City Hall Plaza

I like what Chicago did planting a green roof. I think that would be perfect; there could be a hanging garden in the atrium. Hell, even the plaza would look better with grass! Maybe intersperse it with brick in certain places so you can have a cool texture. It would do a lot for the environment.
 
chumbolly said:
The outside smells like piss and the inside is filthy.
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Huh? I'm in and out of City Hall (on both the service and office floors) almost every day and never smell piss outside and the inside is usually kept pretty clean. Your observations must be psychosomatic.
 
If you walk up the the stairs leading to Cambridge Street and linger close to the building, you should notice the stink. On the inside, you're right, the floors are clean and so forth, but it needs a serious scrubbing of the walls and every surface not touched by the regular, day-to day cleaning crew.
 
Oh, pfft. All of New York smells like piss...except for the parts that smell like roasted nuts. Solution for City Hall?
 
More roasted nuts! As a matter of fact, they should put a stand in the lobby (or at the top of the stairway from Congress St). Seriously, though I do think a big problem is that the top of the stairway is used as a parking area for Property Management trucks and cars (which may hide ersatz bathrooms). As ugly as the Plaza is, it probably should not be used as a parking lot.
 
chumbolly said:
I've been told by someone who would know that the Mayor has directed that a number of light fixtures be turned off or not have their burned out bulbs replaced to save money and send a message to employee unions that the city is cash-strapped.
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I think menino is doing everything he can to get a new under the runway city hall on the waterfront. Could this be why there was no rally on the plaza for the red sox, only a parade?
 
Stairs leading to Cambridge Street? Not sure exactly where you mean.

There was no Red Sox rally on the plaza in 2004, either.
 
Well, Menino is still at it, apparently. Per the Boston Globe he reiterated his plans of moving the City Hall to the waterfront. We can only hope that people can keep him busy until he's out of office...
 
memorial on City Hall Plaza

Cancer Memorial

?The Wellness Community is providing a truly needed resource and sanctuary for those members of our community facing the real issues surrounding not only a cancer diagnosis but the reality of how to live with the disease,? Mayor Menino, a cancer survivor himself, said. ?This tribute will be a wonderful acknowledgement to all of those people who have faced cancer with dignity and strength.?


This cancer tribute will be the largest of its kind in the country. It is expected to raise more than $1 million to support the free cancer support, education and stress management programs offered by The Wellness Community in their four Greater Boston facilities: TWC Newton, in Roxbury at TWC at Dimock (in conjunction with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and The Dimock Center), in Hanover at TWC at Pathways Center for Cancer Support and in Salem at TWC at Sue?s Circle of Hope (in partnership with the Susan de Vries Cancer Foundation).


The cost of commemorative bricks and plaques will vary so everyone who is interested can participate. Bricks will be available online to the public beginning on Monday, December 10th at www.bricksrus.com/order/gardenofhope or by picking up a tribute order form at the information center at Boston City Hall.


?Mayor Menino has been a leader in the fight against cancer and The Wellness Community greatly appreciates his dedication to ensuring that cancer support, education and stress management programs continue to be available, free of charge, throughout Greater Boston,? said Ronald Lipof, president and CEO of TWC. ?Today, a cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence but rather a journey for most diagnosed with the disease.? The Cancer Garden of Hope will serve as a tribute to those living with cancer and those unsung heroes that have helped play a part in the lives of those living with the disease.?


This could be a unique gift idea for the holidays. Instead of a more traditional gift, the purchase of a commemorative brick or plaque can honor a loved one and bring hope to others. The City of Boston is offering the gift of trees, a gift that could ultimately last a lifetime. For $50, the City will ensure that a tree is planted in Boston as part of our Grow Boston Greener campaign, which will plant 100,000 trees in Boston by 2020. This gift can be made in someone?s name. Trees make great gifts to both your beneficiary and your neighborhood. This gift is a tax deductible donation to the Fund for Parks Department. For more information, please call 617) 961-3039.
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http://www.southbostoninfo.com/mainstorie.html#Health

http://www.cityofboston.gov/news/default.aspx?id=3715
 
Cancer victims and their families have my utmost sympathy, but I think this is a horrible idea.

I couldn't find any real information about where exactly this memorial would be located or what it would look like -- just that it would be built on City Hall Plaza. And one way certainly not to fix Boston's most dysfunctional public space is to make it sacred ground.

Incidentally, at what point does our current memorial-mania become ridiculous? It seems we as a society are intent to consecrate every barren office plaza, available vacant lot, stretch of sidewalk and plot of grass with some increasingly vague and meaningless memorial. Our public realm is becoming a cemetery.

Not to mention, what does such an obsession signify about our society? Personally, I have a very cynical view on the whole phenomena.
 
briv said:
Personally, I have a very cynical view on the whole phenomena.
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I have to agree, though we have always had memorials in public places; many were war dead. I suppose the question is where do you draw the line between the appropriate and the ridiculous.
 
I was out taking some night shots (after all the great stuff I saw here) and finally walked on the new concrete slab. This city is so ridiculius...they'd rather look at an enormous empty concrete slab than the fountain. I mean, sure, the fountain kinda sucked but at least it was something to break up the wasteland there, and sort of set a border for the plaza.

Unreal that menino wants to move city hall too, I just saw that.
 
I thought the slab's purpose was somehow to facilitate the Government Center station rehab, which involves extending the Blue Line platform further towards Bowdoin Street and reopening a second entrance at that end.
 
I'd rather commemmorate something more noble than dying and killing in war. Writers, musicians, artists, inventors, creative people of all kinds.
 
^ The theory is you're owed more if you've been sent to your death.




(Might be something to it.)
 
C'mon lets not have this argument here - nobody comes out looking good
 
^Whether you agree w/a war or not, the guy defending soldiers who die in war will pretty much always come out looking good.
 
WBUR had a one hour radio story on the City Hall and the Plaza. Here is the link:

http://www.radioboston.org/index.php/2007/12/31/boston’s-city-hall.html

In summary, during the program, Joan Goody from Goody Clancy architecture opined to keep City Hall and retrofit. Fred Kent, President of Project for Public Spaces says tear it down and rebuild a new City Hall on or near City Hall Plaza. Neither likes the idea of moving it to the S. Boston Waterfront.
 
I liked McKinnell's comments about city hall being subject 'malicious neglect', which is pretty hard to disagree with (especially when Joan Goody pointed out that some lights had never been replaced since the building was built).
 
With all of the development opportunities on the table, I am really starting to wonder why a new City Hall has been given so much consideration.

First off, I really do think it's a great building architectually and it is rather pleasing to the eye. It just needs a little up-keep. Since we are going to lose the Rudolph building soon, it would be nice to have one Brutalist style building left remaining (a building that has won awards for it's design and use).

Also, some have made the argument that it would be nice to have a City Hall that resembles a more traditional "City Hall Look". What makes Boston special is that we have a state house that triumphs any other City Hall, so having a unique City Hall definitely works here.

And lastly, moving City Hall to the Waterfront benefits no one. Sure, it would be great if anything was on the waterfront, but that does not make it practical.
 
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