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Developer thinks downtown needs more stores between Faneuil Hall and Downtown Crossing
By adamg on Mon, 09/08/2014 - 10:34am
The Globe reports a company called Related Beal quietly bought five downtown buildings clustered around quiet little Quaker Lane from Fidelity in December:
The centerpiece of Related Beal’s plan is the redevelopment of Quaker Lane into a new retail magnet that would fill the void between Faneuil Hall, Downtown Crossing, and Post Office Square.
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Comments
Boston's version of NYC's
Boston's version of NYC's Stone Street?
Rousification: you can't have
Rousification: you can't have too much of it.
That's actually a good idea.
That's actually a good idea. Stone Street is wide enough so that you can move the party outside when the weather gets warm. I don't think that could happen on Quaker Lane.
For once
I agree with a developer. Let's just hope they don't cater exclusively to the nonexistent luxury tenants about town.
It's basically a service
It's basically a service alley now, so there will be repercussions.
Good idea
I think this is a good idea. That area is a no man's land. I just hope they don't put all high end luxury type shops there or anything that is too touristy. That would be boring. I'd like to see a good mix of places.
What would "a good mix" look
What would "a good mix" look like, though? Businesses downtown cater to two types of customers: tourists, and office workers. If it's not for the tourists, it's a lunch place that closes at 4 pm, a newsstand/fruit stand/place to buy flowers you forgot to buy earlier, a cafe, a drugstore or a bar. That's about it, and I think that's all you'll ever see.
I have to agree. Even
I have to agree. Even Faneuil Hall has a hard time attracting diverse restaurants or shops and generating enough foot traffic to keep them in business. 1,000 new residents in luxury buildings won't significantly change the consumer demographics.
Fun History with pictures
QUAKER LANE
Unusually-configured Quaker Lane is a U-shaped alley with each end terminating on Congress Street, but it also has a spur to Devonshire Street. Though narrow, it is large enough to fit a vehicle, although not many pass through it.
A view from Quaker Lane toward State Street, with a metal street lamp dating from at least the 1940's. Note the ornate fire escape on the building on the left, proof that these buildings are far older than many in the Financial District. In fact Quaker Lane used to extend through to State Street; then it was a semicircle at Congress with two spurs, one north to State and one west to Devonshire.
The reason for all this is that Quaker Lane used to be in the center of a cemetery run by the Socirty of Friends in this spot until 1827, when the plot was sold and the bodies disinterred and moved to Lynn, MA. However, in an unusual quirk, the paths through the Quaker cemetery were retained as a public street...Quaker Lane. Cemetery paths do tend to meander and crisscross themselves.
http://forgotten-boston.com/alleys/downtown/downtown.html
finally
It's faaaaar too much of a burden to walk as many as two blocks in any direction.
Two blocks to what?
Downtown Crossing is no longer a shopping destination and hasn't been for years, Faneuil Hall is a tourist trap and Post Office Square is pretty much all businesses.
Its not that its too far to
Its not that its too far to walk, its that it will connect 2 retail/restaurant areas, making it a more enjoyable place to walk around. Why complain about that?
Why complain about that?
Gotta complain about something, right? It's Boston, after all.
This has the potential to be
This has the potential to be charming-- Quaker Lane is a quirky little cut-through-- but "void" is a bit harsh for a 1.5 block area.