The last empty lot on the Back Bay stretch of Commonwealth Avenue will soon be filled, if developer Raymond Properties get its way.
The street wall space near the north corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street stands out on one of the most densely developed streets in Boston, and Raymond sees the lot as the perfect spot for a 25,000-square foot residential building.
The building would replace the parking lot at 161 Commonwealth Ave., and would be connected to a renovated brownstone at 163 Commonwealth, making a single luxury building with somewhere between 10 and 15 luxury units, “each enjoying spectacular sunny-side frontage on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall,” according to Raymond properties.
The project received conceptual approval from the Back Bay Architectural Commission last week, but the commission has also asked the developers to work on some of the design aspects. Specifically, the size and shape of the windows were deemed as needing work. The commissioners also requested that the developers relocate the six exposed rear parking spaces into the basement of the building.
Architect Richard Bertman with the firm CBT said that he was gratified by the commission’s reaction, and was looking forward to improving the design. “It’s all part of the process,” said Bertman.
At a presentation to the Neighborhood Association’s Architecture Committee last week, the developers appeared to win over residents with the quality of the design, though some had questions about the number and size of windows and the total massing.
The building will be made primarily of a “Back Bay style” red stone, though the exact color hasn’t been decided yet. The two samples shown to NABB were decidedly muted in color.
The new five-story building will also have decorative copper flourishes and a copper roof, and the plan as it stands calls for a “pre-aged” copper that will already be green on installation. Ordinary copper takes years to lose its shiny bronze-colored sheen, according to the presentation. Bertman asked the commissioners to keep an open mind about the copper, saying that the artificial aging process has improved greatly in recent years.
The goal of the design, according to developers, is to create a building that fits in but isn’t an imitation of the Back Bay’s classic Victorian architectural style.
The building proposal is a design of CBT architects. It has already been approved by the Zoning Board of Appeal and the Groundwater Trust. The project has yet to be approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which also must sign off on the building.

Catie Copley has an immediate impact on guests at the luxurious Fairmont Copley Hotel on St. James Avenue, where to know Catie is to adore Catie.
Catie Copley, a six-year-old black Labrador retriever, is the canine ambassador at the Back Bay hotel. From her cozy dog bed in the hotel lobby, Catie meets and greets guests and is available for scheduled walks and runs.
Catie’s admirers stretch from Boston to cities all over the world. Dr. Nicola Collins, a pediatric surgeon and guest at the Fairmont Copley Plaza visiting last week from Dublin, Ireland, said she and her husband, John, and their 2-year-old son, John, cut short their trip to Cape Cod to spend some more time with Catie.
“We just met Catie last Thursday and we headed off to the Cape on Saturday, and ever since we left, my son John was looking for her and wanted to take Catie for a walk, so we shortened our holiday on the Cape and came back early,” said Collins. “Catie is just so friendly and gentle and amiable, and she responds so well to children.”
Catie graciously posed for a photograph with little John Collins and later obliged other guests’ requests for an autograph - or as her stamped signature and paw prints have come to be known – a paw-tograph.
Catie has had a children’s book published about her, and there are Catie Copley T-shirts stuffed animals, and other souvenirs available at the Fairmont Copley Plaza store. Also, children receive a Catie Copley cookie at check-in time.
Jim Carey, the director of concierge at the hotel and caretaker of the Catie phenomenon, takes considerable pride in Miss Copley’s stature, saying she is not only the queen of all Boston canines, but the most famous dog in the world.
Catie made her debut at the Fairmont Copley four-and-half years ago, according to Suzanne M. Wenz, regional director of public relations for the Fairmont Copley Plaza.
“When we finished our $35 million renovation of the hotel in 2004, we really wanted it to be a home away from home for guests,” said Wenz. “We thought, ‘What’s more like someone’s home than having a dog to greet people in the lobby?’’’
Wenz said the hotel partnered with the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc., and found Catie, who was being trained as a guide dog. “During a visit to the veterinarian, it was determined that Catie’s visit was not perfect, so she couldn’t be a guide dog. When we called the foundation and explained that we wanted to start a canine ambassador program at the hotel, they felt that Catie would be a really great fit because of her personable nature and calm demeanor,” Wenz added.
Carey, who has worked at the hotel for 30 years, became Catie Copley’s chief companion. Catie goes home every night with Carey, to be with his wife and their children in Malden.
Carey said Catie, a stocky, strong dog who has her own custom-made engraved, red leash [“Red is her color,” says Wenz], enjoys her ambassadorial role, especially accompanying people on walks through the streets of Boston. “Catie loves to walk. She has her own special routes that she takes. She loves walking in her backyard, which is Copley Square – and walking past the Boston Public Library, the Trinity Church, and the beautiful surroundings there. She also walks down to the Public Garden. Everyone, from the park rangers to the hot dog vendors, knows Catie.”
Guests can schedule Catie in her appointment book for 30-minute walks. Some guests call months in advance to make sure that Catie is available.
“Whether guests are checking or checking out or getting off the elevator, they’ll come and pat Catie,” said Carey. “She’s like a magnet that draws everyone toward our desk.”
Catie Copley is becoming a media darling and receives e-mails from all over the world at her address [Catie.Copley@fairmont. com]. She’s been featured on Boston, national, and international television and written up in newspapers and magazines.
Carey seems to enjoy basking in the glow of Catie’s growing popularity. Carey signs scores of autographs, and wearing his dapper concierge uniform, he is frequently asked to join Catie in photo opportunities with guests. Some of the celebrities who have met Catie include Mary Tyler Moore, Bernadette Peters, Mary Louise Parker, Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Marino.
Catie does have one special privilege - the perk of being available to take a little nap during working hours.
“Catie is the only person at the hotel who is allowed to sleep on the job,” said Wenz. “She’ll take a little snooze now and then, but Catie has been more popular than we ever anticipated. We knew having Catie would be a success and guests would really love her, but the popularity has really just surged.”

