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Saugus dinosaur on verge of extinction?
By adamg on Wed, 08/19/2015 - 11:30am
Wicked Local Saugus breaks the news that a developer is buying a miniature golf course and ice-cream stand so he can build a hotel and luxury apartments.
Left open is what he plans to do with the perfectly-toothed dinosaur that is as much a part of the Rte. 1 ambiance as the Ship, the leaning tower of pizza and the Hilltop cactus.
"The fate of the iconic orange dinosaur in Saugus is uncertain," Wicked Local sighs.
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Comments
NOO!!!!
After years of driving by, I finally played a round there this past weekend. The luxury boom is seriously hitting Route 1 now?!
It Will Be Missed
Theowner should keep the dinosaur where it is be if he doesn't, it should be moved somewhere public where everyone cab see it. Could it and the FAO Schwartz teddybear moved to somewhere together? The Rose Kennedy Greenway?
Parkway bias
My vote is move it to the Dedham mini golf place, which is charmless and needs any help it can get.
I think moving it to the
I think moving it to the Greenway is an awesome idea!
Place the orange dinosaur on
Place the orange dinosaur on a barge and sail it to cape cod waters so it can scare off great white sharks..
yup...
Red Roof Inn is pushing $150./night...bugs at no extra charge
NO!
No! Say no! Tell me it isn't so! It is the heart and soul of route 1 ! That smiling face never fails to cheer me up!
That dinosaur can never unsee
That dinosaur can never unsee what he has seen ... maybe it's kinder to let him go.
What?
Is NOTHING sacred?
I came here to post this.
I came here to post this.
Luxury apartments?
I wonder who in the world would be so foolish to think that anything luxurious (except maybe a restaurant) would overlook Route 1?
That Horrible Highway Led Me To Embrace Amazon For Shopping
"Saugus ... luxury apartments
"Saugus ... luxury apartments"
Nothing screams "luxury" like Route 1 in Saugus.
Starting to wonder
If the luxury market is getting full yet? Revere is getting two new luxury buildings, the ten year old luxury buildings are begging for tenants, but with only 2 bedrooms are useless for families. Who are desperate for housing in Revere and Saugus.
I really can't wait
for the bubble to burst. At some point, we're going to lose so much of the area's soul that people are going to stop moving here, transplants are going to pick up and leave, and more natives may say screw it and try someplace new. If they're not already doing so out of necessity.
CURSE YOU, NAYSAYERS
The Olympics would have fixed all those problems and more!!!!1!
The Orange Dino could have
The Orange Dino could have been the Olympics mascot.... BUT NO!!!!!
Thanks for nothing.
Orange Dino
Why must we always destroy everything that signifies "home" ? Familiar landmarks no matter how silly are part of peoples memories. Hilltop had to go because the building was falling down - but although the cattle left, the cactus stayed. Just say, route one will just be another road with nothing but congestion at rush hour or summer weekends travelers going "up country". It not only effects the citizens of Saugus but anyone within 50 miles.
I'm sure the dinosaur will
I'm sure the dinosaur will find a good home. I hope nothing happens to Hockeytown, but it sounds like a bunch of those look-alike, five-story apartment blocks are headed to Rt. 1.
how much would i have to pay
how much would i have to pay to get that dinosaur, i want to place it in my backyard facing my bedroom window
Even worse
As a kid, this was one of the best mini golf courses I played on. Creative hazards (like the bi-level hole that was right next to the T Rex).
Which begs for the question...
"Who the hell are all these people who want 'luxury' apartments that are 50 feet from a major highway?"
Fixed
"Who the hell are all these people who want 'luxury' apartments
that are 50 feet from a major highway?"On a serious note though, there is a ton of foreign investment in Boston real estate and it has been increasing for years. Sure, it's not the greatest location, but for someone with "a lot" but not "a ton" of money to spend, Saugus is a lot closer than Shenzhen.
irony
If the Dinosaur shifted his gaze a little to his right he would be looking across the highway directly at a massive investment by a Chinese businessman that went tits up shortly after opening. Folks from Shenzhen-way may have a case of once bitten twice shy with Route 1 investments.
The amusing thing is the town's desire to rezone stretches of Route 1 for denser housing as part of a plan to bring in "millenials" looking for hip urban lifestyles.
In Saugus.
There's really not much more to say about that.
How much are the units going for?
I see two people interested:
1. Stupid investment types who think it's 2007 again and the market is only going up, up, up.
2. People who put a high value new construction, granite countertops, and easy access to the highway but can't afford the same amenities any place closer. If you're the type who never steps foot in the town besides entering the front door then you can't care about the fact it's in Saugus provided it's in your price range.
true dat, but...
...really, who in their right mind would want to contend with the traffic of Route 1 on a daily basis? And it's not like it's "walkable n'hood" or that they've got "livable streets" to go bike on. It's a planner's nightmare (unless you're a planner from 1949).
Saugus Iron Works !!!
The mindlessness of property speculators is a thing to wonder at. If they are creating a huge inventory overhang of 2brs, it's a gamble/speculation that there will be far more childless couples or small families of one child, than there are ever likely to be.
I've heard from various RE shills here about it being the optimal deal for cities as more bedrooms imply more school enrollments and services, but really?
Did it stop past generations of more honest and astute residential housing builders from building and making money on essential starter kit rental roosts for people who still want several children?
And they can also be handily rented to adults who don't want to be in couples but don't mind roommate lifestyles.
No. Now the industry is overrun by brain dead bean counters with next to no imagination and a pile of formulas.
Eventually, assuming the Market Cult is right, (always a hazardous assumption), some speculator will look up from the hog trough and notice.... "hey, no one's building 3-4 br rentals anymore, but there sure looks like there's pent up demand.."
Saugus Iron Works
One of the Boston area's greatest unheralded treasures (at least in summer when everything is running).
I'm not surprised you know about it.
I've never actually been there in all the years I've been here. It was a bog iron operation.
One of only 5 ....
This was one of the 5 most technologically advanced iron works in the world back when it was built -- all the rest were in Great Britain itself. Unfortunately, political and economic issues caused this to go out of business relatively quickly. Most of the iron processed here had to go back across the Atlantic for utilization. For instance, the mill could make nails only for its own internal use -- otherwise the iron bars it produced had to go to England to be turned into nails -- which would then be shipped back to Massachusetts (and wages were so low in England that it was economically feasible to do this).
put him on the roof....
of the new filenes tower
My vote is that the Dinosaur
My vote is that the Dinosaur needs to go atop the Colonial Theater in Belfast, Maine, to join the elephant. BTW, the Colonial is for sale also.
http://www.roadsidepeek.com/rpeekeast/theatreeast/colonialtheat_belfastm...
Nah, it should go someplace local
Like a town common, a-la the rocket on the common in Warren, NH. Does Saugus have a town common? If not I'm sure many nearby towns might be happy to take it.
Fort Point
Could use mini-golf (with a bar), perhaps near the ICA.... As the Lawn on D might not be able to stay, it would be a good addition to that area.
Except
It'd be $25 a game, 10 holes, and you'd have to show up at 3 to get on by 8.