If anyone is attending tonight's meeting, it would be great if someone could submit by comment as follows:
My name is Derek Rubinoff, and I am a Boston architect and principal of an architectural practice. As you may know, developer Related Beal is proposing to raze several structures on the north side of Kenmore Square in preparation for a new office building development. I’m writing on behalf of a concerned group of Boston residents in favor of preserving one of the threatened structures, 541 Commonwealth Avenue, also known as The Westgate.
In addition to the building being an excellent example of Bostonian Victorian-era apartment-hotel architecture, this building, per its name, acts as the western gateway not only to Kenmore Square itself, but to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, one of America’s civic masterpieces. Note that the opposite bookend of the Mall is the Boston Public Garden.
The Westgate was designed by one of the Back Bay’s most prominent architects, Arthur Vinal, who designed the landmarked Chestnut Hill Pumping Station and Fisher Hill Gatehouse, along with townhouses and apartment building all around Back Bay. Arthur Vinal was, from 1884-1887, Boston’s City Architect, and his work has been well-documented in a book by historian Dan De Witt.
Kenmore Square has lost several nineteenth-century buildings over the last decades, most notably for the Hotel Commonwealth in 2003, which ended up being a watered-down facsimile of period architecture. Now, Related Beal has proposed to replace several remaining buildings on the north side of the square, which would irrevocably change the character of one of Boston’s most visited civic centers. While we believe the city needs to accommodate growth, we feel that Boston’s architectural history is one of its most valuable assets. That’s why our group has been working on lobbying for the preservation of 541 Commonwealth Avenue since the summer. We have a petition with over 30 Bostonian signatures in favor of preserving this building, with most signees being from Kenmore Square. Furthermore, we have the support of several people from the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Association. These residences want to see this important piece of architecture preserved.
In addition to the building being an integral endcap of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, The Westgate is prototypically Boston in its 1890s architectural styling. It is clad with yellow brick with integrated carved stone ornamentation. The façade is articulated with a rhythm of bowed copper bays. The building’s proportion and articulation works both at the scale of the both the pedestrian and across the overall square. It is a fitting gateway into Kenmore Square, a highly visible example of Victorian Boston architecture for Kenmore residents, users of the Kenmore transit hub, and people from all over visiting Fenway Park and Boston University. Its proposed replacement lacks architectural character which would root the proposed structure to its place in the neighborhood and the city.
While sadly thirty years of neglect by previous-owner Boston University has taken its toll on the once-tony interior that housed prominent Boston residents as an apartment-hotel, BU preservation studies professor Sara Wermiel has noted that the interior remains significant for its innovative Roebling fireproof floor construction system, which changed building codes to allow for concrete floor construction.
BU had been required by the Massachusetts Historical Commission to create a preservation plan to proactively protect significant historical properties around Kenmore Square, and the 2006 plan recommended NRIND status for The Westgate. The Massachusetts Historical Commission recommended a National Register Historic National Register District including this building. Boston Landmarks Commission historian Roysin Younkin, in a letter at the time, concurred with the MHC and including the Kenmore NRDIS in that recommendation as well. The state’s MOA with BU required proper maintenance for the historic properties. Instead, BU left the upper floors abandoned, and is thus responsible for their current state.
Instead of demolishing Boston’s heritage, we believe the Related Beal has an opportunity here to creatively propose an innovative adaptive reuse for The Westgate, or at least its façade. The Westgate should be integrated into the proposed new development, maintaining this important example of period architecture in Kenmore Square while preserve the integrity of Boston’s urban treasure, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. We call on all involved parties to push for an innovative solution which preserves The Westgate.
Sincerely,
Derek Rubinoff, AIA
Boston Resident
