High above Filene's
FILENE'S IN downtown Boston is a sad place these days, with the ''30-50 percent off" signs throughout the store foretelling the demise of the renowned franchise. The store, when it closes, will leave a gaping hole in Downtown Crossing. But by blending preservation with high-rise development, the city can preserve the best part of the old store while encouraging the kind of concentrated growth that adds vitality to the urban core.
Developers are thinking of bidding on the centrally located block, which sits atop the MBTA Red and Orange lines, but some are concerned about the decision of the Landmarks Commission to consider a landmark designation for the entire site.
They shouldn't worry, as long as the Landmarks Commission selectively delineates what is worth saving among the four interconnected buildings that make up the block. The landmark designation should mandate preservation of the 1912 main building, at the corner of Washington and Summer streets, while leaving plenty of room for high-rise development on the site of the other three.
The main Filene's building was an important addition to the city from the day it opened on Sept. 3, 1912. About 235,000 people came to gawk and shop, the Globe reported a day later, and ''it seemed to the store employees that all New England was being poured in through the doors." The building, designed by Daniel J. Burnham, stands out for its functional yet elegant design, its terra cotta ornamentation, and its harkening to an era when the stores at the Washington and Summer street intersection dominated retailing in New England.
None of the other three buildings is particularly distinguished, although the facade of the 1905 office building (added to the store two decades later) is an asset to Franklin Street. The dull gray addition on Hawley Street was built for back-office purposes in 1951. It would not be missed. And the 1973 addition was an eyesore from the moment it went up. Its replacement would improve the look of Washington Street.
The dominance of the automobile and the rise of the suburban shopping mall require the city to provide other incentives to get people downtown. People who work in offices, live in downtown apartments, or stay over at hotels provide the foot traffic that keeps the city streets lively.
There's a nearby example of a combination of shopping facade and high-rise building. The old Kennedy's storefront was saved, when the 21-story 101 Arch St. was built in 1988. But the Burnham building is a much more significant structure and should be kept in its entirety. A better precedent might be the landmark designation of the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help complex on Mission Hill in Roxbury. Although the entire site was designated a landmark, the commission has allowed two buildings to be demolished to make way for residential construction, yet to be built. Old and new uses will be blended while the basilica, most significant and beautiful of the buildings, is preserved.
The Landmarks Commission will be holding hearings on Filene's in late March or early April. After that, it will be up to the Boston Redevelopment Authority to set the dimensions of the construction and encourage the leasing of the Burnham building to a new tenant, hopefully another retailer who will add variety to the shopping district.
One pleasant complication is the continued presence of the legendary Filene's Basement on four floors (two for storage) under the Filene's complex. The independently owned basement has a long-term lease on the space and is a powerful draw in its own right. The BRA needs to make sure that construction above does not disrupt this business.
Most of the old stores are gone from Downtown Crossing. Yet new uses will keep downtown fresh and appealing as the 100th anniversary of Burnham's grand emporium approaches.
