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How Boston City Hall was born

bostonglobe.com

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Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#11

Post by deeg »

nilptr wrote: post #6
Eumenes wrote: post #2

Its truly hideous. Old City Hall is beautiful. Why can't we build nice things anymore?

> Why can't we build nice things anymore? Well.. first start by defining "beautiful", we're waiting. Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. we stopped building "nice" things after WW2 mostly because costs were astronomical and new materials and engineering opened up all kinds of avenues for more modern construction. I've spent decent amount of time in and around Boston City Hall, the biggest problem with the building a…

> The interior while very interesting architecturally is really quite... I dunno, soul sucking. I kind of love the aesthetic inside but only from a "wow this looks cool" perspective.

Totally agree with this. I enjoy walking through the interior and I like the building overall but I would hate working there.

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#12

Post by oceanplexian »

nilptr wrote: post #6
Eumenes wrote: post #2

Its truly hideous. Old City Hall is beautiful. Why can't we build nice things anymore?

> Why can't we build nice things anymore? Well.. first start by defining "beautiful", we're waiting. Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. we stopped building "nice" things after WW2 mostly because costs were astronomical and new materials and engineering opened up all kinds of avenues for more modern construction. I've spent decent amount of time in and around Boston City Hall, the biggest problem with the building a…

> Also, it's a 50 year old structure..

I don’t personally see this a good reason at all.

The US had a good run building neoclassical government buildings in the spitting image of the Romans and Greeks, and we already know that when properly done the aesthetic will stand the test of time for thousands of years.

As far as the improved materials argument that’s up for debate too. Will Boston City Hall be standing in 2,000 years? If I could put money on it I’d say it’s more likely to end up in a landfill.

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#15

Post by ghaff »

Finnucane wrote: post #4

When you walk across the plaza in front of the building, you do get the sense that this is a building with a message. And that message is: We will crush you.

I read a humor column once that had something to the effect of it was designed to be even more intimidating than Soviet architecture.

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#16

Post by ghaff »

nilptr wrote: post #6
Eumenes wrote: post #2

Its truly hideous. Old City Hall is beautiful. Why can't we build nice things anymore?

> Why can't we build nice things anymore? Well.. first start by defining "beautiful", we're waiting. Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. we stopped building "nice" things after WW2 mostly because costs were astronomical and new materials and engineering opened up all kinds of avenues for more modern construction. I've spent decent amount of time in and around Boston City Hall, the biggest problem with the building a…

I mostly agree. The backside is just hideous and the brickyard is unnecessarily a wasteland for most of the year. Boston's climate doesn't help but, certainly at least in the warmer months, there could be more of a welcoming commercial presence there like there is outdoors on the other side of City Hall around Quincy Market.

The renovation does help somewhat; I agree with other comments. Rarely down that way any longer. Used to work a few blocks from there.

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#17

Post by ocschwar »

oceanplexian wrote: post #12
nilptr wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why can't we build nice things anymore? Well.. first start by defining "beautiful", we're waiting. Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. we stopped building "nice" things after WW2 mostly because costs were astronomical and new materials and engineering opened up all kinds of avenues for more modern construction. I've spent decent amount of time in and around Boston City Hall, the biggest problem with the building a…

> Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. I don’t personally see this a good reason at all. The US had a good run building neoclassical government buildings in the spitting image of the Romans and Greeks, and we already know that when properly done the aesthetic will stand the test of time for thousands of years. As far as the improved materials argument that’s up for debate too. Will Boston City Hall be standing in 2,0…

It will not. I guarantee it. The vehicle emissions worming into the bare concrete are acidic. The water from rain and from the humid air slowly degrades it. The salt air doesn't help. At some point, sooner than you think, the corrosion will reach the rebars inside the concrete.

All this could be prevented with sacrificial applications of stucco, but brutalist architects insist on keeping the concrete bare. It takes a lot of work to keep a building like that from crumbling under these conditions, and city hall is not loved enough to get the work done.

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#18

Post by pivo »

deeg wrote: post #11
nilptr wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why can't we build nice things anymore? Well.. first start by defining "beautiful", we're waiting. Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. we stopped building "nice" things after WW2 mostly because costs were astronomical and new materials and engineering opened up all kinds of avenues for more modern construction. I've spent decent amount of time in and around Boston City Hall, the biggest problem with the building a…

> The interior while very interesting architecturally is really quite... I dunno, soul sucking. I kind of love the aesthetic inside but only from a "wow this looks cool" perspective. Totally agree with this. I enjoy walking through the interior and I like the building overall but I would hate working there.

A friend worked there for years, she said different offices would either be far too hot or else freezing on the same day. There was never a comfortable room.

If the interior offices were kept clean and tidy, I can see how it could be kind of interesting in a retro-futuristic way. But given that these are government offices, they're often full of stacked cardboard boxes of files and other mess that ruins the look. At least the building doesn't have drop ceilings (at least as far as I recall.)

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#19

Post by ocschwar »

jrmg wrote: post #7
Finnucane wrote: post #4

When you walk across the plaza in front of the building, you do get the sense that this is a building with a message. And that message is: We will crush you.

It’s truly a building (and plaza) that has to be experienced in person to appreciate it. It certainly provokes emotion. An amazing place I’m glad to have experienced. But I’m also glad that most of the world is not like it.

The one nice thing about the plaza is that when protesters show up there is no questioning their sincerity. You know they're not there for the fun of it.

Re: How Boston City Hall was born

#20

Post by ghaff »

ocschwar wrote: post #17
oceanplexian wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Also, it's a 50 year old structure.. I don’t personally see this a good reason at all. The US had a good run building neoclassical government buildings in the spitting image of the Romans and Greeks, and we already know that when properly done the aesthetic will stand the test of time for thousands of years. As far as the improved materials argument that’s up for debate too. Will Boston City Hall be standing in 2,0…

It will not. I guarantee it. The vehicle emissions worming into the bare concrete are acidic. The water from rain and from the humid air slowly degrades it. The salt air doesn't help. At some point, sooner than you think, the corrosion will reach the rebars inside the concrete. All this could be prevented with sacrificial applications of stucco, but brutalist architects insist on keeping the concrete bare. It takes a…

I don't love Brutalism in general but it also just ages pretty poorly. Some of it is about the updating of really crappy interior decor but the renovation of the Boston Public Library brutalist addition really helped a lot--though still, nothing like the original structure.
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