City Hall Plaza Revamp | Government Center

Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

TheRifleman said:
F--k the Ferris Wheel---We don't need to relive Revere Beach hay days--in the city.

Actually the Ferris Wheel might have worked in this area. What are the other people's thoughts on the Ferris Wheel:

Ferris Wheel YES OR NO
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I think some kind of tall attraction here would work.

I understand that the Ferris Wheel was vetoed due to structural concerns. You have to pick the location in the plaza carefully (there is a honeycomb of century-old tunnels underneath).
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Ferris wheel might have been interesting 20 years ago. Now it would just be derivative and embarrassing.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

We need a roller coaster. With a loop that goes through the pedestrian passage under Center Plaza.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Call me crazy, but here is my thought for the whole area. Renovate the Land Court building (which is in danger of being torn down), and the John Adams Courthouse and turn it into the new city hall. Then demolish our city hall. Then give land rights of part of city hall plaza to the owners of Center Plaza, and give them the right to build high, with the understanding that they will demolish some or all of Center Plaza, so as to open up the views to what would be now the new city hall.
As far as a ferris wheel goes, screw that. I want a roller coaster that starts at North Station and goes down only to come up right around International Place, and then goes right into South Station. North South Rail.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

A Ferris Wheel would be better in the Boston Common.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Anything would be better on Boston Common. City Hall Plaza is people unfriendly.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

How hard would it be to tare up the bricks and turn it into a park?
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Cortes said:
Call me crazy, but here is my thought for the whole area. Renovate the Land Court building (which is in danger of being torn down), and the John Adams Courthouse and turn it into the new city hall. Then demolish our city hall. Then give land rights of part of city hall plaza to the owners of Center Plaza, and give them the right to build high, with the understanding that they will demolish some or all of Center Plaza, so as to open up the views to what would be now the new city hall.
As far as a ferris wheel goes, screw that. I want a roller coaster that starts at North Station and goes down only to come up right around International Place, and then goes right into South Station. North South Rail.
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I like this. Let's do it.

If we were to put a ferris wheel anywhere in the city, I'd support a temporary one on Boston Common or one by the post office/S.S/Dot Ave.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

1 down, 4, maybe 5 to go. There is a formula to take them all down and replace them with great projects and a few skyscrapers that pay their way. it's going to require musical chairs with multiple bureaucratic institutions and several billion $$$ in financing. The politician who can pull it off should be made mayor for life with a golden parachute at the end.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Re-establish Hanover St and Cornhill. Make Cornhill woonerfed and allow Sears Crescent businesses to set up tables and seating on either side. Make a few parking spaces for food trucks only along both Hanover and Cornhill. Make Tremont St a two-way road again and rework that intersection with Court and Cambridge.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

BostonUrbEx said:
Re-establish Hanover St and Cornhill. Make Cornhill woonerfed and allow Sears Crescent businesses to set up tables and seating on either side. Make a few parking spaces for food trucks only along both Hanover and Cornhill. Make Tremont St a two-way road again and rework that intersection with Court and Cambridge.
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I recently asked about the feasibility of reintroducing Cornhill in the Government Center thread but no responses. So, I'll ask again here: is this even possible?

What was Cornhill is now an entrance to an underground garage. In addition, even if you could rework the garage entrance, you'd be lowering the grade of Cornhill down to a level that the adjacent buildings weren't built for (aside from the Sears Block). How would City Hall address Cornhill? What would you do about the ground floor of 28 State and 1 Washington?

I think the City Hall side would be the easiest. Cut away the stairway to Congress and build a 2-3 glass extension out to the new Cornhill as an entrance to a repurposed basement level (museum, most likely).

28 State and 1 Washington, not so sure how that works.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

It is unlikely Cornhill can be fully established as it once was. However, as you said, swing it a little further out towards City Hall for the intersection with Congress St. Another alternative is to just bang a turn at One Washington and go down the former Washington St ROW and intersect with State St.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Cortes said:
Call me crazy, but here is my thought for the whole area. Renovate the Land Court building (which is in danger of being torn down), and the John Adams Courthouse and turn it into the new city hall. Then demolish our city hall. Then give land rights of part of city hall plaza to the owners of Center Plaza, and give them the right to build high, with the understanding that they will demolish some or all of Center Plaza, so as to open up the views to what would be now the new city hall.
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Where will the courts go?
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

BussesAin'tTrains said:
Where will the courts go?
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I'm not sure. I started by saying call me crazy. And call me crazy, but tear down the ugliest building in Boston, the center for Mental Health (hah), at the corner of Staniford and Merrimack and then build and connect the courts with the already existing BMC. It will be urban renewal 3.5.

Or else just put them across the street in that hideous lot that is filled with a cup of coffee.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

tangent said:
You've seen Judge Dredd? The future is in mobile on demand judgement.
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Tangent -- I concur -- just as long as we bring back the days of the Navy SP's administering "street justice" and old Scollay Sq. with the Old Howard


Then it all fits perfectly into this thread
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Not to be brutal (See what I did, there?), but we have fetishized City Hall. It's physically unattractive. Please rebuild it and use Quebec City as an example for a future city hall.


canada-quebec-city-funiculaire.jpg


City Hall and Government Center might not be as hilly as Funiculaire, but if you're a city planner in Boston, then one would try to incorporate parts of Quebec City into a renovated Faneuil Hall and some of the existing old brick buildings at GC.
 
Re: Offical City Hall Plaza Proposals

Love the lighting!







 
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