Middle East Redevelopment (Boston, Cambridge, Holyoke: apartments, hotel, house)

[mdovell]

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local...quare/2827229/

This is probably one of the only reasons that I would ever go to Boston is to see this club. I've been to it it was very interesting I gladly go to it again. If this isn't there it gives me much less of a sense of going there. A hotel doesn't add that much for Value especially in light of all the airbnbs

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by mdovell

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local...quare/2827229/

This is probably one of the only reasons that I would ever go to Boston is to see this club. I've been to it it was very interesting I gladly go to it again. If this isn't there it gives me much less of a sense of going there. A hotel doesn't add that much for Value especially in light of all the airbnbs

I heard about this yesterday. Even though they're planning to replace the music venue, a hotel would take away from the character of that whole block IMO. One of the more funky sections of Cambridge.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by htfdcolt

I heard about this yesterday. Even though they're planning to replace the music venue, a hotel would take away from the character of that whole block IMO. One of the more funky sections of Cambridge.

Yeah, we've seen this film before (New apartments replacing Machine and Baseball Tavern in Fenway, new lab replacing Sligo and potentially The Burren in Davis Square, etc.). Architecturally, there's nothing significant about that cluster of 1-story buildings, but architecture doesn't always define character. Even if the new hotel has a new music venue, it'll be infinitely more sterile. It's one of the most unique pockets of metro Boston and I'd hate to see it go.

[mdovell]

Cambridge certainly has more of a "feel" to it. Northampton also gives me a bit of that and so does New Haven. If it takes apart what was there for decades or generations I'd argue it's historical to a point. It doesn't have to be hundreds of years old.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by lrfox

new lab replacing Sligo and potentially The Burren in Davis Square, etc.).

WHAT???

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by massnative71

WHAT???

The current proposal looks to preserve it, but I'll believe that when the building is complete and The Burren is still operating. It does displace Sligo, McKinnon's, and several other businesses. Another example of a not-so-pretty one-story cluster of businesses that are a lot more valuable than buildings that house them.

[stevepumpkinman]

Originally Posted by mdovell

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local...quare/2827229/

This is probably one of the only reasons that I would ever go to Boston is to see this club. I've been to it it was very interesting I gladly go to it again. If this isn't there it gives me much less of a sense of going there. A hotel doesn't add that much for Value especially in light of all the airbnbs

This is really, really, really, short sighted. The Middle East and the surround music night clubs should have been added to the Historical Registry and kept in place.. the secret to the success of MIT and Harvard and surrounding area, is the intersection of culture, socializing, money, and education.

[BostonBornMassMade]

All I care about is the music venue. So if they're replacing that with something new its fine by me...keep booking the same type of acts. Who cares if its a hotel or not?

[mdovell]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

All I care about is the music venue. So if they're replacing that with something new its fine by me...keep booking the same type of acts. Who cares if its a hotel or not?

It's the look and feel of the place. So much of this country and so much of the state and region is Cookie Cutter suburbs with generic structures. You're actually replacing the way the building is. If a place says Middle East and the building looks like it came from the Middle East it's more authentic.

The concept of theming is pretty important in terms of entertainment. For example if I go to Gateway city arts in Holyoke they have a check restaurant there and they have this nice beer type of garden set out and it feels like you're in another country. If you replace that with takeout it eliminates any of the ambiance abs the atmosphere.

Now I don't think that you could call this historic within the same ways of what is usually a historical building or structure in Massachusetts let alone New England but it has been around for quite some time

[porterhouse]

Originally Posted by stevepumpkinman

the secret to the success of MIT and Harvard and surrounding area, is the intersection of culture, socializing, money, and education.

The secret to success of MIT is Central Square?