By Haley Wilcox
In its industrial prime, Midway Street in Fort Point was filled with warehouses, many of which stored wool that was manufactured in Boston and Western Massachusetts and shipped worldwide. At that time, Boston was the international leader in textile production, and the fully stocked warehouses of what is now Boston’s Fort Point Channel Landmark District were bursting at the seams.
The wool may be gone, but the area still recalls its industrial past, as many warehouses are being adapted for commercial and residential use. Under a new moniker of Channel Center, Midway Street is being redeveloped as a mixed-use project consisting of over 200 residences and 1.1 million square feet of new and restored office and retail space. GE Asset Management, CB Richard Ellis Group, and Commonwealth Ventures are all working together to create “the ultimate mixed-use community in Boston’s newest neighborhood.”
In tune with the theme of innovation, Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems recently broke ground on a 50,000 square foot research facility at 5 Channel Center. Founded in 2008, the Fraunhofer CSE will work closely with Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems and MIT in the area of solar technology and energy-efficient building.
The building itself will serve as a showcase for the technologies, illustrating how sustainability can be applied to historic structures. With the necessity of sustainable building growing exponentially over the years, Fraunhofer CSE will be contributing research which will greatly benefit the field of sustainability with respect to new and historic structures. The research center will serve as a model for sustainable adaptive reuse, providing an example for a field which is becoming more and more valued amongst historic preservation advocates. It is also a prime example of Mayor Menino’s success in launching Boston’s Seaport Innovation District.
The Boston Preservation Alliance has supported the project at 5 Channel Center before the Fort Point Channel Landmark District Commission and as a candidate for Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. We look forward to the project’s completion and the building’s occupancy for a use that undoubtedly will bring more activity to this emerging area.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Alliance Advocates on Behalf of William Lloyd Garrison House in Roxbury
By Haley Wilcox
Framed by weathered stone retaining walls and boulders, the William Lloyd Garrison House, known as ‘Rockledge,’ sits atop a tree-filled slope. It is a surprisingly pastoral setting in the otherwise dense residential area of Roxbury Highlands. From its rambling surroundings to its crisp architectural detail, one can easily see that this house has a special story to tell.
Constructed in 1854, the Italianate structure was the home of William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist and journalist, who campaigned tirelessly to end slavery in the United States. A co-founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, Garrison founded and edited The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper that circulated from 1831 until slavery was abolished in 1865. The Liberator was unabashed in its insistence on the “immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves,” a principle that met with vigorous resistance in all parts of the country until the 1850s. In the South, state legislators mandated financial rewards for the identification of anyone who distributed the paper. In Boston, Garrison was nearly lynched by a mob in October of 1835, when he prepared to speak at a meeting of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. Prominent merchants teamed up with local hoodlums in a violent protest of the meeting. Garrison was dragged through the streets and was saved only by being thrown in jail. After slavery was abolished, Garrison retired to Rockledge for the remainder of his life.
The home is one of fewer than 2,500 National Historic Landmarks nationwide and has been listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, as well as on the Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth. It is a contributing structure to the Roxbury Highland Historic District, which was listed on the National Register in 1988 because of the area’s role in the Revolutionary War, its assortment of late eighteenth to early twentieth century buildings, and its significance as one of Boston’s first “Streetcar Suburbs.”
Despite the structure’s nationally recognized significance, the future of the Garrison House is uncertain. Up until this year, the Society of St. Margaret’s, an order of Episcopal nuns, owned the property, converting an old nursing home to a sprawling 35,000 square foot convent. As the order dwindled, however, the large building proved too difficult to maintain and the seventeen remaining nuns decided to relocate to a retreat center in Duxbury.
Bridge Boston, a new charter school, planned to purchase the grounds and adapt the site for the needs of approximately 400 students and teachers. This would have required a paved double bus entrance, a vehicular drop-off site, and walkways cut through the hilly grounds. In order to construct the bus lanes, heavy excavation of the front lawn, plus the demolition of the historic retaining wall, would have been necessary, which would have severely compromised the bucolic character of the surroundings. In addition, the school planned to construct a paved play ground on the property, further diminishing the existing natural landscape.
While the Alliance fully supports the objectives of Bridge Boston, the plans for renovation would have greatly altered this historic site. The Alliance urged the school to consider alternative plans that leave the historic landscape intact.
In early May 2011, Bridge Boston announced that the site would not accommodate their needs as a school and decided to rent space in Jamaica Plain, leaving the property up for sale. The Alliance hopes to work with community residents and the Society of St. Margaret’s to ensure that any future redevelopment plans will recognize the significance of the property and leave its rich historic character intact.
Framed by weathered stone retaining walls and boulders, the William Lloyd Garrison House, known as ‘Rockledge,’ sits atop a tree-filled slope. It is a surprisingly pastoral setting in the otherwise dense residential area of Roxbury Highlands. From its rambling surroundings to its crisp architectural detail, one can easily see that this house has a special story to tell.
