Longfellow Place (née Garden Garage Towers) | 35 Lomasney Way | West End

[GW2500]

Between this, Nashua St. Residences, Congress St Garage, the two properties infront of the Garden, and Don's Garage proposal, Boston will have noticable additions to its skyline when driving in from the north. Granted who knows when any of these will get built.

[Shepard]

Noticable additions to the skyline yes, but most likely cheap crap like this recent proposal. The reason isn't even that developers are being cheap - I think it goes a lot further than that to a collossal failure of planning that made the North Station area a (luxury) bedroom community of South Station. Nobody expects anything unique to go up here, so nothing unique will ever be proposed.

[palindrome]

The Cook and Fox Congress st. garage proposal was pretty unique, but that never had a chance in this economy.

[Shepard]

^ That's true. I meant more specifically the area immediately around Causeway and CRP.

[pelhamhall]

Another fine design from Boss Menino, AIA. You can't blame Equity or the architect for doing what is ordered.

Look at the renderings again, chop off 7 stories, fatten each tower up a little, cheapen down the materials, and there you have it: Architecture in Boston in 2010.

Garbage. As the city wishes.

[found5dollar]

What am i missing?

I don't see the horribleness of this project...

it integrates, adds street life, gets rid of a garage, and creates a link to a multi-use path.

Sure i would like to see it probably a little taller, and if i was designing i would add more ground floor retail, but i just don't see the devastating design that everyone else sees.

[Shepard]

creates a link to a multi-use path

I assume you're talking here about the interior pathways of Charles River Park. These have always irked me. Technically they are public paths, but thanks to a lack of any directional signage (that I've seen at least) and manicuring/maintenance that (in my opinion) does its best to make these paths seem like the entrance to private property, I'd say they are minimally used by the public. I suppose there may be some North Station commuters who use them as a shortcut to MGH.

Turning these into proper streets would help overcome the superblock effect of CRP.

[stick n move]

These towers are fine theyll just blend in anyways, the real problem with this area is the street layout. There is no worse place in boston or really any other city in america than this area's street layout. They criss cross loop around go diagonal in some spots there are no signs whatsoever so its easy to go around a corner that you cant see around and end up with concrete walls on both sides of you forcing you to get onto the pike. If they fix the roads this area will be much nicer, I could care less about a 20 story piece of crap going up.

[Ron Newman]

Some wayfinding signs for pedestrians are definitely needed here. The 'Thoreau Path' through Charles River Park leads directly to a pedestrian bridge over Storrow Drive, and would be used a lot more if people could find it. Right now, West End Place and the Basketball City garage block any direct view of this path from the surrounding streets.

(Why does an iron gate close off West End Place's stairway from public use?)

[pelhamhall]

My comment wasn't directly about these really slick renderings.

My comment was about the shorter, fatter, uglier stumps that are actually going to get built.

Knowing this is the process keeps developers and architects dumb, because they are just stooges in the process. The BRA will design something that is horrible, so it puts developers in a "worst case scenario" mindset instead of a "let's do something awesome" scenario.

Personally, I think the renderings are awesome. But we won't get that.

[SeamusMcFly]

I agree with the above. If built per those renderings, this would be great, and 100 times better than any of the other urban renewal "towers" in the "west end". This area is really sad to look at on google maps. If you had twice as many high rises in this area, it would still be too few. This and the Harbor Towers accomplish what shouldn't be able to be accomplished. They take ugly, utilitarian, residential towers, and make them into suburban neighborhoods. Congrats on that anyways.

The corridor opening up between the 2 buildings in the rendering seems to create an actual, inviting, entrance into this part of the city. A part I never go to, but I go past it when I catch a cab over that way. Typically I never get past the Garden, as there really is no reason to.

[TheRifleman]

They look like an upgrade from Harbor Towers to what the 21 century Harbor Towers would look like now.

I don't like them. Boston is beginning to look old and non-innovative.

[Boston02124]

beginning to look old??

[PaulC]

I would expect a lot in the neighborhood to approve this project if it includes space for a school. For many in the West End and Beacon Hill that's their number one issue.

[JSic]

beginning to look old??

Boston's skyline looks a little more outdated every year.

[Mayor Menino's Crohn's]

It's moving forward...

From the BRA...

http://bostonredevelopmentauthorityn...en-garage.html

Equity Residential filed a PNF with the BRA for the Garden Garage Project, a $300million, 958,000 sq ft proposed residential project to be built in Boston's West End Neighborhood. The Garden Garage Project will replace the existing Garden Garage with two buildings: the North Tower with appproximately 200 residential units and the South Tower with approximately 300 residential units. 15% of the residential units will be affordable. The proposed project provides approximately 958,000 square feet of development, of which 551,000 square feet is residential, 22,000 square feet is common area and amentiy space for residents and 385,000 square feet is for parking. This project will create 450 construction jobs & is expected to begin in fall 2012.

Public Comments can be submitted in writing to: Mr. Jay Rourke, Senior Project Manager, BRA, Boston City Hall, Boston, Ma 02201 or by email jay.rourke.bra@cityofboston.gov by February 25, 2011.
Posted by Marketing at 12:06 PM
Labels: Development Project, West End

[ablarc]

Originally Posted by Mayor Menino's Crohn's

It's moving forward...

From the BRA...

http://bostonredevelopmentauthorityn...en-garage.html

^ No retail?

[Mayor Menino's Crohn's]

Originally Posted by ablarc

^ No retail?

Of course not...why would there be?

[Joe_Schmoe]

Looks like Elkus-Manfredi, fresh off their "triumph" with Fan Pier, dusted off the design, stretched it and, voila!, the $19.95 special.

[PaulC]

There is some retail space.