In an unexpected move, the normally pro-development Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) delivered a stunning rebuke to the Druker Company when it rejected design plans for a mixed-use office and retail complex for the A-B block of Boylston Street.
In its ruling, the authority said it wants to see a design that is less obtrusive and that fits in better with the current architecture in the area.
Druker and company will now return to the drawing board to devise a new look for the project, which will replace three early 20th century buildings on the block. Preservationists have been demanding for months that the developers attempt a project that would preserve at least the historic facades of some of the buildings, especially the Shreve Crump and Low building, with its copper frieze.
“"The design we have seen is not sympathetic with the existing historic environment," said BRA Director John Palmieri to the Boston Globe.
The previous design was the work of world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli. Despite Pelli’s impressive pedigree, the design failed to win favor with its boxy, pre-cast look. At a Landmarks Commission meeting last month, one commissioner called the design appalling.
Opponents of the design reacted with jubilation at the news. A number of preservationists on archboston.org, who hope to preserve the original Shreve building, said the decision gave them new hope that a new plan incorporating the old facades could be created.
“It is especially remarkable, considering how far down the road to approval this project was before you took the cause to the public realm,” one online poster told his fellows. “Undoubtedly, your advocacy will lead to a far better design than the uninspired box Pelli seemed to have plucked from a file of failed ‘80s designs.”
Representative Marty Walz said there are two separate questions at hand. She said she believed the Shreve building was worth saving; however, if the building is to be razed, it is important that Druker come up with as fitting a design for the block as possible.
Spokesmen from the Druker Company wouldn’t comment on the nature of any new design.
One other hurdle that could slow the project is the presence of historic Arlington Street Church across the street. According to representatives from the church, a new building could cast shadows on its famed Tiffany glass windows.
For now, Druker and company will return to the city with a new design, one that likely wouldn’t preserve the existing buildings. Druker said at a previous Landmarks Commission meeting that a hybrid of old and new would be visually unappealing for the office project. Their current challenge will be a design that is fitting enough for a historic neighborhood while maintaining enough density for financial viability.

Café has been many things to many people over the years - a quirky book shop, unheralded breakfast spot in a neighborhood short on breakfast spots, reading venue, and a literary gathering place.
Soon, you may be able to add to that list “the only al fresco dining venue on the last block of Newbury Street.”
The owners of Trident Café, the book shop/restaurant combo on Newbury between Hereford and Mass Avenue, presented their plans for the patio to the neighborhood association last week, highlighting a desire to “provided an additional option for customers in good weather.” Outdoor patios are one of Newbury Street’s main draws, and in the spring and summer, many restaurants struggle to compete without them.
The patio would be small, probably not more than five tables, according to the presentation, and would be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. if the use is approved by the Zoning Board of Appeal.
James Hill, chairman of NABB’s Licensing and Building Use Committee, said although the owners had a previous agreement with the neighborhood committee not to have outdoor seating, the committee wouldn’t oppose Trident’s change of use petition, on condition that the restaurant agrees in writing to adhere to standard provisos, including the condition that alcohol only be served with food and that the patio be staffed at all times.
Hill said it was also important for the café to seek the guidance of the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) on the layout and design.
“Our position is contingent on the applicant’s first obtaining preliminary guidance from the BBAC that the patio dimensions are conceptually and legally approvable, given the very limited space and the building entry pathway through the patio,” said Hill, who also cautioned that “space constraints may make an approvable [v. small] patio uneconomical to build and operate.”
The patio won’t encroach on any public property, according to the presentation. There will also be no changes to Trident’s current liquor license, which is for beer and wine only.

