Redesign Government Center

[tangent]

Re: Government Center

I think a retrofit of the existing City Hall building that retains the top half portion of the building largely as-is, but replaces the dark caverns and brickwork at ground level with more openness and transparent glass (symbolic of a more open government and not the current brick wall symbolism), perhaps with ground level retail/cafe space along Congress St and up around the corner at the edge of the Plaza.

Something like the BPL renovation to replace the ground level facade with something more approachable and human scale.

Retaining the up-side down penny (up-side down Lincoln Memorial) theme of the upper 4 floors of the building, basically extend a glass facade down from the bottom of the 6th floor and replace all the brickwork on the lower levels of the building with something more open either with a Apple store (Government Center Head House) looking glass box or something with at least some large windows and ground level retail/cafe at the corner(s) here: Google Street View

I think something along those lines would be incorporating the best ideas I've read here without breaking the bank too much. Justifying any expense on a redesign is going to be a tough sell though. Perhaps the Mass Horticultural could be invited in to resurrect a version of the garden under glass concept that was supposed to go on the Rose Kennedy Greenway to surround the base of City Hall instead:

 

[stefal]

Re: Government Center

I can't locate the original article but I know when Walsh was running for mayor and he was asked about City Hall, he said he would consider tearing the building down and moving city hall into a privately owned building. (Menino laughed at him)

If that were the case, it would be cool to see something like this, where private buildings that could be built on the property are connected with a large park:

(both old and new renderings of Hudson Yards in New York)


If Walsh doesn't sell it (which there's still a chance he won't), Tangent's ideas work well; they're cost effective and it gets the job done.

 

[393b40]

Re: Government Center

I can't locate the original article but I know when Walsh was running for mayor and he was asked about City Hall, he said he would consider tearing the building down and moving city hall into a privately owned building. (Menino laughed at him)

Buildings don't last forever, it will happen sooner rather than later. Also how structurally sound is the building? Didn't one of the floors buckle last year?

Assuming we don't do something stupid like slap a Historic Preservation tag on that monstrosity I'd say it's a good bet the current City Hall is gone by 2030.

 

[stefal]

Re: Government Center

Assuming we don't do something stupid like slap a Historic Preservation tag on that monstrosity I'd say it's a good bet the current City Hall is gone by 2030.

Gosh I hope so..

 

[tangent]

Re: Government Center

Then there is the question about why have one big city hall in the first place. Do more business online and you could have city offices in each neighborhood closer to the residents and businesses they serve.

Then the only thing you need city hall for is for various size meeting spaces, auditorium and offices for the mayor. Which is why I think you could largely gut the lower levels of the existing building and just have those offices elsewhere.

Government Center Plaza itself reminds me of the old O'Neill Library plaza at BC which went from this

To this:

 

[elemenoh]

Re: Government Center

Assuming we don't do something stupid like slap a Historic Preservation tag on that monstrosity I'd say it's a good bet the current City Hall is gone by 2030.

A number of years ago the Boston Landmarks Commission received a petition to designate the building as a Boston landmark, and they referred it for study. They won't actually do anything until the building is actually threatened with demolition.

 

[Arlington]

I understand that people hate the City Hall building itself. Some hate the building and plaza, some just hate the plaza but would give the building a second chance (me).

The problem, as I see it, is that the pavers have total run of the place. Either box them in Piazza Navona style (or small scale Zocalo) or turn them to grass, O'Neill library style.

 

[MBTAddict]

The problem, as I see it, is that the pavers have total run of the place. Either box them in Piazza Navona style (or small scale Zocalo) or turn them to grass, O'Neill library style.

I agree it has to go either one way or the other. If we want green space, then leave the environs open. If we want a European style, very active piazza, then close it in with very active uses. But we can't have both.

 

[fattony]

I agree it has to go either one way or the other. If we want green space, then leave the environs open. If we want a European style, very active piazza, then close it in with very active uses. But we can't have both.

Considering the open Greenway is across the street (half a street really), I vote for enclosed piazza.

 

[davem]

Just lay down a street grid and sell off individual parcels. If we really need a plaza, I think it would be better to tear down Center Plaza 3 and bring Pemberton Square down to Tremont Street. The fact that the Adams courthouse is buried back there is almost as much a crime as Government Center plaza itself.


Also, wasn't there an idea a while back to move into one of the buildings into Post Office square? I loved that idea

 

[citylover94]

I would be fine leaving the building if the square was turned into a smaller piazza type space. Like this: http://goo.gl/O5fP6T

or this: http://goo.gl/WmzXI8

I personally like option B a little better because it leaves the square more open to the city but it might still be too big on the other hand. I would love to here what everyone thinks.

 

[FK4]

I would restore Hanover and do it well, and run it right up to somerset. But I'm amazed that the brA and the city haven't just decided to acknowledge what a disaster the govt ctr / west end projects were, and not implemented a 20 or 30 year master plan for completely reworking the entire area with the long term goal of smaller blocks and smaller buildings. Just admit that the whole thing was a terrible mistake, and now we want to fix it and we have a long range vision for how we want to to it.

 

[tangent]

Considering the open Greenway is across the street (half a street really), I vote for enclosed piazza.

Why couldn't you do both a green area and an enclosed plaza? It is a very large space even if you line Congress and Cambridge St with some 3 story commercial/retail buildings to more fully enclose the plaza.


But I do really really like the 2009 Helfand Plan with its central plaza, if this was a blank slate approach I would say the layout and massing is spot on regardless of the style and detail of the actual buildings. Whenever I look at this I find myself asking why anyone would have chosen the current city hall and city hall plaza design:

I think you could accomplish something, I won't say similar, but following the same intent to create more of a central plaza by using the existing building, but adding some 3 story buildings along Cambridge St and Congress. And then you still have a plaza largely where there is one now, but it could be better sectioned into distinct spaces.

 

[Arlington]

Whenever I look at this I find myself asking why anyone would have chosen the current city hall and city hall plaza design:

The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.

The worst part is how it meets the ground (blank brick in front, arse-aperture facing Faneuil ). If the brutalist purists would let us fix the bottom 20 feet of the building, it'd be a great help.

 

[citylover94]

Part of what I was attempting to do in both those versions is keep the view of the Old North Church clear which really limited what I could do.

 

[tangent]

I would be fine leaving the building if the square was turned into a smaller piazza type space. Like this: http://goo.gl/O5fP6T

or this: http://goo.gl/WmzXI8

I personally like option B a little better because it leaves the square more open to the city but it might still be too big on the other hand. I would love to here what everyone thinks.

Looks pretty good to me.

I think this is along the lines of what was starting to come together for me: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zls-af_Fcv3Q.kdu_UfdkkM0A

 

[citylover94]

That looks good. I like that you made part of it into green space, and the enclosed gardens are great.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

The more I read about this the less I like it. It seems like just a marketing ploy. Sure some interesting ideas will come forth but it will probably be like when the MBTA had a competition for their new map (there was only one serious contender) or when there was a competition for the rebuilding of the WTC (the first round was a joke, the second boring, what got built totally unrelated to the competition).

 

[JumboBuc]

I would be fine leaving the building if the square was turned into a smaller piazza type space. Like this: http://goo.gl/O5fP6T

or this: http://goo.gl/WmzXI8

I personally like option B a little better because it leaves the square more open to the city but it might still be too big on the other hand. I would love to here what everyone thinks.

Your Hanover st extension runs straight through the new Government Center head house in both plans...

 

[JohnAKeith]

Twitter guy did his masters' (master's?) thesis on Government Center Plaza. It hasn't been published online but will be on BAC site eventually.

@ArtscapeLab

Four images: