Gov't Center Station Rebuild

I walked by the other day. It really precludes any redevelopment on the plaza along Cambridge/cornhill - something that could mirror the curves of the Sears Block and enclose the plaza better.
 
Shepard said:
I walked by the other day. It really precludes any redevelopment on the plaza along Cambridge/cornhill - something that could mirror the curves of the Sears Block and enclose the plaza better.
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It does, and I would have been very open to the sort of infill you suggest. But given how old and shallow the subway platforms are, and how much horizontal space they take up (well, Green Line level does), was there really any chance of anything decently large put in as infill to that corner anyways? I cannot manage to find a drawing that superimposes the stations on the street grid, but some of the T's construction docs can be mentally superimposed without too much trouble. There's a lot of Green Line platform to have to avoid with support columns, and the blue line comes in at an awkward angle underneath it. I dunno, seems like it would have been a tough infill. Moot now.

And then there's the Brattle Loop extending out to the north from the station, more shallow tunnel to avoid with any infill along the center part of the plaza (probably the part you'd likely leave open).

I think the northeast corner of the plaza is a place where some infill could occur without heroic engineering to avoid tunnels. And over along the green line tunnel towards Haymarket, to extend Hannover, something in there could work.

If anyone has seen a map of City Hall Plaza that clearly shows the location of tunnels - not just the sort of simplistic plot that googlemaps throws down - I would love to see the link.
 
The Big Apple Circus Tent is back in town! :cool:
 
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Diagram I compiled:

BARM0u5.png
 
Thanks, datadyne, that's fantastic and really helpful to see where it lines up. The loop extends farther over towards that ex-fountain than I had visualized.
 
Data, are your sources public? I always love increasing my collection...
 
I wonder if the track that was always partitioned off by that partial wall will be used on a day-to-day basis for the commuters.

I just can't imagine that the track would still be hidden after the station is rehabbed. :confused:
 
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Yeah especially once the West Medford Ext is open. Not that they would use it all the time but for special rush hour service or game nights at the Garden.
 
Yes, part of the plan is to reopen the Brattle Loop to passengers, the partition wall will be gone. Partially it's being done to facilitate short turns from the north, and partially because it will make the inbound GL platform feel much less claustrophobic.
 
The top of the escalator that brought commuters up from the Blue Line platform was tight up against this wall.

I hated that escalator, because it was almost always never working, especially when I had a heavy suitcase to lug up the stairs! It'll be interesting to see how they'll put two escalators there plus an elevator. It would be repaired, then about 2 days later, it was broken again!

I assume that there will be 2 sets of escalators & 2 elevators. :cool:
 
Glass installation. Just in time for pigeon breeding season.


At least we'll know well before it opens how good/bad/neutral a choice that ends up being.
 
No matter how it ends up, this is infinitely better than the old brick bunker.
 
F-Line to Dudley said:
Glass installation. Just in time for pigeon breeding season.
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We discussed this somewhere back in this thread but basically the pigeon problem will be much less than you think. The glass surface isn't that easy for a bird to grasp hold of and the fact that it is so out in the open means that it would make them easy prey. Sure you will have a drop of shit now and then but I think our fears are misplaced.
 
Like this. It's a simple, elegant entrance that will probably have a nice glow to it at night.
 
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