Click on image to enlarge The Master Plan for Boston's Government Center was undertaken to consolidate federal, state and city offices in Scollay Square, a 64-acre urban renewal area in Boston's deteriorating core. The plan included the restoration of historic buildings and the development of new office, hotel, and retail facilities as well as new mass transit and street improvements to support a projected four-fold
increase in area population. The plan provided precise development controls for use, height, bulk, setbacks, open areas and spatial relationships between buildings, the whole conceptualized around a new city hall within a major urban plaza. The guidelines thus established formed the basis of national architectural competitions for the actual design of City Hall.Pedestrian amenities are emphasized throughout. Individual buildings are
set within large open spaces and linked by arcades, paved plazas and walkways, with parking organized around the periphery. Through such strategies of permeability and integration, Government Center became a link to other parts of the city, bridging Boston's financial and retail cores, the Haymarket district with historic Faneuil Hall, and existing state and county government facilities. The Master Plan remained a vital force in the shaping of Government Center for more than
more than thirty years. Virtually without exception, all of the public and private projects executed in the area followed the provisions originally outlined. |
