Boston City Hall declared historic landmark

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Boston City Hall declared historic landmark

Boston City Hall, a concrete structure known for its unique architectural style, has officially been declared a historic landmark. Mayor Michelle Wu made the announcement on Friday, recognizing the building’s “architectural, cultural, and civic significance.”

“For more than five decades, Boston City Hall has served as a hub where residents come together to shape our city’s future, and has become a symbol of our city’s resilience, innovation, and commitment to our constituents,” said Mayor Wu. The petition to bestow landmark status on City Hall was first submitted in 2007, but it was not approved by the Landmarks Commission until last year.

Mayor Wu signed the designation on December 12, giving the City Council 30 days to either affirm the designation or reject it. The council delayed a vote on the subject on January 8, resulting in the building’s landmark designation being automatically affirmed on January 11. Completed in 1968, Boston City Hall was built on the grounds of what was once the Scollay Square neighborhood, bulldozed as part of the city’s midcentury urban renewal initiatives.

The new City Hall was designed to symbolize open, democratic governance and to serve as a distinctive departure from Boston’s traditional architectural identity of brick and brownstone. However, the ambitious design faced criticism from its inception, with some calling for its demolition. In 2008, a tourist website controversially called it “the ugliest building in America.”

“Of course it is not a perfect building,” said Eamon Shelton, the city’s property management commissioner.

Boston City Hall landmark designation

A recent study, completed in November, outlined a roadmap for changes to the building while preserving its “significant architectural features.” The study identified several ongoing and potential projects, including improvements to the building’s accessibility features. Matthew Dickey, deputy director for the Boston Preservation Alliance, emphasized that landmark status does not mean the building is frozen in time.

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“Changes can be made, just as the study report says. What we’re most excited for is seeing how those changes add layers to the building for today. All buildings are better when those layers of history are added to them,” Dickey said.

City Councilor Sharon Durkan, who chairs the council’s planning and development committee, added that even those who dislike the building should recognize its unique place in Boston’s history. “When we talk about what it means for a building to be a landmark, it’s about local significance, but it’s also about architectural significance,” Durkan said. “And this building has both in spades.

So no matter how you feel about [it], it undoubtedly should be a landmark for those two reasons.”

Advocates hope that the new landmark status will facilitate efforts to preserve the aging building, which was the subject of a comprehensive conservation review funded by the Getty Foundation in 2021. Other reminders of Boston’s Brutalist tradition have not fared so well, but the designation marks a positive step for Boston City Hall.

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