Water from the harbor has been leaking into the Moakley Courthouse basement since 2001
Michelle Hillman
Journal staff
.....After the meeting, Dilks told Richard Martini, director of development for the Fallon Co., that the "basement leaks like a sieve" and was surprised to find out that Fallon plans to dig down 34 feet from the surface of Fan Pier. Dilks commented that 34 feet was "way below us," in reference to the 20 feet the Moakley contractors went down. Dilks said GSA officials first started noticing the leaks in the basement only after the building had been open for three years......
...developer Joseph Fallon says he is not worried. "It's a matter of construction and who does the construction," said Fallon. "It just becomes a maintenance issue." Fallon said another of his buildings, Park Lane Seaport, leaked when it was finished. Park Lane is a residential complex on Northern Avenue in South Boston. The leaks were plugged with grout and are no longer an issue. "We're used to it in Boston," said Fallon. "Most of Boston is built on the water."
......Building on water is a costly and complicated endeavor that takes sophisticated engineering and construction methods. However, few sites are more complicated than Fan Pier, which consists of filled tidelands and is largely undeveloped except for the Moakley Courthouse. One of the main reasons Fan Pier went undeveloped was because of the tricky construction required to create underground parking. Rather than build a giant "bathtub" for parking underneath all of the buildings, Fallon decided to build the garages as each building was constructed.
