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Development Projects New urban and/or architectural developments in Boston metro. |
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#1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 935
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Hello.
Does anyone have any renderings of the renovation of the Alexandra Hotel, at the corner of Washington Street and Massachusetts Ave, in the South End? Also, is there an existing thread? I did a search to no avail. Much appreciated! |
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#2 |
Senior Member
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
I don't know, but the city has given the owner of that property way too many fourth and fifth chances to bring it into good repair and redevelop it. Perhaps it's time to say "no more" and take it by eminent domain?
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#3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 935
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Yes, I've been at the last two-three South End Landmarks Commission meetings where the owner & his architect / development team has presented its designs (which are almost exactly the same as designs he submitted in 2002 - construction was imminent, then!).
I remember something about January being a new deadline of sorts, so we'll see. The city seems in no hurry to take the next step, although they have it in writing that if he didn't complete certain things by ... omg, LAST December, they could take it away. |
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#4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: man hat tan
Posts: 7,531
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
I doubt you'll find a rendering on the South End News website, but the did have one in their print edition earlier this year (I wanna say back in February or so).
Just in case, here's a link to their site's search page: http://southendnews.com/ME2/Audience...Search&level=1 |
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#5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 154
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
From this BBJ article, it looks like the owner has no financing to convert it to condos and is trying to sell it.
http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston...11.html?page=1 |
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#6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: South End, Boston
Posts: 476
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
The housing Court, not the City, gave the owner all the extra chances. The City has been trying to force the owner of the property to clean it up through receivership, however the Housing Court recently ruled in favor of the owner in this case and granted an extension.
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#7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 154
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
New role awaits a historic eyesore
Church of Scientology buys former Alexandra Hotel By Thomas C. Palmer Jr., Globe Staff | January 30, 2008 The Church of Scientology of Boston Inc. has bought the historic Alexandra Hotel building at Washington Street and Massachusetts Avenue in the South End and plans to relocate its local headquarters from the Back Bay, following extensive renovations. The sales price of the Alexandra - ravaged by fire in the 1993, decayed, empty, and recently eluding City Hall's hopes that it would become residences - was not disclosed by the Rev. Gerard Renna, the top Scientology representative in Boston. The church, founded by L. Ron Hubbard and counting among its members actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta, "pledges to transform the hotel to its original grace and elegance," it said in a news release. Advised by Staubach Co. of New England LLC, the church bought the former 50-room hotel, at 1759-1769 Washington St., and an adjacent building on Washington. The church already has a storefront presence a few doors down on Washington. City officials said the seller was Macedonia Realty Trust, which had owned the building for several years and had presented several plans to renovate the building and create condominiums. Built in 1875, the Alexandra was a luxuriously appointed hotel in Ruskinian Gothic style. It faded in prominence when the elevated transit line was built along Washington Street in 1900. It closed in the 1960s and then was gutted by a fire in 1993. The city had worked hard to get the prominent structure redeveloped, especially since the MBTA's Orange Line was relocated in the 1980s. "The city's been tortured with this eyesore for so long," said Renna, who has been with the Church of Scientology in Boston since before it opened its current headquarters on Beacon Street in 1974. Randi Lathrop, the Boston Redevelopment Authority's director of community planning and former head of the Mayor's Washington Street Improvement Task Force, said that as of a few weeks ago the city thought the building's former owners might redevelop it into condominiums, with extensive ground-floor retail space. Because the building is so prominent, situated at a major intersection, City Hall wanted shops opened there to generate street-level business activity for the neighborhood. It is not yet clear what the church will install on the first floor, but after searching for a new home in Boston for three years, church officials clearly liked the visible location. "This is a very prominent building - it's one of the criteria. They've found it with this," said Brian Smallman, vice president of Staubach of New England. Staubach has done other work for the church around the country and will be project manager on the design and redevelopment. "It could be an absolutely gorgeous building by the time they're done with it, and they do everything first rate," Smallman said. The building had been for sale in recent years, at one point with a price tag of $3.5 million, said Lathrop, but the sales have always fallen through. The city at one point went to court to have a receiver appointed for the property, because it had languished and rotted for so long, but later relented. The building is not itself designated as a Boston Landmark by the city Landmarks Commission, but it is part of the South End district, which does have landmark designation. Any changes to the exterior of the building would need advance approval. The project will also need approval under the BRA's small-project development process, which is expected to take months. No architect has been selected, Smallman said; officials at church headquarters in Los Angeles will be involved in the process and have many decisions to make about the final configuration. "The city and the mayor, especially, have focused on this as his pride corner," Lathrop said, referring to Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "It's a very important building to the district. The good news is the church will spend millions of dollars on the building." The Church of Scientology is based on what followers call founder Hubbard's "technology" and its ability to help them understand more about themselves and others. The church acknowledges the controversy it creates on its own extensive website. "As Scientologists have openly and effectively advocated social reform causes, they have become the target of attacks," the site says. The church has battled with the media, the Internal Revenue Service, and supporters of certain psychiatric drugs and treatment. Renna said he answers "ecclesiastically" to the mother church in Los Angeles. Thomas C. Palmer Jr. can be reached at tpalmer@globe.com. Article URL: http://www.boston.com/realestate/new...toric_eyesore/ |
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#8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 434
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Why don't they just merge with the outfit up the street into 'Christian Scientology'? It'll be less confusing for a lot of people, and the Alexandra may be put to a livelier use.
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#9 |
Senior Member
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Oh my god does that suck. I'd rather see the building demolished than have them move into it. This is trading one kind of blight for another and won't help the neighborhood at all.
Last edited by Ron Newman; 01-30-2008 at 10:22 AM. |
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#10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tampa
Posts: 667
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
This is not a good move. I have grave theological issues with the "church" of scientology, but I would still object if a real church community were to move into the Alexandra. It deserves to serve a much wider residential/retail purpose.
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#11 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Brookline
Posts: 723
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
This sale is a result of unfettered agency law at work. It is those who hold the constitution so dear to their heart that were vehemently opposed to letting the owner do what he felt with his own property.
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#12 |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Approaching a City
Posts: 7,620
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
^^ What did the owners want to do but were prohibited from doing?
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#13 |
Senior Member
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
I'm not aware of any development plan that the city prevented the owner from carrying out. On the contrary, the city had to over and over again push the developer to plan any redevelopment at all.
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#14 | |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Approaching a City
Posts: 7,620
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Quote:
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#15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,528
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Zahedi misplaced a decimal point; that's no 6000 square foot building. At the quoted 2000 square feet per apartment, that would make this a three-unit building.
60,000 is more like it, and that would put its value at $9 mil if you accept Zahedi's $150/SF. |
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#16 |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Approaching a City
Posts: 7,620
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
^^ Might be a B&T error. I'll keep my eyes open for a correction.
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#17 | |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Approaching a City
Posts: 7,620
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Sure enough, here is the corrected paragraph:
Quote:
Good catch ablarc! |
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#18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Brookline
Posts: 723
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
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#19 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,617
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
I think he is a small time slum lord. He probably thought he would be allowed to do minimum repairs and then rent at a high price. The meeting I attended he seemed very enthused about restoring the building but it was probably way beyond his ablility.
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#20 | |
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Approaching a City
Posts: 7,620
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Re: Alexandra Hotel
Quote:
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