City Hall Plaza Revamp | Government Center

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JeffDowntown

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Per the Herald the Anthem Group has proposed a year round hospitality venue for City Hall Plaza. Dubbed Polar Bar in the winter; City Bistro in the summer.

http://www.bostonherald.com/busines...oses_year_round_restaurant_venue_at_city_hall

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Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

Seriously why hasn't anyone just proposed selling off lots of the plaza to developers and creating a more intimate, successful public space? This is just more cheap crap to fill space.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

This reminds me of something you would see at a fairground somewhere. I agree with Van that the best use of the plaza would be to parcel it out and sell it to developers.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

Well they did ask for proposals for the reuse of the space. Perhaps the more ambitious ideas are being kept under wraps?
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

Why has no one proposed a CN Tower here yet?????!!!
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

This looks low effort. Just like all the other City Hall Plaza proposals!
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

vanshnookenraggen said:
Seriously why hasn't anyone just proposed selling off lots of the plaza to developers and creating a more intimate, successful public space? This is just more cheap crap to fill space.
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Because that's just not how this sad old towne works...

Mahty's henchmen probably called a consultant, and they "developed a concept to monetize the space without the City relinquishing ownership and control of the space and its programming."
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

This is actually last year's failed Winter's Landing rehashed, with marginally more info & for the restaurant to be permanent. Developer is so clueless.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

I like the outdoor skating idea. That would bring in a lot of people in the Winter months (if they can refrigerate the surface to keep it frozen during unseasonably warm days like we have been having periodically).

I also like the idea of some dining/semi permanent concession options right up along Cambridge St. But I think it should be a narrow row and not stick into the plaza too much like this particular proposal.

I like the size of the plaza, I think much of the problem is just the lack of definition, lack of programming and the damn terracing and stairs that break up the plaza in a bad way.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

city hall is 50 years old, right? The few times i've been in it -not just the lobby but some meeting rooms - it seems totally outdated and structurally aging fast.

Proposals like this seem all like silly handwaving. What is stopping City Hall from being the anchor tenant and driver for an iconic and conveniently located development (Withrop Sq, South Station Tower, Gov't Center Garage, North Station). Then if they can do a specific rezoning, parcel subdivision and staggered auction to developers, it seems like the value of the current GC & plaza space would cover the move to a modern facility.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

choo said:
city hall is 50 years old, right? The few times i've been in it -not just the lobby but some meeting rooms - it seems totally outdated and structurally aging fast.

Proposals like this seem all like silly handwaving. What is stopping City Hall from being the anchor tenant and driver for an iconic and conveniently located development (Withrop Sq, South Station Tower, Gov't Center Garage, North Station). Then if they can do a specific rezoning, parcel subdivision and staggered auction to developers, it seems like the value of the current GC & plaza space would cover the move to a modern facility.
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If you want to just ditch the city hall building altogether and start with a blank slate approach, then just move the mayor, city council, department heads and some key administrative teams back to the old City Hall. The city doesn't need a new city hall if they can move back into the old one. I believe it is still owned by the city, but just leased out through a private corporation.

And then make sure that there are offices in every neighborhood and online that can handle day to day transactions such as license applications, renewals, fee collection, etc. The days of having a massive government building that is primarily for office space should be long over.

If there was an actual "Hall" at City Hall, then that would be different as it would be good to have some auditorium that was bigger than Faneuil Hall available. Putting office space at the center of a civic center is a waste.

But before just giving city hall and the plaza over for just another development there are a lot of ways that it could be redone that keep it primarily a civic space, albeit a better defined one.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

tangent said:
If you want to just ditch the city hall building altogether and start with a blank slate approach, then just move the mayor, city council, department heads and some key administrative teams back to the old City Hall. The city doesn't need a new city hall if they can move back into the old one. I believe it is still owned by the city, but just leased out through a private corporation.
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I love this idea.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

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

it seems totally outdated and structurally aging fast.
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Was equally applicable to Penn Station in 1963.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

statler said:
Was equally applicable to Penn Station in 1963.
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Oh I just had to take a look at some old pictures... that was a tragic tragic loss.

I don't quite feel the same about the current Boston City Hall, but I do worry about what kind of mediocrity would replace it.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

I don't really love City Hall either, but I will always worry about the 'old bad, new better' mentality.
 
Re: City Hall Plaza Polar Bar / City Bistro

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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Since the logic at hand implies that there is no such thing as aesthetic 'goodness' and 'badness', just age, I suggest we demolish City Hall but agree to permanently preserve an office building of the same vintage on Route 128.
 
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