275 replies to this topic

[gregw]

Cotuit, on Jul 2 2005, 11:04 PM, said:

Your rolleyes emoticon makes me think you aren't serious. Although Kendall Square is rather universally panned by urbanists as a bland area and a suburbanized sort of office park in the city area, I kind of like it's mix of old and modern and totally see that as a model for the JD. The JD just needs to pull it off better than it was pulled off in Kendall Square.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I was being serious. Wrong emoticon on my part then.

Drove by the Heritage Harbor bldg last night. It's going to be spectacular at night when those giant windows are all lit up as they are at the other power station.

Edited by gregw, 03 July 2005 - 04:58 AM.

[gregw]

Cotuit, on Jul 2 2005, 11:04 PM, said:

The JDs a crappy area or Kendall Square? I'd love to live in the JD, if I could afford a piece of property there, I'd buy in a second. I'd love to build something there. It's an overlooked urban frontier.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't see either one as crappy. I guess that's a subjective thing. All I know is that plenty of people must agree with Cotuit about the Jewelry District. The condos there are way expensive.

I think the JD is now with SBER's plans for the HH bldg pretty much fully redeveloped. No large scale vacant or rundown properties that I can think of and what a mix of uses!

The next big thing will be to build on the surface parking lots and to expand north to connect to Downcity when the old 195 comes down.

Interestingly, you can see that 195 as a demarcation between Downcity and the JD does not match the historic boundary between these two areas. The JD originally extended northward right up to Pine St. (The Jesse Metcalf/DCYF as well as the Johnson & Wales Waite Thresher bldg are north of the Interstate but are clearly Jewelry District type buildings.)

The reveloped 195 land shoud look something like Kendall Sq or the area around Vassar St. in Cambridge.  The gutsy modernist structures built there by MIT and various biotech companies blend so well with the preexisting industrial buildings.

Edited by gregw, 03 July 2005 - 06:36 AM.

[ArtInRuins]

It will be interesting to see the jump in interest in those parking lots in the JD after 195 comes down and some new structures start going up... you thought the JD was expensive now!

I have faith in SBER (so far). They have many interesting projects on their website done down in Baltimore that are mixed use residential/commercial right on the waterfront. This fits in nicely with what they do well. I just knew they were going to do more in this city when I heard they opened a branch office in the Rising Sun complex.

[Cotuit]

Someone needs to develop the parking lot at 1 Davol Square.

[Cotuit]

There were 3 Heritage Harbor threads, I've merged them all.

[Frankie811]

ArtInRuins, on Jul 3 2005, 10:30 AM, said:

It will be interesting to see the jump in interest in those parking lots in the JD after 195 comes down and some new structures start going up... you thought the JD was expensive now!

I have faith in SBER (so far). They have many interesting projects on their website done down in Baltimore that are mixed use residential/commercial right on the waterfront. This fits in nicely with what they do well. I just knew they were going to do more in this city when I heard they opened a branch office in the Rising Sun complex.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't imagine where Baltimore would be without SBER.

[Garris]

Cotuit, on Jul 3 2005, 10:04 AM, said:

Someone needs to develop the parking lot at 1 Davol Square.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Several plans for Providence (including Prov 2020) assume that parking lot will be developed.  All I know, though, is whatever building is put there has to include a parking garage, as that lot is overflowing during the day with workers and visitors to Davol Sq and is packed at night with people going to the gym there and to the Hi-Hat.  Where else would those people park nearby?

- Garris

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Jul 3 2005, 03:32 PM, said:

Where else would those people park nearby?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In their driveways and take the new Eddy Street streetcar.  

Seriously though, you are right. I think the JD Plan calls for a parking garage across the street where the Ferry parking is now, with liner buildings around it. The 1 Davol Sq. parking lot would be nice with 3 or 4 new mill style buildings (remember J.G. Goffs is coming down   ), and having a meandering pedestrian pattern leading between the buildings and down to the water.

[gregw]

I remember that they were talking a while back about building a parking garage north of Heritage Harbor on that extensive piece of land where the 1950s part of the power plant used to be. Remember that bldg with the neon Narragansett Electric sign and the clock?

http://www.providenc...t_electric.html

[Frankie811]

http://www.projo.com...r8.2467689.html

[Liamlunchtray]

gregw, on Jul 3 2005, 10:39 PM, said:

I remember that they were talking a while back about building a parking garage north of Heritage Harbor on that extensive piece of land where the 1950s part of the power plant used to be. Remember that bldg with the neon Narragansett Electric sign and the clock?

http://www.providenc...t_electric.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A couple months ago my Tivo had recorded some 80's show on VH1 Classic. I was ffwd'ing through it and came across a Beaver Brown Band video that showed clips of this sign as well as them walking around what I think was downtown Pawtucket. Funny stuff.

Liam

[gregw]

Liamlunchtray, on Jul 8 2005, 08:29 AM, said:

A couple months ago my Tivo had recorded some 80's show on VH1 Classic. I was ffwd'ing through it and came across a Beaver Brown Band video that showed clips of this sign as well as them walking around what I think was downtown Pawtucket. Funny stuff.

Liam

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How cool. I actually kinda miss the heavily industrialized look of that area, with overhead coal conveyors spanning Point St, and of course that looming 50s style structure in the Beaver Brown video.

Ugly in a conventional way, but also exhilerating like the stretch of the Jersey Turnpike near Newark airport with all the chemical plants and oil refineries.

[Frankie811]

gregw, on Jul 8 2005, 11:12 AM, said:

Ugly in a conventional way, but also exhilerating like the stretch of the Jersey Turnpike near Newark airport with all the chemical plants and oil refineries.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, how cool it is to drive down the NJ Turnpike, inhaling all those fumes from the chemical plants and god only knows what else. It dosen't get any better than that  

[gregw]

Clears the sinuses every time!

Frankie811, on Jul 8 2005, 01:46 PM, said:

Yeah, how cool it is to drive down the NJ Turnpike, inhaling all those fumes from the chemical plants and god only knows what else. It dosen't get any better than that 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[EPBOY]

gregw, on Jul 8 2005, 11:12 AM, said:

Ugly in a conventional way, but also exhilerating like the stretch of the Jersey Turnpike near Newark airport with all the chemical plants and oil refineries.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm glad it's gone.  The riverwalk we're gonna end up with now wouldn't be possible wth all that industrial crap still there.

[gregw]

I'd rather have the riverwalk and all that too. But that industrial crap was kinda cool looking - at least for me if not for you.  

EPBOY, on Jul 8 2005, 03:25 PM, said:

I'm glad it's gone.  The riverwalk we're gonna end up with now wouldn't be possible wth all that industrial crap still there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[gregw]

Came across this article on the Struever Bros. Heritage Harbor project and it contained some details that I was unaware of.

http://www.cpnonline...t_id=1000971910

Forgive me if this is just old news, but the partners include not just HH and SBER but also Lyme Properties from Boston/Cambridge as well as Brown University. Apparently Newport Collaborative has been selected as the lead architect. Construction is supposed to begin early next year.

[Garris]

Boy, that construction can't start fast enough.  I recall hearing great things about Newport Collaborative...

- Garris

[gregw]

Now rechristened South Street Station with construction scheduled to start next summer.


http://sber.com/proj...D=292&Contact=3

[pdxstreetcar]

45000 sq feet doesnt sound that big for the harbor heritage museum. Isnt it supposed to have many museums in it, including a replica RI house, a model railroad and a steam engine?