Let’s talk about Parcel 9. This triangular piece of land lies along the Freedom Trail between the Greenway and Blackstone Street’s Haymarket pushcarts. It is also next door to the future Boston Public Market.
After a lengthy process four entities have presented plans. A comment period lasts until June 3, after which MassDOT, which owns the Big Dig parcel, will designate someone to build on it.
The guidelines say the building “should be compatible in character with the existing structures present in the historic Blackstone Block and within the larger downtown Market District.” Unfortunately, existing structures include the dreary Faneuil Hall Market garage and the rotting Blackstone Street buildings owned by one of the proposers, DeNormandie.
The upper story uses should take advantage of the adjacent Greenway. Uses should “reinforce the character of the Market District and Blackstone Block.” Whatever goes there should generate foot traffic and activate the Greenway. Additionally, it should benefit the Haymarket pushcarts and get built fast. Finally, “it should not be an object building, focusing attention on itself, but . . . should create a frame or setting for and in concert with the Greenway itself.”
Oh, boy—how to handle all these guidelines, some of which compete with one another.
The Boston Museum has proposed a dramatic design that does focus attention on itself. It plans to capture the story of Boston since the Revolution in its growth, its many cultures, its politics, sports and innovation. This proposal is the only one to devote essentially the entire ground floor to the Haymarket pushcarts for however they want to use it.
The other proposals accommodate only the pushcarts’ need for trash disposal and storage.
DeNormandie Companies and Cresset Group propose the “Blackstone Market,” with 50 rental apartments, a farmers’ cooperative market, restaurants and a rooftop farm.
Normandy Partners, no relation to DeNormandie, proposes a hotel with a ground-floor market, restaurants, a community space and roof-top gardens.
Upton + Partners propose “Market Square,” modeled on a New York concept called “Eataly” that offers Italian delicacies and kitchen paraphernalia on the ground floor. They would build 119 rental units on the upper floors and, intriguingly, have offered to build rental apartments on the upper floors over next door’s public market.
Overshadowing it all, however, are dreams, assumptions, and contradictions. For example, is this parcel in the North End, as it was before the Central Artery? Or will it now be seen as part of the newly named “Market District” that, separated by the Greenway, feels more a part of the downtown?
Another balancing act is with architecture. Should a new building adhere to the attributes of the surrounding buildings, some of which are less than ideal?
Three proposals use brick, and are of varying quality—maybe even boring. DeNormadie’s submission looked to me like a bad 1980s office park building. But two architects liked it. Is boring acceptable? Judge for yourself.
The glass museum is not a background building. But some preservationists say that new buildings in historic districts should be distinctly different to differentiate between old and new.
Another quandary is use. Should the upper floors be public or private? Hotel use seems odd, but then Boston always needs hotels. Earlier guidelines specify housing and two proposals include apartments. North End residents seem inclined to support housing. Later guidelines are more wary.
Fred Salvucci, father of the Big Dig and a former North End resident himself, expressed reservations that have concerned everyone at these meetings. Can the noisy Haymarket pushcarts with their throngs of people co-exist with apartment dwellers who might like to take a nap on a Friday afternoon?
Furthermore, said Salvucci, the Greenway was supposed to host civic institutions that one by one have eliminated themselves because building over the ramps was too costly. As the only civic use left standing, the museum would be the only use to welcome the public.
The public, however, is a problem in conservative Boston. It might draw that dreaded group—tourists. People point to Faneuil Hall Marketplace as a disappointment, where tourists go but not locals. People fear T-shirt shops and an influx of outsiders that would crowd out Haymarket’s Boston-area shoppers. But Seattle’s Pike Place Market proves that tourists and locals can co-exist happily.
The ground floor market proposals are another sticking point. DeNormandie’s farmer’s coop could compete with both the Boston Public Market and the pushcarts, said a public market supporter. Upton’s proposal for “Eataly” intrigued many observers, since it would extend the Italian flavor of the North End, and would appear to provide contrast rather than competition with the rest of the market area. But do we want a New York import?
One contingent scorns the Boston Museum and its mission to tell the more recent stories of Bostonians. Others say it is precisely the kind of museum we need.
What can actually get built is the last question people must answer. Can the Boston Museum raise the money to build its ambitious proposal? Its proponents say yes, as soon as it has a site. Salvucci pointed out that all proposers face financing problems in a struggling economy.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could predict with assurance what would be best for this site? You can see the detailed proposals for yourself at http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/InformationCenter/RealEstateAssetDevelopment.aspx. During May, you too can comment. The advisory committee will send in the pluses and minuses of each proposal rather than recommending one in particular. That’s a good place to start.