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So Pawtucket could lose in quick succession - Memorial Hospital, PawSox, and Hasbro. Just one of those losses (let alone three) would be a huge blow for a community.
So Pawtucket could lose in quick succession - Memorial Hospital, PawSox, and Hasbro. Just one of those losses (let alone three) would be a huge blow for a community.
Not really, Hasbro would just relocate, the employees would just move to Providence, so it's not like any workers would be laid off. Haven't heard any news regarding this, but maybe Hasbro would still keep the Pawtucket building for other use.
Sounds like just another native that can't stand change. The same type that gripe at the local Dunkin Donuts over the good ole days before that tragic day when they had to blast R95 through the center of the city. The same group that is crying their eyes out over the dreaded loss of Benny's, probably holding up one of many saved old receipts, covered in tear drops.
Hasbro building a new modern tower where the archaic, antiquated Superman building is standing could be a great idea. The current building is useless. Hasbro is a pretty solid company that has more than proven itself. Parking, more congestion, could be an issue...
This could contrast nicely with the Hope Point Tower project being considered by New York developer Jason Fane and R195 commission (Jan 2017), with real estate back on the upswing.
I discussed this proposal with a friend of mine who works for Hasbro. I asked if they thought the co would relocate downtown, and the answer was "yes" eventually in their mind. The thought was they would like a "campus" type HQ rather than a single building a'la just move into a highrise like the superman building. Whether this particular proposal with demo and then rebuild in that spot is realistic....??? unclear, but it seems as though the employee's envision a move down town is more likely than not in one way or another.
IMO, would it be sad to lose the superman building from the skyline? Yes....however, if the loss of it came with the rebuilding of a new tower similar to the one proposed above, myself, I'd be fine with it. The tower above is far from the most unattractive thing I have ever seen. To demo the building or just let it sit crumbling would certainly be a shame, however, if its loss came to create a good deal of new development, inject some life and clean up that area of the city would it really be that bad?
I discussed this proposal with a friend of mine who works for Hasbro. I asked if they thought the co would relocate downtown, and the answer was "yes" eventually in their mind. The thought was they would like a "campus" type HQ rather than a single building a'la just move into a highrise like the superman building. Whether this particular proposal with demo and then rebuild in that spot is realistic....??? unclear, but it seems as though the employee's envision a move down town is more likely than not in one way or another.
IMO, would it be sad to lose the superman building from the skyline? Yes....however, if the loss of it came with the rebuilding of a new tower similar to the one proposed above, myself, I'd be fine with it. The tower above is far from the most unattractive thing I have ever seen. To demo the building or just let it sit crumbling would certainly be a shame, however, if its loss came to create a good deal of new development, inject some life and clean up that area of the city would it really be that bad?
It would be that bad if it creates a slippery slope whereby historic buildings can be designated valueless based on one dubious appraisal.
Would it just be "a shame" if the historic zone status was politically compromised and blocks began to be torn down and replaced by more and more glass towers? Would it be just a shame if Providence lost its status as one of the country's last great places for historic fabric? Would the national conventions of architects still choose us?
It's great that Hasbro might come downtown, but why aren't they looking to create a new building campus cluster in the 195 zone, or perhaps go closer to 95 or the jewelry district? On the other hand, seems to me that Hasbro should be looking to revitalize Pawtucket's downtown where it might be cheaper for them should they decide to move from Newport Ave?
There is ZERO chance they demo the superman building. Absolutely zero. This "proposal" is actually a developer's pitch (not a Hasboro idea) and a long shot at that.
It doesn't make sense for a multitude of reasons
1) Cost. The demo cost for a building this large and in this dense of an area is exorbitant. It's an old building too which means hazardous materials (most notably, asbestos) have to be safely removed before demo can begin which is an expensive process.
2) Location. there are a multitude of sites nearby where Hasboro can build to suit. The most obvious one is the surface parking lot diagonally across the street with the "ruins" (110 Westminster - the site of the proposed Oneten Providence). No demo required, similar square footage, and essentially the same location. There are a boat load of other surface lots and vacant parcels near downtown that would suit any HQ style the company desires - from towers to multi-building campuses. No need to demo the tallest tower in town.
3) Public Image. Hasboro is a pillar of the community. They pride themselves in being charitable, and giving back. Demolishing arguably one of Rhode Island's biggest landmarks and replacing it with a generic glass tower goes against everything the company represents in Rhode Island. When you factor in numbers 1 and 2, it's a no-brainer. Why spend more to be a villain demo a landmark when you can spend less to build a tower (if that's what you want) across the street and be the hero company who revitalized a long-stalled project/vacant lot in the heard of the city? If you want a campus-style HQ, why spend more to be a villain and raze a landmark tower when you can spend less and build a flagship campus on the 195 land and be known as the company who breathed life into Providence's "Innovation & Design" district? It doesn't make sense from a cost or a PR standpoint to destroy the tower.
4) This is debatable given some of RI's history with tax breaks and incentives, but Hasboro is far more likely to get incentives and tax breaks if they - A) rehab the tower and use it for an HQ, B) build a new tower at the 110 Westminster site (again, where OneTen Providence was slated to go before the recession) or another vacant parcel, or C) build a campus on the 195 land - than they ever would for destroying a historic building.
For the record, the tower in that rendering above is a massing model - just to give Hasboro (and the public) an idea of what something new would look/fit like if it were to happen. It's not at all what the final design would look like. This is a pitch from the developer - so if Hasboro followed up and expressed interest (they won't), the next step would actually be to hire an architect and design the thing if they actually got serious about this pitch (again, they won't). So the finished product wouldn't look at all like what you see in the image above.
I would rather see the State and the City of Pawtucket throw tens of millions of dollars at Hasbro to build this on the Apex site and have some downtown economic development that's a little more meaningful than a minor league baseball stadium...
It would be that bad if it creates a slippery slope whereby historic buildings can be designated valueless based on one dubious appraisal.
Would it just be "a shame" if the historic zone status was politically compromised and blocks began to be torn down and replaced by more and more glass towers? Would it be just a shame if Providence lost its status as one of the country's last great places for historic fabric? Would the national conventions of architects still choose us?
It's great that Hasbro might come downtown, but why aren't they looking to create a new building campus cluster in the 195 zone, or perhaps go closer to 95 or the jewelry district? On the other hand, seems to me that Hasbro should be looking to revitalize Pawtucket's downtown where it might be cheaper for them should they decide to move from Newport Ave?
Slippery slope? What part of VACANT FOR 5 YEARS don't you understand? Poor Rhode Island.
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