These photos focus on the Downtown Crossing area of downtown Boston.
This was once the retail heart of the downtown area and to some extent still is in some ways.
It has however taken a hit first from the Back Bay area of downtown, which has taken over as the high end shopping area. And second due to department store mergers and the nation wide trouble of some national retailers. This has led to the legendary Filenes Store sitting empty, as well as other prime retail frontages.
The area is a pedestrian only area in spots. Enjoy a look at Downtown Crossing.
The former Filenes Department Store building. Currently vacant and awaiting the restart of a redevelopment project which was stalled due to the recession. This was Daniel Burnham's last major commission. It sadly closed due to the merger of May Company and Macy's. With a Macy's location right across the street, Filenes was closed.
The big scare in the district is the old Filenes site. Much of the store except for the historic main building was knocked down for a condo complexe which was stalled due to the economy. This hole in the heart of Downtown Crossing is a major issue with the revival of this area.
This is fantastic. The photographs are great and you do a good job explaining the troubled situation of this area of Boston. Of course, your pictures also show that vibrancy of Boston, even in an area that that isn't at it's full potential.
Filenes debacle or not, DTX still looks pretty good. The Paramount and Modern restorations have completely turned that stretch of Washington around.
Right, I am not worried about those few blocks. It will be resolved in short order. Every city has a block or a building sitting in limbo. Especially these days.
yeah, but just too many of them, IMO. wonderful set of pictures though. The developer of the empty lot in Downtown Crossing had bigger and better things to do in Manhattan. I think Vornado is the company and they are doing one of the 1000 footers in Midtown . i wonder if we really got the whole story on this thing and was it JUST the economy or that and the normal bull a developer has to go through to try to get anything built in this city. we certainly are famous for that type od thing!
I just got back today from a few days in Boston. I stayed at Emerson College where my BF was teaching a summer program. It is one of the most charming and interesting cities in NA for sure.
and was it JUST the economy or that and the normal bull a developer has to go through to try to get anything built in this city. we certainly are famous for that type od thing!
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