Present: Bart Bauer, Matthew Bronski, Carl Close, Susan Close, Jean Carroon, Nathalie Coleman, Anthony Consigli, Michael Delacey, Taya Dixon, Leslie Donovan, Jack Glassman, Paul Hanlon (Red Sox), David Hart, Randi Holland, Lisa Howe, Wendall Kalsow, David Kelman, Doug Manley, Keith Moscow, Henry Moss, Ivan Myjer, Albert Rex, Ron Roberge, Brian Roche, Susan Schur, Malcolm Smiley, Janet Marie Smith (Red Sox), Jonathan Smith, Jay Stanbury, Robert Thomas, Eric Ward, Sara Wermiel 1. Boston Façade Inspection Ordinance: Matthew Bronski will represent the concerns of our group at a May or June meeting of the BSA Building Envelope Committee as they formulate their recommendations for revisions to the Boston Ordinance. We hope to avoid the preemptive, selective removals of cornices and other character-defining features that characterized the early response to New York City's Local Law 10 (circa 1980). 2. Fenway Park: Janet Marie Smith and Paul Hanlon of the Boston Red Sox presented their planning objectives and ways of thinking about the urban connections of Fenway Park, and change or alterations within the ball park itself. Janet Marie was responsible for much of the conceptual planning at Baltimore's celebrated Camden Yards, the first of the new generation of traditional urban ballparks (and by many accounts still the best of these new parks). She brings some of the lessons of that experience to bear on a more restricted site, and an infrastructure less open to sweeping improvements both inside and outside the park. Her presentation began by recognizing the value of an informed and enthusiastic neighborhood and emphasizing that the Red Sox do not yet have a fixed Master Plan. Nevertheless, her singular focus is to make the experience of Fenway Park better. (Larry Lucchino himself noted that overcrowding of the limited sheltered space under the stands makes Fenway look similar to Bangladesh during rain delays.) External and internal improvement efforts are already moving in different directions and at differing speeds. Outside of the ballpark, Janet Marie and Leslie Donovan are uncovering the architectural value of long-obscured buildings, such as the Gino Building on the corner of Brookline Ave and Lansdowne St. (yes, the building with the bowling alley in the basement) that has grand glazed arches beneath a grim overclad of plywood and brick veneer. Eventually, they would like to restore the fenestration on Fenway's iconic Yawkey Way facade - vintage photos showed beautiful, small-paned, thin-muntin steel windows in the large arched openings at street level. The Red Sox are investigating the suitability of a Tax Credit proposal to the Department of the Interior. Fenway Park is a 150,000 sf building (compared to most new ball parks and stadia that are typically 1,000,000 sf). Activities that do not need to be inside the park are being relocated to other buildings around the park that are already owned by the Red Sox, in order to provide more space to support new food service and cooking arrangements, and other amenities. This was a key idea in previous schemes for Fenway's renovation (the Roger Williams, Charles Hagenaugh plan, and the SFP! Fenway Charette). By doing so, the overall sf of Fenway and surrounding Red Sox-owned buildings comes close to the 1,000,000 sf target. The 1934 Osborn blueprints of Fenway showed concession stands that are only 5' deep! (and you wondered why all you could buy was a shrink-wrapped hot dog.) Where possible, the new concourse dimension will be increased from 30' to 60' to incorporate concessions, new toilets, and improved circulation. One planning aim is to distribute the fans' pressure on entrance gates more evenly. Gate B will be reopened, as will the alley that connects Gates B and C (Yawkey Way to Lansdowne). Bleacher fans will be able to enter at any gate and circulate inside the park, rather than being quarantined to the bleachers. The Red Sox are encouraging MBTA use even more than before, and hope to have token machines installed at the park. A turnpike air-rights pedestrian connection from the Kenmore Square MBTA station to Lansdowne Street and the Ipswich Street gate will be explored. The Red Sox have stated a lofty transportation goal of 50% minimum arrivals by public transportation. This will leave 18,000 to come by car, roughly 6,000 vehicles. Parking partnerships with the owners of nearby off-site parking facilities are under consideration, and some are already in place The Red Sox have worked with the City and the DeAngelos and other families who own souvenir and other retail shops along Yawkey Way to incorporate the street into the ball park during game time and for a few hours in advance, utilizing portable turnstiles at the ends of Yawkey Way. Now, building façade improvements, giant live action screens, and a scoreboard across the street from Fenway Park may being integrated into the fans' Yawkey Way concourse experience, along with Luis Tiant's Cuban sandwiches (out on Yawkey Way, Looie has more than 5' of space to sling the pork and olives). A plan is in-progress to convert many of the permissible "standing room" capacity to actual seats. Toward that end, additional rows have been added at the field level, bringing the fans even closer to the action, and making the park even more intimate than before. Three rows of seats have been built on top of the Green Monster, creating 280 new "bar stool" seats at this level and enabling a full walking circuit inside the park for the first time. And for the first time since 1947 