The Board of Trustees of the Boston Public Library (BPL) named Amy Ryan as the next president of the Boston Public Library. After a six-month nationwide search, the trustees chose Ryan, citing her extensive knowledge of big city library systems, her management styles, understanding of technology and commitment to community libraries.
“My fellow trustees and I are delighted to welcome Amy Ryan as the president of the Boston Public Library,” said Jeffrey B. Rudman, chairman of the Board of Trustees, in a press release. “Since the start of this selection process, we have been committed to finding a strong leader with a clear vision to guide the library. Today, we accomplished that goal. We look forward with great anticipation to working with her.”
The trustees have been searching for a president for months, after asking Bernard A. Margolis to leave in June when his contract ended, after 11 years in the post. The search has mostly been done quietly, but at one point a few months ago, Thomas F. Birmingham, the former state Senate president and onetime candidate for governor, was cited as a candidate running against five professional librarians to take over the BPL.
Birmingham, a friend of Rudman, lacked library experience.
The Associates of The Boston Public Library, a nonprofit library support organization that criticized Margolis’ ouster, reportedly hoped for a candidate with strong preservation experience to protect the BPL’s rare artifacts.
The new library president reportedly will need to smooth things over, since the Margolis ouster created controversy and apparently many library supporters, including large donors, threatened funding.
Ryan takes over for Deputy Director Ruth Kowal, who had been serving as acting president since July 1.
Ryan, director of the Minneapolis and Hennepin County Library System since 2005, was honored by the City of Minneapolis for her leadership in the merger of the city and county library systems earlier this year.
“Strong leadership of our historic library system is crucial in creating a continuum of learning in our city,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. ”I trust Amy Ryan will bring the skills necessary to make our libraries work for everyone. From the magnificent main branch at Copley to our 26 community branches, the Boston Public Library should be a treasure for all.”
Ryan was chosen after a six-month selection process conducted by a search committee, led by James I. Cash, professor emeritus of Harvard Business School, and John H. McArthur, former dean of Harvard Business School. Members of the library staff and support groups and residents citywide chose from an initial group of more than 160 candidates, attracted by the international search firm of Korn-Ferry.
“I look forward to working with the board of trustees, the mayor, staff and residents of Boston to build upon BPL’s many strengths and to provide library and information services that touch and enhance the lives of all the people of Boston,” Amy Ryan wrote in a press release.