Constructed in 1854, the Italianate structure was the home of William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent abolitionist and journalist, who campaigned tirelessly to end slavery in the United States. A co-founder of the American Anti-Slavery Society, Garrison founded and edited The Liberator, an abolitionist newspaper that circulated from 1831 until slavery was abolished in 1865. The Liberator was unabashed in its insistence on the “immediate and complete emancipation of all slaves,” a principle that met with vigorous resistance in all parts of the country until the 1850s. In the South, state legislators mandated financial rewards for the identification of anyone who distributed the paper. In Boston, Garrison was nearly lynched by a mob in October of 1835, when he prepared to speak at a meeting of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. Prominent merchants teamed up with local hoodlums in a violent protest of the meeting. Garrison was dragged through the streets and was saved only by being thrown in jail. After slavery was abolished, Garrison retired to Rockledge for the remainder of his life.
The home is one of fewer than 2,500 National Historic Landmarks nationwide and has been listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, as well as on the Inventory of Historic Assets of the Commonwealth. It is a contributing structure to the Roxbury Highland Historic District, which was listed on the National Register in 1988 because of the area’s role in the Revolutionary War, its assortment of late eighteenth to early twentieth century buildings, and its significance as one of Boston’s first “Streetcar Suburbs.”
Despite the structure’s nationally recognized significance, the future of the Garrison House is uncertain. Up until this year, the Society of St. Margaret’s, an order of Episcopal nuns, owned the property, converting an old nursing home to a sprawling 35,000 square foot convent. As the order dwindled, however, the large building proved too difficult to maintain and the seventeen remaining nuns decided to relocate to a retreat center in Duxbury.
Bridge Boston, a new charter school, planned to purchase the grounds and adapt the site for the needs of approximately 400 students and teachers. This would have required a paved double bus entrance, a vehicular drop-off site, and walkways cut through the hilly grounds. In order to construct the bus lanes, heavy excavation of the front lawn, plus the demolition of the historic retaining wall, would have been necessary, which would have severely compromised the bucolic character of the surroundings. In addition, the school planned to construct a paved play ground on the property, further diminishing the existing natural landscape.
While the Alliance fully supports the objectives of Bridge Boston, the plans for renovation would have greatly altered this historic site. The Alliance urged the school to consider alternative plans that leave the historic landscape intact.
In early May 2011, Bridge Boston announced that the site would not accommodate their needs as a school and decided to rent space in Jamaica Plain, leaving the property up for sale. The Alliance hopes to work with community residents and the Society of St. Margaret’s to ensure that any future redevelopment plans will recognize the significance of the property and leave its rich historic character intact.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Alliance Advocates for Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Parking to be Returned to Parkland
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) unveiled a ten year Institutional Master Plan to guide its growth and change. The plan proposes a new four-story building on the parking lot adjacent to the John Jeffries House, the demolition of four buildings on Cambridge Street (one of which dates to 1889) to make room for a new ten-story building, and an addition/renovation to the main building at 243 Charles Street.
The Alliance has requested additional information regarding the proposed demolition. The Alliance has also supported The Esplanade Association in requesting that MEEI consider turning some of its parking lot area along the Charles River back to parkland. This change would provide additional green space in close proximity to the newly landmarked Charles River Esplanade and the Charles River Basin, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is one of Boston's most well-loved and well-used recreational and historic resources. It would also improve the setting for the approach to the Longfellow Bridge in concert with its planned rehabilitation.
MEEI has voiced its desire to work openly with residents of the surrounding neighborhoods on the revision of its ten-year plan.
The Alliance has requested additional information regarding the proposed demolition. The Alliance has also supported The Esplanade Association in requesting that MEEI consider turning some of its parking lot area along the Charles River back to parkland. This change would provide additional green space in close proximity to the newly landmarked Charles River Esplanade and the Charles River Basin, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is one of Boston's most well-loved and well-used recreational and historic resources. It would also improve the setting for the approach to the Longfellow Bridge in concert with its planned rehabilitation.
MEEI has voiced its desire to work openly with residents of the surrounding neighborhoods on the revision of its ten-year plan.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Anderson Memorial Bridge to undergo restoration by MassDOT
As part of the Commonwealth’s $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is undertaking the rehabilitation of the historic Larz Anderson Memorial Bridge, a historically and architecturally significant feature of the Charles River landscape. The bridge, constructed in 1915, is in severe disrepair and is currently a safety hazard, due to crackling concrete, loose or missing bricks, and arches which are structurally compromised.
MassDOT is planning repairs which follow the Secretary of the Interior’s “Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.” These plans include the repair and replacement of spandrel walls, parapets, and concrete arches. MassDOT will work closely with the Massachusetts Historical Commission as the project progresses.
