(Excerpt) A 15-year urban renewal splurge has left Boston's government and financial districts strong and healthy, but the city's neglected downtown retail center has stagnated as established stores have followed the middle classes to the suburbs. Last week Boston joined with Jordan Marsh, the city's biggest department store, and Sefrius Corp., a French syndicate, in a bold attempt to change the situation. Their plan: to build a $220 million project called Lafayette Place that is designed to make downtown shopping attractive once more.An important part of the developers' strategy is to make it easy for shoppers to get to—and around—the twelve-acre project. There will be a 1,500-car parking garage for suburbanites and, for city dwellers, a direct underground link to the existing subway system. Once at Lafayette Place, shoppers will be able to move from store to store at three levels: in a subterranean concourse, on ground level and, by way of flying bridges, on the second floor.
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Is Lafayette Place the big mall and hotel complex near the Christian Science Temple in Boston? Cause that was one terribly dull mall when I was there approx. eight years ago.
ReplyDeleteNo that is not Laffeyette Place it is another mall. I agree that it is a boring place. It is connected by walkways to the Westin Hotel on one end the Marriot in the middle and the Prudential Center on the other end. The effect of having mid level stores in this mall is that the more upscale stores aroung Newbury Street have gone out of business. Simon's of Coply Square is one example.
ReplyDeleteLaffeyette Place is near downtown crossing. The area where the Jordan Marsh flagship store existed along with Filene's and the famous and authentic Filene's basement. Laffeyette Place struggled for a long time. There was a Swishotel connected to the mall. Things are looking up for this area of Boston with the continued gentrification of the downtown area.
The well known Fanuel Hall Market is a few blocks away. Fanuel Hall has turned into just another run of the mill mall now that most of the interesting independently owned stores have been forced out by high rent. The chain stores have taken over.
This is also true for the once fun and funky Harvard Square.
Kev