"The Plaza at Dudley Square," featuring the Dudley Public Library/Community Atrium, is the winning vision in a competition to draft plans for a revitalized Dudley Square. Architect Gregory Minott, whose plan won Best Building Design for its depiction of the renovated branch library, was credited with keeping his proposal in an appropriate scale for the neighborhood. (Gregory minott, Troy Depeiza, and Snehal Intwala)
Vision for Dudley Square seen anew by architects
By John C. Drake, Globe Staff | May 11, 2008
Roxbury residents got a peek yesterday at several blueprints for a revitalized Dudley Square, from bold visions like erecting a gleaming new office tower to practical plans for easing congestion in its bus hub.
In the end, the designs with a more practical vision of what was possible for the 1.8-acre city-owned plot of land gained the favor of area residents who judged an architectural competition.
"This is just the beginning of thinking about how Dudley Square can improve," said Kairos Shen, director of planning for the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
Four local architects won prizes for crafting design strategies for revitalizing the parcel, which will become available with the removal of two vacant buildings and the relocation of the police substation to Washington Street.
Under one design that won accolades for environmentally sustainable features, part of the Dudley Station bus depot would become an outdoor market, while its bus stops would be reconfigured to divert traffic away from the commercial corridor on Dudley Street.
While the historic bus depot brings considerable congestion to area streets, it is also essential as a transportation hub, so architects had wide-ranging views for its use. Several architects incorporated light rail, which many residents have long sought for the square.
Joyce Stanley, executive director of Dudley Square Main Streets and a judge for the architectural competition, said any changes to the station would wreak havoc on local transportation because of the many bus routes that run through it.
"I don't like relocating Dudley Station, but I think the market is a good idea."
The architect who envisioned adding a market to the station suggested that it would serve as a business incubator and tourist attraction for the neighborhood.
Architect Gregory Minott, whose plan won Best Building Design for its depiction of a renovated Dudley branch library, was credited with keeping his proposal in an appropriate scale for the neighborhood. Shen also praised the design as being "realistic."
"We looked at the site and said we want to make it so it isn't just a pie in the sky, so it can become very real, very soon," said Minott, whose team of architects won a $10,000 cash prize.
The 14 teams of architects who entered the contest received minimal guidance about what the city would and would not allow for the site. Each of the contestants participated in a community meeting on April 14 at Dudley Square's recently renovated Hibernian Hall to gather ideas from residents and area business leaders. Four winners were announced yesterday: Innovative Green Design and Best Community Building Initiative, which each carried a $5,000 prize, and Best Building Design and Best Urban/Site Design, which won $10,000 each.
"We wanted to further engage residents in city planning," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
The neighborhood has already undergone some revitalization with the reconstruction of Hibernian Hall and city grants to help small businesses replace long-vacant store fronts. Also, there are plans to convert the vacant Ferdinand Building into city office space.
The effort to involve local architects in envisioning a new Dudley Square was timed to coincide with the national meeting of the Architects Institute of America, which takes place in Boston later this week, city officials said.
While the city is not committing to immediately putting in place any of the plans submitted in the competition, officials said elements of many are likely to be part of the city's future plans.
John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.
