City Hall Plaza Revamp | Government Center

Re: Government Center Redesign

datadyne007 said:
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Put the glass box building along Cambridge St. The space needs better definition around the edges of the plaza, not a big box in the middle to disrupt it.

And drop the sign and the Ferris wheel.
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

When talking about developing on top of CHP, it's important to understand that a lot of CHP is a thin deck, as the Green Line is below it.

For reference, I compiled this diagram of how the GL tracks and plaza relate to each other in the Government Center station thread a little while back:

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The best opportunity for development is probably that hole in the middle of the loop.

The diagram above does not include the abandoned Cornhill Tunnel to Adams Square, seen at the bottom of this image:

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via Twitter: https://twitter.com/CharlieOnMTA/status/705190465054904320
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

You had to figure Jeremy Jacobs would eventually ooze his way down from North Station into the center of the city if given the opportunity. "From the winning team that brought you the FleetCenter! And...the beer stands at the FleetCenter!" Looking at this thing just makes me feel like a guy in a yellow windbreaker is cursorily searching through my wife's purse while another guy in a yellow windbreaker is putting a paper wristband on my arm while both of their two-way radios feedback against each other into the cold, joyless night.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

New Delaware North proposal is real. Selected by the City for the Government Center Plaza activation per BBJ today!
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

Well... If it works and make CHP better then great..., but this looks pretty lame. I guess we'll see in a couple years if it worked or not.
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

I take it the former Cornhill Tunnel follows the same ancient alignment that gives the Sears Crescent its shape? (or at least pushes it back from today's GL eastbound tracks?)
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

Get the popcorn ready for this latest train wreck of a proposal.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

It's too early for April's Fool Day. Please tell me this a joke...
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

Sorry.... Boston bailed on the Olympics. This is our penance.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

stellarfun said:
Ferris wheel


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and more!


http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...d-come-life/Pn4ibrIHy6yQ8WIcgzJoeP/story.html
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Stellar -- can't we just attach the Ferris Wheel to the side of the JFK -- I remember building something like that with my Erector Set back in my pre-adolescent days
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Alternatively the Boston version of the London Eye -- I'm proposing that we call it "Paul Revers's Ride" could be locate atop City Hall with a Pompidou Centre-style external escalator for access
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

I was just thinking the other day that Boston was lacking in seesaws.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

bdurden said:
I was just thinking the other day that Boston was lacking in seesaws.
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BDurden -- I've always thought that part of the old elevated Central Artery could have been retained for a Roller Coaster

Let's see we've got the Carousel on the Greenway, perhaps Paul Revere's Ride on City Hall Plaza -- where could we fit in a roller coaster?
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

I feel that maybe a 10 year old chose this. That said, maybe they were going for something kid friendly.
 
Re: Government Center Redesign

"How can we get some revenue generating concessions going asap, without any capex?"
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

Is there a reason the stairs between City Hall and the JFK buildings can't go? IIRC someone posted about them in the past but it seems like in every proposed renovation of the plaza they're still there.

statler said:
This argument has been made ad nauseum but one more time can't hurt:


Was equally applicable to Penn Station in 1963.
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I can live with a few of our children's children bemoaning the loss of an iconic brutalist structure, long before they were born. They won't know what they're talking about anyway if they never have to actually experience it in all its repressive and inhuman glory.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

A lot of the stairs should go. If they used the building in order to better define the space and eliminate most of the terracing I think that could be a good design.

The building needs to be pushed further towards the lower plaza stage area.

Those terraced stairs are the worst part of the existing plaza and really intrude upon the space. The building gives you the opportunity to bring up some of those terraces to be at the same level as the rest of the plaza.

If you use the building to break up the plaza, move it closer to line up with City Hall and square it up along the natural walking corridors with small tree lined landscaping.

Something along these lines which raises up two levels of terraces in front of the building:

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I haven't addressed the Lower Plaza Stage area and all those damn terraced stairs, but in previous discussion we had talked about making it more of a seating area focused on the stage and have the pedestrian route around that or maybe just continue on through (without stairs) and reroute around during concerts and other events.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

This idea is so crazy that it just might work but think that a ferris wheel near the Children's Museum would make more sense. The view would also be better. I hope that the ride has enclosed heated cabins. Otherwise I cannot imagine that anybody would ride it in 20 degree weather.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

I don't know about the beach and Ferris wheel but am I the only one who doesn't hate the idea of the skating river or whatever you want to call that assuming we are locked into public uses and not private development for the plaza? and yes, I know the frog pond is a few blocks away.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

BosDevelop said:
I don't know about the beach and Ferris wheel but am I the only one who doesn't hate the idea of the skating river or whatever you want to call that assuming we are locked into public uses and not private development for the plaza? and yes, I know the frog pond is a few blocks away.
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Skating will be popular. Think Rockefeller center. I like it. Whatever shape/form/ location on the plaza. Since it is seasonal they can probably experiment a bit with the size, shape and location for a few years
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

tangent said:
Skating will be popular. Think Rockefeller center. I like it. Whatever shape/form/ location on the plaza. Since it is seasonal they can probably experiment a bit with the size, shape and location for a few years
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How about a nice Snow Track for Cross Country Skiing as well

There is plenty of terrain to work with and lots of scale -- it might not feature the Giant Fenway Ski Jump -- but Winter could become another tourist season for Boston

And by the way for those about to say Global Warming for this year -- and who seem to have forgotten already last February / March -- brush up on your Spanish -- its an El Niño -- pass out the blue wrapped cigars
 
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