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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Boston Projects & Construction


Boston Skyline (Legoland?) by Nietnagel, on Flickr


Some recent projects in various stages of development:

Millennium Tower | 45 fl | 600ft | 170m | Pro

South Station Tower | 49 Flrs | 690 Ft | 210m | On Hold pending transportation projects

Downtown Crossing | 38 Flrs | 495 Ft | 150m | Com

Columbus Center | 35 Flrs | 400 Ft | 122m | On Hold

45 Province | 32 Flrs | 335 Ft | 102m

The Clarendon | 31 Flrs | 330 Ft | 100m

Russia Wharf | 31 Flrs | 345 Ft | 105m | Com

W Hotel | 29 Flrs | 309 Ft | 94m | Com

TNA | 75 Flrs | 1145 Ft(not including spire) | 349m | On Hold pending new developer

Nashua St | 37 Flrs | 414 Ft | 126

1 Joslin | 31 Flrs | 340 Ft | 104m | Terminal Hold

120 Kingston | 29 Flrs | 325 Ft | 99m | Prep
 
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#698 ·
No problem I hadn't seen one that hi-res before so I was very surprised. I tend to be overly optimistic at times but I think between parking lots, parking garages, advances in building really thin but tall towers and potential demolition of buildings that aren't valuable enough historically to retain that there will be enough space to get through a couple more decades. I think by 2030 space could be an issue especially if things are kept too short. But I am still hopeful.

I do see where you are coming from, but I think with the rebirth of the importance of cities or at least the recent shift in attitudes where cities are seen as important and people have started to see what makes cities work and why they are important again I do have optimism that as time passes it will become easier to build in cities and development regulations will become more sane.
 
#699 ·
Fenway's 17-Story 1350 Boylston to Officially Break Ground



Lead developer Skanska USA will be hosting an official groundbreaking this afternoon for 1350 Boylston Street, Fenway's latest apartment project to commence construction. There's a catch to today's ceremony: Skanska is holding it at the nearby Boston Arts Academy, the city's sole public high school for visual and performing arts, to which the developer is donating $10,000. Mayor Marty Walsh will be the guest of honor. As for 1350 Boylston, said construction has been under way in earnest since October.
 
#703 ·
Can you please stop posting things worrying about Boston running out of space for new towers please it is not true and unnecessary. Yes there are limited sites that are already open but more will open up over time there are still plenty of parking garages to be replaced downtown.

Also could you please explain why you think the Back Bay Station tower won't happen. There isn't any reason a 900 ft tower can't go there and it wouldn't cast shadows on any place that isn't already impacted by the Hancock and shadows don't go south so that should take care of the south end.

This just seems pointless and over dramatic to me. Maybe I am missing something but I think you will be surprised where Boston could be in a few years. I agree to many towers were built around 300 ft tall that should have been taller but that is over we have to work with what is available and crying/yelling about how bad it is doesn't change anything. Yes there are missed opportunities but there are also plenty of opportunities that haven't even been explored yet.
 
#704 · (Edited)
i should have put a disclaimer at the beginning of the post that i'd come off sounding heavy handed. it wasn't my intention, nor to take a big crap on the forum. i'll be the first to say, what an idiot i am, and thank you, when i turn out to be wrong.

i did leave an out; building in Back Bay will still be possible.... Then Govt Center is really one humongous demo. But we're getting close to things getting prohibitively expensive. Look at how tall they had to go at 1 Dalton. Add in Boston Redevelopment politics to any other possible site/s. So many are just a nightmare.

I've got friends working with this stuff. I hadn't had the opportunity to get into specifics with one 'in the know' until the last few days. I came to discover they see things in a similar light. It's not just overcoming the challenges of underground infrastructure, engineering, right-of-ways, zoning.... Now, as we move forward, it's the delicate hurdles involved with redevelopment of assets that are already well used being added to Logan, shadows, expensive impact studies, the cost of labor, angry neighbors, the Archdiocese, the colleges who own so much property.... then, add the goodies for the city... put it together, it's just a lot. damn perfect storm. a ton goes into these projects.