there is advertising on the left field wall, but tastefully done in white letters on Fenway green. Other improvements add no new seating or revenue, but admirably recognize and restore special characteristics of Fenway. The hand-operated scoreboard has been restored to its larger, pre-1976 configuration, and again carries National League scores. The superfluous wall that was added atop the bleachers in 1976 has been removed, restoring the distinctive triangular silhouette to the center field bleachers. There are no new revenue sources tied to many of the improvements that fans demand, therefore the Red Sox strategy of careful experimentation with better ways to use existing space and infrastructure seems to make business sense, while enriching this highly specialized warp in Boston's urban fabric. After Janet Marie and Paul left the meeting, several committee members praised the mixture of urban planning, new design, and historic preservation that constitute the owners' approach to Fenway Park and the Fenway neighborhood. 3. APT Conference, Portland ME: Mark your calendars now! September 17-22 in Portland, Maine. Go to http://www.apti.org/portland2003/ for registration information. Tobin Tracey is the Conference Chair and has heroically put together a major conference in his spare time, with a little help from his friends. Amy Cole Ives has organized the masonry workshop at the tail-end of the conference (Sept. 21-22), and Julie Klump has organized the workshop on timber preservation (maritime and timber framing). Matthew Bronski is the conference sponsorship coordinator, and tells us that conference sponsorships are still available for as little as $500 if your firm would like to join the list of Boston-area firms (architects, engineers, conservators, contractors, and stewards) who are sponsoring conference events, tours, or scholarships. APT-NE Tours, Buffalo: Lisa Howe of the APT Northeast Chapter has planned a weekend of amazing tours in Buffalo, June 21-22, including a tour of historic grain elevators, terra cotta manufacturing, and buildings designed by the holy trinity of Richardson, Sullivan, and Wright. Many of these sites would be difficult to get into on your own. More info. available on the HRC website: http://committees.architects.org/hrc/hrc_news.htm 4. Northern Avenue Bridge: Mayor Menino wants to keep the bridge in use for vehicles. This wonderful bridge swings open, pivoting from the center with both ends unsupported. Albert Rex reported on some of the major obstacles. Among these are, $15,000,000 to rehab the structure; $500,000 a year for bridge tenders as boats must be allowed passage with a minimum of 16' clear at mean high tide; and the U S Coast Guard who wants the Fort Point Channel bridges to comply. 5. State Historic Tax Credit: House Bill 2801 is for a State Historic Tax Credit. The advocates plan a 3-year long approach. The Senate Ways and Means Committee wants to include the tax credit in this year's budget then send it along to the Joint Committee on Taxation. The Boston Preservation Alliance and Historic Boston are planning to work together to demonstrate the positive economic benefits of a 30% tax credit. Twenty four states now have or are developing such a rehabilitation tax credit as part of their "smart growth" packages. Maryland, Michigan, and Rhode Islands are good examples. Often, the state credit can make the economic difference between a project going forward or not. Go to: http://www.preservationmass.org/pdf_files/MA_Real_Estate_Act_2002.pdf 6. Technology & Conservation Conference 2004: Susan Schur, Technology & Conservation's renowned conference organizer for technical topics in building conservation has chosen Granite and Marble as the materials for her next big event. The BSA Historic Resources Committee has been a sponsor of Susan's conferences and symposia for about ten years. Susan is already building her team of advisors and speakers. Contact her to share your pet idea or discuss ways to participate in planning. 7. Preservation Mass Report on the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools: Taya Dixon spoke to the success of the long-running HMI/Preservation Mass efforts to change the bias for demolition and new building for Massachusetts schools. Former HMI President Margaret Dyson was tireless in these efforts. After a decade of advocacy and tactful opposition, the State's school systems are voting in 50% of their cases to keep existing buildings. With the help of the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the enlightened School Building Assistance Program (SBA), towns are now more easily able to distinguish between what the State actually requires, and what its generic guidelines may desire as ideal. Last year's SBA funding showed 11 rehabbed buildings and 7 new ones. Architects Jim Alexander and Tad Stahl were important advisors in this effort of HMI's over the years. The report is available online at: http://www.preservationmass.org/pdf_files/school_report.pdf 8. Upper Charles River Trail: Ardent cyclist and historic bridge aficionado Sara Wermiel told us about plans to create this recreational route that includes a narrow eight-arch, Milford granite railroad bridge as its path moves through upstream tracts of woodland.
Preservation Mass - Ten Most Endangered List June 12, 2003, Thursday, 8: 00 a.m. The Architects' Building, 52 Broad Street, 5th floor, Boston
Henry Moss AIA, Matthew Bronski, and Sara Wermiel, co-leaders and scribes
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