A lot of sailors and parks enthusiasts breathed a sigh of relief after Governor Deval Patrick signed a $1.64 billion energy and environmental bond bill Thursday.
The bonds will launch Rep. Marty Walz’s $3.7 million amendment to fund new docks for Community Boating (CBI). However, the Community Boating Facility Pier Construction Project amendment approval “doesn’t mean the money is readily available,” said Walz. “This is just the first step in a multi-step process.”
Now it’s a race against time for CBI, The money is an authorization, not an appropriation, so CBI will be especially anxious to get the new docks in time for 2010, when it will host the annual Mallory Trophy. To be co-hosted with MIT and the Mass Bay League, the 80th annual Mallory Trophy will bring more than 100 families around the country to watch their high schoolers compete along the Charles.
CBI needs the new docks to be completed before the Trophy event, which is in May 2010. With such a complicated project, a lot can happen between now and May 2010, when the competition will be held.
“We’ve worked closely with the DCR on design and engineering, and with the Legislature,” said Zechel. “We’ve been advocating for this for five years now. Some of our docks go back to the 1970s and 1980s, and some go further back.” In 2003, CBI also made significant repairs to 50 feet of dock to repair some structural failure. CBI has much experience in seeing projects being held up by delays in obtaining materials.
“The bill takes it one step closer to happening, but we still need to advocate for [the new docks.] We’re not going to do all of it in September.”
Zechel said first the current docks would be demolished, which must happen during the off-season. Then new pilings would need to be driven, and the docks built and installed. “This could start in September to December, if the materials are available, and then the contractors can move very quickly,” Zechel added.
Walz is also a little nervous. “The docks may not even be done by May 2010. We’ll have to factor that tournament into the scheduling, but it’s not the Legislature’s decision to rebuild the docks, it’s ultimately the DCR’s. I will advocate on behalf of Community Boating.”
The Mallory Trophy is a fleet racing national championship among the nation’s private and public high schools, and is school sailing’s oldest trophy. It is administrated by the Interscholastic Sailing Association (ISSA), which governs secondary school sailing in the United States, in both independent and public high schools.
“These trophies rotate through regions of the country,” said Charles Zechel, executive director of Community Boating Inc. “You bid on it, like the Olympics. There’s not many community sailing programs that can host this. We need some help because of the number of boats needed, so MIT and Mass Bay League is helping. It’s a big stepping stone for us because we don’t usually have the ability to host competitive international sailing regattas, because they are usually by people who bring their own boats.”
“We’ve matured to the point we can host a national event. There will be an expense to it,” he said. “We’ll be using our safety launches, staff, our time, our boats. Over the next two years, we’ll be doing some fundraising.”
Zechel and Walz expect that the tournament won’t have a negative impact on the surrounding community, since the student sailors will be split among the MIT and CBI locations. “It’ll be the same numbers when we’re busy,” Zechel said, but he expected that local hotels and restaurants would benefit from the event.
CBI board member Gary du Moulin saidthe new docks will also improve wheelchair accessibility for its new Universal Access program. “Our facility will be 100 percent accessible,” said du Moulin. “The docks are old. Access for wheelchairs is an effort.”
“Community boating as an organization is doing real good things,” said the director, noting its $1 membership for kids and sailors with disabilities.
At $616.3 million, the level of support provided for parks and other DCR assets is more than twice as much as authorized by the 2002 bond bill, said a spokesman from the governor’s office. Included are $205.7 million for DCR parks and reservations, beaches, harbor islands, swimming pools, campgrounds and hiking and biking trails; and $325 million to repair and reconstruct DCR bridges – including critical spans across the Charles River in Boston. This is in addition to the $900 million included in the accelerated bridge program, which will rehabilitate all of DCR’s structurally deficient bridges.
“This is an important investment for residents across the commonwealth,” Senate President Therese Murray said in a press release. “No matter where you live, people place great value on their parks, beaches and recreational areas. It’s a quality of life issue, and this law will make sure that our open space and recreational facilities maintain their appeal and functionality.”

The tax holiday

Last weekend’s tax holiday spurred sales. It gave a badly needed lift to consumers, and most importantly, to retailers who are experiencing a downward trend because of the tremendous rise in the price for gasoline and oil, the sub-prime disaster, making loans nearly impossible to get, the rising cost for every kind of consumer good and products of all kinds, the declining value of real estate at almost every level of the marketplace, etc., ad nauseum, ad infinitum.
At times, it seems as though the world is coming to an end, if we listen to the news, read it on the Internet or still watch it with the family on the television.
Before 1914, there was no income tax. When you made $10,000, you kept $10,000.
Nearly all the early great American fortunes were accumulated during the decades leading up to the imposition of the income tax. Industries rose. Cities became metropolises. The American nation became an important place in the world economy.
But not until the imposition of the income tax did the government come to a place where it had billions upon billions to spend, and then came, of course, the banking system – imperfect until Franklin Roosevelt put the Federal Reserve Board into place at the onset of the Depression.
By then, the nation had advanced from an income tax to a corporate tax, to a social welfare program and welfare itself.
Fast forward to today, to last weekend, if you will.
Consumers scurried about making more significant purchases in order to save a few hundred dollars.
It was a savings, but kind of pathetic, considering the modern tax situation Americans confront each time they make a purchase or earn a few extra dollars – or a much greater amount.
The irony of this past tax holiday in Massachusetts is that the state is facing a serious shortfall of tax income next year, and so, the notion of a tax holiday - indeed, the reality of a tax holiday - however brief, puts off the inevitable – higher taxes.
One wonders whether this nation was a better place when there was no income tax.
You could make much more money, unfettered – a delightful prospect at the time.
But there was no Social Security, no social welfare infrastructure. The government was not caring.
Handing the amorphous and irresponsible United States government billions of dollars to spend has led to the national debt piling up recently in stupendous amounts. Social Security is at risk. Medicare is at risk. In fact, the government puts us all at risk by making borrowings and continuing wasteful spending without having a plan for the future except to raise our taxes again.
We hope you enjoyed the tax holiday.
It was the personification of folly.