Look at 1 Dalton. Why does it get done, and an other one doesn't. Millennium is done, who has the right to say Bromfield Street doesn't? Yet, if it doesn't get built, that should tell you a lot. You're seeing people tearing their hair out because they're gonna do a variance on a 200 foot height rule at the Aquarium. This is happening, because there's no where else to build... Sadder still, you've got the Aquarium ass-douches that can't see Chiofaro is going to help bring a renaissance in this part of the City. Too many people don't see density here as a good thing - which is insane.

And there's stuff no one talks about in Boston. You had the Patrick (omfg) admn... You can't begin to quantify the evil that existed in the State House under his regime. Then there's the City. Infighting goes on with the developers that you can't even imagine. Stuff that could will never be repeated.

choose to believe it or not.

But, 1 Dalton also shows us a silver lining; where going forward, the purchase + removal of valuable properties gets so damn expensive, they simply have to go huge to make it feasible. I'm saying we're closer to this place than you think, and the Menino-era crap effectivly ends.

I'm not looking for a showdown, but, are you prepared to get specific? Where are we not looking? I don't see where. I see a few doglegs downtown/where you can do tall and narrow @ 450~620'. So, there's room for optimism there. But, unless you're talking about west of the Pru, then, i just think from here, our prospects start getting very thin.

Now, if you want to talk about 265-340 foot apartment buildings going all the way back to Hyde Park, yeah, people are thrilled. We'll continue to see these low towers, linkage, and neighborhoods revitalized.

Back Bay Station. The up to the minute is B.B.S. is 2 buildings with neither going tall.

You don't want to know who told me, But, if this is true, and i have every reason to believe that it is, then imo, they're better off setting it aside for a few years. If you want to see a world class skyscraper built here, you all are going to need to get LOUD before they get too far along (Count me in).... If the best path to a great tower requires waiting a few years, then it would be well worth it. It will be a tragedy if at least 1 +650 foot tower doesn't go up there.

Godspeed.
 
#705 ·
Boston properties said they want to go big at Back bay so I would not expect Hancock #3 there at all in fact financially that wouldn't work because it would likely partially be air rights so the height is necessary financially.

As far as available lots here is a screenshot of a map I created and provided a link to on the previous page.


Key:
Purple- easy or likely to be redeveloped
Orange- unsure political or economic factors make redevelopment complicated
Red- unlikely to be redeveloped in the near future
Green- Proposal

Based off of this map I count 18 sites that could fit at least one skyscraper and some could fit several. That is only including the purple lots and does not count current proposals. The FAA height limits on those parcels range from a low of around 700 feet up to around 975 feet.

When I posted this map on archboston the majority of people agreed with the parcels that I marked as available and I was able to add a couple more sites based on information a member gave me and this is only including downtown and Back Bay. There is potential for height in other areas of the city and this becomes more likely as people get more exposure to well designed skyscrapers and more are built outside of the usual high rise areas such as around north station.
 
#708 ·
Construction to Start on Big Bulfinch Triangle Project



The big-time development of the vacant lot across from TD Garden known as Parcel 1B has taken a big-time step forward. Related Beal, the same folks who brought you the spot-less Lovejoy Wharf, just announced they have enough financing to start construction this month on the apartment portion of the project. The firm has also inked a 99-year lease for the site with Parcel 1B's owner, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The apartment portion of the Parcel 1B development is due to include 239 units aimed at those not in the market for a $3,000 studio. Indeed, Related Beal calls their effort "the largest new construction of affordable and workforce housing in downtown Boston in more than a quarter-century."
 
#712 · (Edited)
i couldn't disagree more. The Brutalist Architecture of Boston from the '50s to the '70s (i.e. Govt Center/Christian Science Tower, much of Downtown, etc), and fugly concrete (i.e. concrete Harbor Towers/Longfellow Place, etc)... gave way to far too much redstone/brownstone/mudstone.

