"Dirty Old Boston"

I realize I'm a broken record on the topic, but the "fix" to Governent Center -- the plaza, anyway -- is really simple and obvious. The thing was allegedly inspired by Piazza Navona, Plaza Mayor, Piazza del Campo, etc. What's the big difference (aside from the age and architectural style of surrounding buildings) between those squares and GC plaza? Those beautiful European plazas are ENCLOSED with buidings on all four (or at least three) sides and those buildings have restaurants, cafes, stores. GC is *sort of* enclosed on two sides, but by government buildings with no ground-level interaction, other than the Sam Adams taproom thing (which is a move in the right direction). Build along Cambridge Street and fill those structures with aforementioned bars, cafes, restaurants and do the same here and there along Congress Street and the Court Street side and you'd have an enclosed, activated public space. It's not real advanced math.
 
chrisbrat said:
I realize I'm a broken record on the topic, but the "fix" to Governent Center -- the plaza, anyway -- is really simple and obvious. The thing was allegedly inspired by Piazza Navona, Plaza Mayor, Piazza del Campo, etc. What's the big difference (aside from the age and architectural style of surrounding buildings) between those squares and GC plaza? Those beautiful European plazas are ENCLOSED with buidings on all four (or at least three) sides and those buildings have restaurants, cafes, stores. GC is *sort of* enclosed on two sides, but by government buildings with no ground-level interaction, other than the Sam Adams taproom thing (which is a move in the right direction). Build along Cambridge Street and fill those structures with aforementioned bars, cafes, restaurants and do the same here and there along Congress Street and the Court Street side and you'd have an enclosed, activated public space. It's not real advanced math.
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Fully agree. The great plazas I've experienced in Europe have been all/mostly-enclosed with active streetwalls. But, perhaps as importantly, the above-street-level facades ideally include a decent amount of residential, not just commercial or institutional. The latter makes the vibe warm and welcoming; for instance, people hanging out on their balconies, or at least windows illuminated with the warm glow that typifies residences rather than offices, flowers or curtains or eclectic decor visible amongst the windows, etc. A blank cold facade all the way up (and all the way around the square) is not as inviting.

There many examples throughout Barcelona; here are a couple:
goo.gl

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
goo.gl goo.gl
goo.gl

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
goo.gl goo.gl

Meanwhile, a local example that had so much potential but IMO became a missed opportunity in Cambridge is Termeer Sq. There's not enough activation around it, and zero residential around it. The big blank glass walls of the lab buildings cannot produce the vibe of the above examples. But if just one or two of these facades were residential, and the square had an activated street wall all (or at least 3/4ths) of the way around it, this could have been very similar to a European piazza. Here's a pre-pandemic view, showing both the potential and the failings:
goo.gl

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
goo.gl goo.gl

I mean, who is going to hang out in the immediate above example past 8 or 9pm, or on a weekend? (the answer is nearly no one, despite a high residential density not far away)
 
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DZH22 said:
Hotel Madison. Boston, Mass. Postcard. by Brandon Legvold, on Flickr
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Yeah, I remember the Hotel Madison (I'm 72). It was a beauty, and we don't have many large buildings left of that style. The O'Neil building that replaced it is, of course, a faceless monstrosity. Fortunately today we seem to be more attuned to preserving historic buildings like this (the WHOOP building abomination wiping out a fine old building at Kenmore Square notwithstanding).
 
What Id give to be able to go back in time and walk around in the Boston of that time period.
 
What architectural office is this in the Flour and Grain Exchange? Looks very 70s vibe. I got these off the Boston Landmarks site on Flickr, many old school photos of Boston.

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BeyondRevenue said:
I wish North Street had some of that alignment to go up to Tremont Street instead of keeping the stupid City Hall carport and Garage combo.
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I agree the garage entry is not the best design for a street edge, but I like the grand stair up to the plaza. Now that the outdoor bar space is on top of the garage at the plaza level there seems to be some activity up there. I think the a bridge over Congress should still be built, but with a glass walkway feature. It should land on top of the Sam Adams restaurant as originally designed. I'll post a plan later that shows the bridge was intended to cross over Congress St., I have to find it first. Also, although the entry off Congress is the small U-turn driveway with just a small elevator lobby at that level, it is sort of an impressive cavernous space.
 
DZH22 said:
View attachment 22171
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It would be cool to superimpose on this the current Central Artery/RKG,, plus the newer buildings and skyscrapers, but leave out Government Center and Charles River Park. I'd use a compatible aerial view from Google maps. It would be an alternative history for Boston; one in which GC and Charles River Park were not built, but the other developments were.
 
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