One Davis Square's hideous rear wall

[ron_newman]

Over the past few years, I recall numerous Davis Square Task Force meetings about the new One Davis Square. The developer, city officials, and the assembled citizens discussed the building's height, the front facade, the windows, the CVS, the gym, the lack of parking .... everything except the rear wall.

Somehow I assumed that the red brick on the front and sides would carry over to the back. Probably everyone else thought that, too. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The back wall is totally blank and windowless, and appears to be made of white cinderblock.



(Photo is from the Somerville Journal's blog.)

Comments

[postrodent.livejournal.com]

They'd probably let someone do up a mural... and if not, someone should anyway. :)

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

unless it's just going to have "brick facing" put on, at vastly cheaper cost than real brick. time will tell.

#

[makoshark.livejournal.com]

Charming. I'm all for the mural idea. :)

[ifotismeni]

mural! that would be awesome!!

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

what's the time table for completion?

[ron_newman]

This I don't know. I expect it will be finished by the end of the year, if not sooner.

[derekp.livejournal.com]

"Fall" 2007, I believe.

[spatch]

That wall is prime mural space and if the developers don't agree then they're a bunch of morons who don't have sense God gave a goose.

A goose who knows about Davis' art community and people who love to paint murals, at least.

join in the chant

[cthulhia]

Mural!
Mural!
Mural!
Mural!
Mural!

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's that bad. There's plenty of much bigger eyesores in Meffaville to worry about.

[ron_newman]

Yeah, but this is a new eyesore.

another vote for a mural

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I'm disappointed they didn't even put windows on that side. That expanse of blankness is pretty unfriendly.

Re: another vote for a mural

[ron_newman]

The developer may be expecting that eventually, the parking lot will be built on, hiding the wall. The Mayor commissioned a study identifying that lot as one of three possible sites for a hotel in Davis Square.

The parking lot belongs not to the One Davis Square developer, but rather to Rocco Antonelli, who also owns the post office building, the ex-Buck-a-Book, and Starbucks.

Re: another vote for a mural

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Ah, then the blank wall, made of not especially attractive material, makes a lot of sense.

[nathanjw]

BSC expects to be open in October.

[mizufae.livejournal.com]

a mural would be nice, a parking lot would be helpful, and a hotel would be nice *and* helpful. why do folks have to get such gnawing worry about something before it's even finished? we weren't tearing our hair out because the tarps weren't a pretty color or anything. besides, i doubt a blank wall would stay blank for long, even if nobody was hired to do a mural.

[ron_newman]

I think that is the finished back wall. I'll be glad to be proven wrong.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I kinda question the whole "eyesore" label. It's more of a blandness than anything else. Not that I think a mural wouldn't be a good thing, but I can't get worked up over a white wall.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

I would hope anybody who develops property in Boston would be aware that leaving a blank, unmarked space on your building is like sending a graven invitation to graffitti taggers, if nothing else.

Re: another vote for a mural

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

The Hotel Davis? Imagine that.

[ron_newman]

I may be more sensitive to this than other people, because I live on Day Street and will be walking by this wall every day.

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I'm sure a pure white expanse will be filled soon enough. Legally or not.

Re: another vote for a mural

[tenshikurai9.livejournal.com]

Let's go paint windows on it.

[dreamgirly19.livejournal.com]

I agree. It isnt really an eyesore...just boring. Besides when walking i have more important things to look at/think about than the wall. There are better things to complain about.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

it looks nicer than the surrounding area back there (and I don't mean the construction stuff). could it be that there are plans to add onto the building right there? If that's the case, then it makes sense to just put something solid and cheap there.

[ron_newman]

The building ends at the property line, so any possible extension would involve a land transaction between people who (so far) have declined to do business with each other.

[gildersleeve.livejournal.com]

I can see it now....

People upset about a blank wall make a big deal about creating a mural...
The mural somehow miraculously gets paid for and painted...
One week later construction on a building to obscure the mural begins....

Ahh, Davis.... a special place, always!

[rmd.livejournal.com]

instead of a regular mural, how about making it a "free wall" for local artists (and would-be artists) to paint on?

[ron_newman]

Interesting idea. One problem is that the wall is literally at the property line, and artists would have to stand in the parking lot that belongs to a different owner. Before all this construction started, cars were parked right against the old building's wall.

[ravenword.livejournal.com]

My hometown has one of these. It is a short wall running alongside a road, not a square tall building wall. I imagine it would be pretty hard to paint up at the top.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

It certainly looks like a finished wall, unless they have plans to paint or stucco the concrete block.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

I know of at least one mural artist who lives in Davis. It would be a perfect place for one, I agree!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

That's a fascinating idea. Or, it could be sectioned into squares with each artist taking a square, making a sort of quilt. In any case, I hope they use the opportunity to give local artists to share their talent.

[mrf-arch.livejournal.com]

If the rear wall is the property line, these not a lot of incentive to spend money on it - brick facing is expensive, and if there's likely to be development next door in short order, why pay a premium for something that's going to be covered up?

As many other people have mentioned, Somerville has a tremendous arts community that would love a big blank surface to work with. And barring that, I'm sure the wall would make an excellent billboard. :-)

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

Rather than spending a lot of time discussing whether the wall is ugly or not, and what to do, or not do, about it, why not discuss someone checking into what the original plans call for? The plans are on file at the Building Department (Franey Road, behind Trum) and are available for public viewing. Somerville has a bad reputation for allowing developers to do whatever they can get away with, and also for not following up to see that developers actually follow the approved plan. There is an on-going legal case with the owner/developer at the corner of Willow and Morrison because parts of his building do not conform to the approved plan. The city has yet to put their foot down and demand that he change it/fix it/tear it down, or some other appropriate remedy. It appears that the developer is biding his time and deciding what he will CHOOSE to do about it!