Gov't Center Station Rebuild

[whighlander]

All of the pain and suffering, etc. was suddenly made worthwhile

SCOLLAY IS Back -- looking forward to seeing some nice posters [maybe even in color -- rotogravure] advertising the acts at the Old Howard

 

[Charlie_mta]

Why not just rename the station Scollay? Also, rename the surface street junction Scollay Square.

Government Center sounds so boring.

 

[novitiate]

Why not just rename the station Scollay? Also, rename the surface street junction Scollay Square.

Government Center sounds so boring.

Looking at the signage in the new station (from a passing train), it seems like even the old "GREEN LINE AT SCOLLAY SQUARE" sub-name for the station has disappeared. But the prominence of the tile signs will keep the name in the public memory should it be needed again.

 

[Suffolk 83]

Scollay Sq looks sweet, wish it was still there

 

[sm89]

Let's note how far we've come in terms of pedestrian safety (or car dominance?) in that the station entrance was in the middle of the street with no crosswalks or any means to access it without wandering through the intersection.

 

[CSTH]

Yup, definitely car dominance.


And probably less safe today anyway fwiw

 

[bigeman312]

Streets, especially urban squares like Scollay Square, were not seen as the exclusive territory of cars when that picture was taken. They were shared space. If that same setup was there 50 years later, the attitude towards pedestrians, and anyone not inside of a car, would have been very difference.

 

[Charlie_mta]

Scollay Sq looks sweet, wish it was still there

Someday, something like it will come back. The Center Plaza building, City Hall plaza, and City Hall will be gone and replaced by a real urban neighborhood. It's inevitable but it will take awhile.

 

[Matthew]

That picture looks like what happens when you take a great square and then allow cars to run rampant all over it.

It is not uncommon for Spanish plazas also to have station entrances plopped in the middle like that. But in Spain, they don't let cars scurry all over the place; their paths are carefully prescribed and limited.

 

[Charlie_mta]

Yeah, but this was taken in the 1940's when Boston didn't have traffic lane markings anywhere. As late as the 1950's when I was a kid, I saw lots of major streets with no lines.

 

[Matthew]

The Spanish don't rely on lines either -- it's with bollards typically.

 

[FK4]

The Spanish don't rely on lines either -- it's with bollards typically.

Bollards again!

Someone should make a page dedicated to different types of bollards around the world...

Like the guy who has a manhole cover website...


*****

In re: above poster about "nice" bollards... they can look nice, but i hate how govt buildings have to them... in DC every single building is ringed by them and it still feels 1984ish no matter how nice they make em look.

 

[millerm277]

In re: above poster about "nice" bollards... they can look nice, but i hate how govt buildings have to them... in DC every single building is ringed by them and it still feels 1984ish no matter how nice they make em look.

The problem in DC (and with lots of old government buildings in general), is that they weren't originally designed with the now desired level of security in mind. So when everyone freaked out about terrorism post 9/11 (and Oklahoma City), you had all these structures that didn't have room for any kind of better design features to keep cars away from the building.

 

[Matthew]

I'd rather not use bollards either -- they tend to be hazards for people walking and cycling -- but it seems to be the simplest way to keep the scofflaw motorist from parking or driving over places they shouldn't.

Here they are looking to use more CCTV and automatic plate recognition. The 'famed' movable-bollard system is going to be quietly replaced with cameras in order to save £200,000, they say.

It seems to be harder to install such systems in the States, though. And certainly 60 years ago....

 

[JeffDowntown]

The massive concrete balls are really the worst type of bollard. Are there any examples of nice looking bollards around town somewhere?

I think the security landscaping around the Federal Reserve building at Dewey Square works pretty well. It is clearly security focused, but also decent landscaping.

 

[Arlington]

^ +1

 

[whighlander]

Yup, definitely car dominance.


And probably less safe today anyway fwiw

CSTH -- looks can be quite deceiving --

this photo was taken when the average person didn't own a car -- so the Scollay Sq's look must have evolved before cars were commonplace

in fact in these photos "cars"???

for more Scollay -- see its "official web site"
http://www.bambinomusical.com/Scollay/History.html

 

[whighlander]

I think the security landscaping around the Federal Reserve building at Dewey Square works pretty well. It is clearly security focused, but also decent landscaping.

JeffDoentown -- that landscape cost $9M and is certified to stop a dump truck presumably filled with something other than sand doing 40 mph

 

[Jahvon09]

Why not just rename the station Scollay? Also, rename the surface street junction Scollay Square.

Government Center sounds so boring.

It certainly DOES, hey?!

I'd love to see the old flavor name brought back from the dead.

 

[stick n move]

Are they creating a new loop road in front of the head house for a drop off zone? I cant find it in the renders but it seems they may be.