Redesign Government Center

meddlepal said:
This was a proposal that never actually happened. Nothing to undo.
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Really? I wasn't there at the time, but those photos look genuine, and I first heard about it from this article:
The square has morphed in shape and appearance over time since it was created in 1883 out of what was then known as “Art Square.” A much-ballyhooed design contest in the 1960s — coincidentally also won by Sasaki — eventually was a bust: Copley was squared off and sunk below the street, becoming a vast expanse of concrete that failed to live up to its potential. Then, in the 1980s, came a chance at redemption: Copley was brought back up to street level, with more trees and grass.
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Here's an aerial shot from 1969 (Photo credit):
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and in 1976 (Photo credit):
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MjolnirMan said:
Really? I wasn't there at the time, but those photos look genuine, and I first heard about it from this article:
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You're right, I am wrong. I've only ever seen Copley go from the days when it was mostly streets to the more modern incantation and didn't realize there was a short lived concrete jungle.
 
meddlepal said:
You're right, I am wrong. I've only ever seen Copley go from the days when it was mostly streets to the more modern incantation and didn't realize there was a short lived concrete jungle.
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The concrete jungle version was a huge mistake (and pretty quickly recognized as such, although it took 2 decades to remedy).
 
TheRatmeister said:
On the one hand, great building.

On the other hand, that's a lot of dead space. Pretty dead space sure, but dead space nonetheless.
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A bit less dead space than at present, though:
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I don't think this design is perfect, but 1) it does seem to better replicate the Piazza del Campo effect that is always claimed to be the inspiration for the current City Hall Plaza, and 2) the grand boulevard pointing straight at Faneuil Hall is an interesting idea. I never thought about orienting City Hall in the place of the Kennedy building.

EDIT: The building and clocktower look like they're taking inspiration from, or directly lifted from, Aaron Helfand's thesis:
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I think the biggest difference maker would be a new fountain. I don't think there's any better way to liven up a space.
 
TheRatmeister said:
I think the biggest difference maker would be a new fountain. I don't think there's any better way to liven up a space.
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Unfortunately, as far as I can tell that's the major element that got deleted between the 2019 announcement and the July 2020 construction start. This is the render they used in the July 2020 groundbreaking press release - note the terraced waterfall feature.
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However, by March 2020 the plan had already changed to a planted slope, which is what we actually got.
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The "iconic water feature" they tout in the july 2020 press release and ground breaking statement, and what got built was, well... this rather underwhelming thing I struggled to find a photo of, so renders from the company that built it. Given its site is described in 2019 as Terraces & Runnels, (a runnel being a "narrow channel in the ground for liquid to flow through") and it appears as built in that version of the site concept, this was likely originally supplemental and the water wall that was originally intended as the main water feature was simply deleted.
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And while we're talking about it... has anyone heard anything about the putative full build? This reminded me that what was built was supposedly a phase 1, with a next phase addressing the southside of City Hall Plaza. Id actually contend that the segment between the T headhouse and Faneuil is the more trafficked section, especially by visitors to the city, and it's still quite really bad.

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