Love that Dirty Water

Boston, Massachusetts

Old City Hall is now home to the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts headquarters, all sorts of preservation groups, a Ruth Chris Steak House, and much more. At one point America's first public school sat on this land. Old City Hall was one of the first adaptive reuse projects in the 70s. It was the third City Hall building in the city's history, serving that purpose from 1865-1969. The second city hall was erected and demolished (around 1840) in the same spot. The fourth is pictured below.






The newest city hall was designed by Kallman, McKinnell and Knowles in the "brutalist modern" style of architecture. An American Institute of Architects poll voted it to be the 6th greatest building in American history in 1976. At one point, it was named the world's ugliest building by experts at VirtualTourist.com and many Boston residents.

There is also a famous tale that when the architects unveiled their design to Mayor John Collins, he gasped and blurted out "What the hell is that?"

Comment from designer Kallmann: "'We distrust and have reacted against an architecture that is absolute, uninvolved and abstract. We have moved towards an architecture that is specific and concrete, involving itself with the social and geographic context, the program, and methods of construction, in order to produce a building that exists strongly and irrevocably, rather than an uncommitted abstract structure that could be any place and, therefore, like modern man— without identity or presence."

I am not sure they succeeded. Also, I resent the idea that modern man is without identity or presence. In retort, I will blame that problem on bad architectural design that breaks up a city's community instead of bringing it together.

I feel like I need to cheer up my Boston neighbors after this post. I leave you with pictures of the Red Sox winning the World Series.