COMPLETE: Masonic Temple Hotel

[Cotuit]

That in and of itself is a tad creepy, although their commitment is charming.

[TheAnk]

I think the problem is these companies want to be viewed of as fresh and new.. And no matter how we may view adaptive reuse, major corporations, for the most part, vehemently disagree.. The renovated mill is perfect for government offices, young start ups, etc.. But most big companies are going to want that new look...

Personally, thats all fine for buildings where clients/customers may go for face to face interaction, (remember, service economy) but for any back office non-public interacting departments its a weak excuse.. But unfortunately, THOSE functions for corporations generally farm out to sites like Amica on 146, etc and not downtown...

Who knows.. I recycle, shocking as that may be to you lot.. I may not enjoy it, and roll around in empty bottles and can in sheer ecstasy before recycling them like some hippies do, but I know its the right thing to do, so I do it... These corporations should do the same.. Who cares what the outside looks like if the inside is ergo friendly..

[Pseudo_Work]

I think the problem is these companies want to be viewed of as fresh and new.. And no matter how we may view adaptive reuse, major corporations, for the most part, vehemently disagree.. The renovated mill is perfect for government offices, young start ups, etc.. But most big companies are going to want that new look...

Personally, thats all fine for buildings where clients/customers may go for face to face interaction, (remember, service economy) but for any back office non-public interacting departments its a weak excuse.. But unfortunately, THOSE functions for corporations generally farm out to sites like Amica on 146, etc and not downtown...

Who knows.. I recycle, shocking as that may be to you lot.. I may not enjoy it, and roll around in empty bottles and can in sheer ecstasy before recycling them like some hippies do, but I know its the right thing to do, so I do it... These corporations should do the same.. Who cares what the outside looks like if the inside is ergo friendly..

[TheAnk]

pseudo, while in college I was kidnapped by hippies and beaten violently with devils sticks and forced listen to Phish.. I've never fully recovered.. "The tires are the things on your car that make contact with the road".. Repeat, in my head all day every day..

I agree with you on corporations and downtown buildings.. Let me ask people this.. The students that go to college here, if the employment opportunities in PVD were available, would they even stay? Is Bryant a local enough talent pool..

Because, if the flight of 24-30 year olds stops, they can live in the condos, and work in the city, which is pretty damn ideal for them. right out of school...

So I guess all that is missing is mid level white collar jobs to a sustainable, renewable city resident middle class, yes?

I think the perfect world only needs white collar jobs downtown.. Thats really it.. You have the housing, you have the student/talent base.. The tax base will increase, the city becomes more affable, more vibrant..

[runawayjim]

pseudo, while in college I was kidnapped by hippies and beaten violently with devils sticks and forced listen to Phish.. I've never fully recovered.. "The tires are the things on your car that make contact with the road".. Repeat, in my head all day every day..

[Cotuit]

but remember... the car is the thing on the road that takes you back to your abode.

[runawayjim]

That would be my sneakers (if I wore sneakers).

[webbage]

The fact that they won't build their headquarters downtown is their own loss anyway. They're excluding themselves from the fastest growing sector of the state's culture and economy (one and the same these days). They'd be a lovely permanent fixture in, say, Scottsdale Arizona, but I don't necessarily see people here standing for that kind of development forever.

[Garris]

Historic preservation is essentially recycling on a grand scale. Aside from the entire raging debate over what architecture can be termed visually or historically significant,the preservation movement is a green movement... Shouldn't we be saving resources?

[runawayjim]

Let's look at the Masonic temple... Essentially, what was preserved here (as in the case of many historic preservations) was the shell... The architecture, its footprint, and the relationship of the building to its surroundings are being saved, and little else... Perhaps some of its interior layout, but that's about it. The same will be true as well of, say, the Dynamo House.

Now, if a brand new hotel were built there instead of keeping the old Masonic shell, would fewer resources have been used in the construction? Less gas overall for the trucks and machines from beginning to end? Less wood? Less carbon? Less time?

[gregw]

As far preservation being green is concerned, I've heard it from architects that preserving a building is generally less environmentally damaging than demolishing it and rebuilding.

At least that was what the architects who have been involved in the reopening of Nathan Bishop Middle School said as part of their case for renovating vs. rebuilding the school. There is apparently a lot of energy expended in the process of the demolition. Not just the demo equipment but the truckloads of bricks and timbers plus all of the energy expended in the fabrication and delivery of new materials to the site. True, the Masonic Temple is essentially a new building within an old skin but keep in mind that most preservation projects reuse not only the shell but much of the core as well: floors, interior walls, etc.

It may be cheaper and less labor intensive to tear down and rebuild (though the Tax Credits apparently seem to tip the balance the other way) but it doesn't appear to be greener to do so. In any case, as anyone who has bought organic produce can tell you, cheaper and greener are two different things.

PS: I do agree with Garris that the green issue is used to make preservation an even better argument and that other issues such as aesthetics and history are the key reasons why you preserve a building. Unlike the Exxon Valdez, the loss of Penn Station is not an environmental tragedy but one of architecture and history.

[Pseudo_Work]

in cases where the shell is saved (such as the masonic temple, staying somewhat "on topic" with this thread), i'd be willing to argue that preservation cost a whole lot more than tearing it down and building new. think of the time and energy spent carefully protecting the shell while carefully gutting the inside. that took at least 3 times as long as it took them to tear down the old public safety complex. was it any greener? i'd argue that it probably wasn't a whole lot greener either. they took out most of the synthetic stuff from the inside anyways, leaving just stone. same goes for the old bank building where the W/110 is supposed to go.

there's preservation for the purpose of preservation and then there's preservation for the sake of preservation. in some cases it's completely worth it, in others, it's really not. simply saving a building will not necessarily be greener, and i'm sure in many cases, it's not.

[Pseudo_Work]

It may be cheaper and less labor intensive to tear down and rebuild (though the Tax Credits apparently seem to tip the balance the other way) but it doesn't appear to be greener to do so. In any case, as anyone who has bought organic produce can tell you, cheaper and greener are two different things.

[Frankie811]

Is there any word out there on the the street as to how well this hotel is doing? Good I hope. Excluding Temple's of course.

[glassandsteel]

From what I've gathered, it seems as if they're doing splendid.

[Frankie811]

Veterans Memorial Auditorium

State takeover?

Negotiations over control of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium began a year ago, prompted by fears that the fundraising struggles of its nonprofit operator had jeopardized its operations, according to state officials.

[bod]

The VMA is beautiful inside and very, very underutilized. Now that it shares a common interest with the Renaissance Hotel, the state should be able to utilize it to its full capacity..

Veterans Memorial Auditorium

State takeover?

Negotiations over control of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium began a year ago, prompted by fears that the fundraising struggles of its nonprofit operator had jeopardized its operations, according to state officials.