Menino's Hole at Downtown Crossing

New details are emerging about the Filene's building mess at Downtown crossing.

Menino sent a letter yesterday to the developers, New York-based Gale International and Vornado Realty Trust, expressing concern about the condition of the buildings' shells, which have been exposed to the elements for nearly a year, and told them to begin securing them by May 1.

"The current condition of the buildings requires attention to avoid deterioration of the structures and escalated rehabilitation costs," he wrote.

Menino's demands come one week after the Globe reported that Menino's administration skirted requirements in the city's zoning code to fast-track the project in 2007 and 2008, including overlooking the absence of a financial interests statement from the developers.

No diligence before the wrecking balls.

I wonder what Menino, who has a habit of naming things in Boston after himself, will call this monstrosity.

Wither Filene's Basement?

The mayor focused instead on the physical state of the site. After the city issued demolition and construction permits, the developers last spring cut one historic building in half, stripped away the wall of another (the Filene's building), and last summer dug a deep hole between the two that looks like a crater left by a bomb explosion. It has been that way since.