Millennium, The Hancock Tower, Exchange Place, 33 Arch, 100 High Street, Atlantic Wharf, 30 Dalton Street, and the soon-to-be (1 Dalton St/Four Seasons and Copley Tower), and recent Seaport Dist towers, or mixed glass as you have with Dewey Square/1 Financial or the Radian are all beautiful, imo.

If it has to be old look, i'll take the Seagram Building (New York) which takes on the appearance of Onyx or even the cladding of 1 Boston Place all day long...[I'm petitioning the BRA and BNY to add some type of uncomplicated facade; perhaps something akin to a ringed crown fence closer to the perimeter - to mitigate the cube shaped mechanical screen's offense to the City (and God) in the current regime].

http://www.emporis.com/images/show/521195-Large-fullheightview-elevated-view-from-the-east.jpg
 
#714 ·
...[I'm petitioning the BRA and BNY to add some type of uncomplicated facade; perhaps something akin to a ringed crown fence closer to the perimeter - to mitigate the cube shaped mechanical screen's offense to the City (and God) in the current regime].

http://www.emporis.com/images/show/521195-Large-fullheightview-elevated-view-from-the-east.jpg
I love this building and its presence on the skyline. Until Millennium overshadowed it, the cube on top was the most recognizable downtown landmark from the north. (93 South in particular) It's one of the only things that stands out in a sea of flat roofs. Outside of maybe a fresh coat of black paint, I think this building should be left alone.
 
#713 ·
I have no idea what you're talking about. Boston doesn't have a single stone/brick facade landmark tower in classical style, except beautiful Custom House Tower and Old Hancock Tower/Berkeley Building (which are #18 and 19 only on the skyline, see here). The taller ones of the city are all bland glassy/modernist, which is nice and all, but totally random - they could be in any other place of the world.

But even with a glassy facade, they should be able to create something that is more identifiable - like One Lincoln Street or 111 Huntington Avenue. I think Boston's skyline would profit immensely by two, three more postmodern or better classical-style landmark towers (650ft+).
 
#715 · (Edited)
I read your comment on ArchBoston concerning Back Bay maybe not going tall. They have a backlog on activating accounts, so I can't post. Again, there's more people talking about 900' at Back Bay. But, this looks dead on arrival. I wish it weren't so.

Wish something could be done to change the situation. Instead, it seems like one more "it'll have to be some other place that goes tall..." Only, there never is any other place, and we end up with just more of like what's going up at Boston Garden... Only Chiofaro and a few others recently have managed to hold out, seeing the future, viability, and maybe a vision about creating a landmark. Call me sentimental, but I'm giving Chiofaro the benefit of the doubt that he wants big things for Boston. Not just dollars. :)

Failure to go to the max at Winthrop Garage, Bromfield Street, South Station, Harbor Garage, Govt Center or Back Bay - will be a blow. Can anyone speculate where the next big chance to go +650~789 will be after these are gone?
 
#716 ·
Pike air rights very far in the future and in the nearer future the Gateway center lots are likely to get something tall. The parking garage across from the chinatown gateway arch on the edge of the leather district is a likely spot and could potentially have to thinner towers. The parking garage on Washington across from the Devonshire could reach that. Another parking lot that could go tall although I have no idea how likely it is or who owns it is the one on the corner of Chauncy St and Ave De Lafayette across from the Hyatt Regency. There is also the parking lot on Harrison Ave and Tyler St and the parking lot at Essex St, Ping On St, and Edinboro St in Chinatown. Several towers could be built above the Shaws, Lord and Taylor and the Saks Fifth Avenue at the Prudential Center. As well as any of the Mass Pike parcels between the Prudential Center and the Charlesgate. Likely spots being the air rights parcel on the corner of Boylston and Dalton st although the current proposal is shorter a taller one could be built instead if it is allowed and ever gets moving. I would think any of those could happen either as a last push during this cycle or as the start of the next.
 
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