The project also includes plans to increase pedestrian and cycling space across the bridge by widening the pedestrian/bike path. Some advocates have pushed for adding a boardwalk-style pedestrian underpass on both sides of the river, as part of the heavily-used network of paths of the Charles River Esplanade. The Alliance has supported exploration of this alternative, although we have expressed that its design would have to be sympathetic to the historic bridge. The plan also includes landscaping design, in which invasive trees near the bridge will be replaced with native species. The Alliance is supportive of the plan for the bridge’s rehabilitation, and looks forward to the project’s commencement.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Alliance Pushes Preservation Planning for Huntington Avenue YMCA
The Boston Preservation Alliance has been monitoring and participating in review of proposed changes to the Huntington Avenue YMCA.
The prominently located, iconic Administration Building and Hastings Wing are part of a cluster of turn of the twentieth century buildings in the area. They speak to the substantial institutional development that occurred along Huntington Avenue and its surroundings during this period. Retaining much of their original appearance, these buildings handsome examples of Shepley Rutan and Coolidge’s work in the Tapestry Brick Style with character-defining ornamental detailing. The administrative activities that these buildings have housed over time also lend them significance, as the headquarters of the regional YMCA which was a leader in the provision of recreational and social services to its members.
A third building, a gymnasium, is proposed for sale to Northeastern University for the construction of a new dormitory tower in partnership with Phoenix Property Company. While the building helps to tell the story about the YMCA's philosophies about health and exercise, and it's leadership in social and demographic integration in the city, it is also in a deteriorated condition. It is adjacent to New England Conservancy's Jordan Hall, which recently underwent a major restoration.
On Tuesday, March 8, the Boston Landmarks Commission imposed a 90-day delay on the demolition of the gymnasium in accordance with Article 85 of the Boston Zoning Code. The Alliance has urged the YMCA and Northeastern to use this time to collaborate on a preservation plan for the complex that will outline what measures will be taken in order to protect the most important buildings on the site and commemorate YMCA's rich history. The Alliance looks forward to working collaboratively with both institutions and with community residents as plans move forward.
New Long-Term Stay Hotel Signals Historic Fort Point's Bright Future
The Fort Point Channel Boston Landmark District is well on its way to becoming one of Boston’s most vibrant neighborhoods. With a still thriving arts scene and growing residential community, the area also borders the city's emerging Seaport District and burgeoning Innovation District.
The Alliance is supporting the rehabilitation of the Stillings Building, located at 368 Congress Street, for an extended-stay hotel. The six-story, turn-of-the-century warehouse was built in the Classical Revival Style in 1901 by Morton D. Safford, chief architect for the Boston Wharf Company. The building features a highly ornamented exterior, and a unique, glazed tile central atrium with iron walkways which rises six stories and provides natural light to all floors of the building. Criss-crossed by steel bridges that connect the east and west sides of each floor, and topped with a massive skylight, this atrium is a reminder of the building’s industrial past, and will remain a prominent feature of the restored structure.
The extended-stay hotel will include a ground floor lobby, restaurant, and retail space. In addition to the high quality of restoration proposed for the building’s exterior, the project includes sensitive new interventions that are in keeping with the industrial history of the area.
Fort Point Channel was developed from 1836 to 1882, almost entirely by the Boston Wharf Company. The area’s warehouses, originally used for sugar, molasses, and wool storage, now comprise Boston’s largest and most significant collection of industrial lofts. After the manufacturing and storage uses declined, artists moved into the abandoned lofts in the 1970s, creating what is now the largest artist enclave in New England.
The development team consists of Norwich Partners of Boston, LLC as the proponent; Colliers International as the development manager; Group One Partners, Inc. as the project architect; McCarter & English and Brennan, Dain, Le Ray, Wiest, Torpy & Garner as legal counsel; Howard Stein Hudson as transportation consultants; and Lee Kennedy & Company as construction managers. This project, which is being embraced by the Fort Point community, will bring more vitality and activity to the area, promising its continued revitalization.
WPA-Era Stone Wall in Mission Hill to be Restored
Nestled among the turn-of-the-century townhouses and triple-deckers, a small, humble relic tells a story from a different time in the history of Mission Hill. It is a story of the neighborhood, and the city, rising out of the Great Depression.
Around 1935, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal initiative resulted in an ambitious agency called the Works Progress Administration. The goal of the agency was to provide employment in a time of national economic strife, and in the process, provide public works for the enjoyment and improvement of cities across the country. From constructing new roads and recreational buildings, to overseeing large art and literacy projects, the WPA provided employment for nearly eight million Americans. Among the many WPA projects in the Boston area, the Sachem Street Wall was constructed to act as a visual connector of several irregularly shaped housing lots along Sachem Street, making the street more visually appealing.
The stone wall is only about four feet high, but over the years it has become much-loved feature of Mission Hill. Constructed of curving river stones and crowned with wedges of granite, the wall now shows signs of wear and tear. Weathering, deferred maintenance, and vandalism have all contributed to its deterioration. Fortunately, the City of Boston has allocated funds for repairs to the wall.
The Alliance has been working closely with the Friends of Historic Mission Hill and others from the neighborhood to ensure that the wall is restored in a historically sensitive and timely manner. Anticipated repairs are set to begin in early Spring, 2011.
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