in the two areas. If Copley Place and Columbus center get built, along with whatever tower gets built at the Christian Science Plaza, the two towers proposed at the Prudential center and parcels over the mass pike, it would look great!
Then in downtown, which has a 5 500' towers proposed, along with the now U/C Russia Wharf, hopefully U/C soon Filene's and maybe one day the North Station Towers.
I am an optimist and I love density, so I can hope!

Tower is not dead. Might be shorter and/or slimmer though

Developer Steve Belkin has altered his plans for a controversial new tower on the site of a city-owned parking garage, telling Boston officials he still hopes to build on the site but no longer intends to tear down an adjacent office building, Belkin and a city official said.

“We’re still hopeful that they’ll be able to refine the plan and come back and talk to us in the next few months,” Boston Redevelopment Authority Director John Palmieri said.

Belkin, whose Trans National Group is moving back into his building at 133 Federal St., said through a spokeswoman: “Our company is committed to moving forward on the Trans National Place project at Winthrop Square and believe there is still a tremendous opportunity to build an iconic tower for Boston on this site. “

A final design for the site could include the existing building, Palmieri acknowledged.

When Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced he wanted a tower of around 1,000 feet built in the neighborhood several years ago, Belkin was the city’s pick. But the Federal Aviation Administration nixed the idea, given the proximity of the site to Logan International Airport.

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2009/02/16/daily31.html

i LOVE this building...and LOVE boston!!!

boston really needs this!!!!!

Sorry, but this project is guaranteed not going to happen, it's blocked by the FAA, the developer doesn't have the money, and there's many other projects on hold in Boston; the only person pushing this tower is the lunatic mayor who just wants to stroke his ego with this by leaving a physical mark on the city, but now that there's a 750ft tower proposed a bit north of this site, I think his ego is safe (plus the other tower's design is better).

Looks very nice. I think Boston skyline deserves a new tallest !

In a way, I like that gap(the skyline, not Strahan's)! What I wish to see is more density in the two areas. If Copley Place and Columbus center get built, along with whatever tower gets built at the Christian Science Plaza, the two towers proposed at the Prudential center and parcels over the mass pike, it would look great!
Then in downtown, which has a 5 500' towers proposed, along with the now U/C Russia Wharf, hopefully U/C soon Filene's and maybe one day the North Station Towers.
I am an optimist and I love density, so I can hope!

The gap should stay. I don't think anything higher than the Westin and Copley Marriott should be built in the Back Bay. I wouldn't want to see the Hancock get crowded. I think having the tallest building set apart adds visual interest to the skyline and creates more of an impression, just like the Empire State is set apart from the rest of the midtown skyline.http://www.sanjuansnowtreks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/empirestate.jpg
http://www.penceland.com/images/Hancocks.jpg

Question, do you realize that there is practically no buildings between the Hancock and the Financial District?

At least the Empire State building has something. So to be honest, it doesn't compare.

Ya, I've lived in Boston since 1996. There isn't much between the Empire State and lower Manhattan that compares in height to the Empire State Building. I just think a solid wall of tall buildings would make the skyline less distinctive. I don't think they should do anything above the height of the old Hancock.

I too wouldn't like a massive fill in there.

But jeez. Let's face it. It's huge. lol

Losing a Paul Rudolph for a fifth form Renzo Piano design that violates the FAA air corridor? This puppy had nothing going for it. Instead of getting hung up on height, Boston ought to emphasize design quality and urbanism.

Ya, I've lived in Boston since 1996. There isn't much between the Empire State and lower Manhattan that compares in height to the Empire State Building. I just think a solid wall of tall buildings would make the skyline less distinctive. I don't think they should do anything above the height of the old Hancock.

Well theres three supertalls down after ESB in midtown. And then nothing but low rises Thats a gap that a never be filled.

This tower's not going to happen, please lock thread.

Beautiful!

This tower's not going to happen, please lock thread.

dont be so sure, anything is possible

This tower's not going to happen, please lock thread.

Despite the recession over here, Boston is still undergoing considerable growth. Could easily be possible for this to continue on in a year or two.

no I'm sure, the FAA rejected it plus the mayor doesn't seem so "enthusiastic" about the project anymore, and his word means everything when it comes to development in Boston

eh, idk. Even if the FAA rejected it, something of this size could pop up in the Back Bay where the Hancock and PC are located.

^^yeah they did plan a very cool-looking 650 ft residential tower at Copley Place, though it's been delayed due to the recession

hmm i never thought id see a supertall in boston! :nuts:
this thing looks more like 400+ in boston :lol:

U still might not ever see a supertall in boston