Oh you rough, dull beast, Boston City Hall!
It’s not pretty. And, yes, we make fun of it all the time. Normally I stand up for such outcasts in life, but in the case of this ugly brick-ling, I’m with the bullies: “Ew.”
Boston City Hall: not even being guilded in gold like your State House sister would help you.
Online research about City Hall is sending me into gales of laughter.
Here are some gems of knowedge from Wikipedia:
- Boston City Hall, completed in 1969, is apparently an example of “Brutalist” architecture. (“Brutalist?!” What’s next, “Scratch Your Eyes out With Concrete” School of Architecture?)
- Wikipedia actually quotes Bostonians as calling City Hall: “Dysfunctional and dispiriting.” (It can actually put you in a worse mood?)
- When the plan for the concrete building was first unveiled, someone in the room apparently shreiked: “What the h*** is that?!”
- A gaggle of sight-impared weirdos at the American Institute of Architects voted Boston City Hall “The 6th Greatest Building in American History” in 1976. What?! Oh wait… mid-70s… Blame it on the drugs.
Dude... Look at it. Just look at it.
For years, I had this naive vision that maybe, just maybe, the inside of Boston’s City Hall would redeem it.
Maybe it was lined with plush, carpets in soft hues, adorned with crystal chandeliers, and caressed by warm, soft air!
But oh-ho-ho-NO, my friend… turns out the inside does NOT redeem the outside. If anything, it’s worse.
When I had to enter City Hall for the first time a few years ago to hand in some Boston Public Schools form or other, I literally thought I’d entered the lair of Hades. The fridgid air lashed my skin (Wikipedia explains the near impossibility of adequately heating the twisted building), and the walls were a jagged, unfinished concrete akin to the dripping inside of a cavern deep in the Earth’s core. I half-expected to see a bat (or ten) swoop down and give me rabies.
Ahem. I am being a jerk. But… seriously, man. That building!
When I see the building, all I can hear is the sound "Ker-thump!"
Let’s try to be positive for a moment: the large, “unadorned concrete and brick plaza” (thanks, Wikipedia) in front of City Hall does have its perks.
I have been to many a food expo (Ice Cream Scooper Bowl!), food give-away (Campbell Soup Sandwich Truck!), and giant festival (random “Beach Parties” thrown all summer) in City Hall Plaza.
And thus I must grudgingly admit that the architecture as a whole brings the city together.
There was some talk in the past few years by Mayor Menino about constructing a shiny new (non-evil) City Hall by the Seaport District… but then the bad economy zoomed towards us and that plan was aborted.
And thus, scrappy City Hall, we are stuck with you in all your scratchy concrete glory. And deep down, I guess we have a soft spot for ya.
Sick of un-sexy architecture and want to check out some truly sexy buildings? Click here!
I think that the city hall isn’t bad looking. I think it is pretty cool. It is very unique and it looks like a maze. I think that the thing about this building is that it is uneven. I personally think that the building is very pretty and that it looks cool having tons of windows and uneven blocks.
I respect your point of view, even thought it differs from mine!
But wait, don’t rip on City Hall. It’s not the same sort of City Hall we have in NY, but given that sort of standard, a city hall building can either be 1) normative or 2)dis-normative. And among the world’s buildings that fit that second group, I’d bet Boston’s City Hall is one of the most beautiful. …especially compared to the Fox News Tower.
I will say that this one was a tad bit obvious.
For anyone from Boston, they’d guess the building the moment they saw the title!
City hall is UGLY. I mean, a student that has no artistic genes can design a better building (I have the genes though) and why in world does the city hall have some similarities with the building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright named “Falling Water”? Falling Water is nature and decorated lavishly, unlike the Boston’s City Hall. >:P
Ms.Marshall,the Scooper Bowl is the most awesome event. My most favorite ice cream there is the golden Oreo rush with Golden Oreos and vanilla ice cream. Also it is only seven dollars and all you can eat. Don’t forget it supports the Jimmy Fund. So it is benifiting you and the world.
Those two big windows look like eyes. From the last picture, it looked like an airplane logo. It’s naturally ugly….
I disagree with you Lillie. I think that building is pretty freaking unusually awesome. And yes, I did call you Lillie, Ms.Marshall.
it’s like looking at the 9 circles of hell Dante described
Ms.Marshall I totally agree with you on this one. The other day I went to the city hall to pay some parking tickets with my brother. We both didnt know where it was even though it was right in front of us. We thought that is was a random building, I believe we should take pride in our work being Americans and rebuild it.
I pass by this building all the time and I totally agree with you Genesis.
That’s a pretty ugly buiding – I my award maybe still goes to the student union building at my old college, the University of Bristol.
http://cdn.wn.com/pd/d7/d4/2b946a058a630adcdbc6020ed930_grande.jpg
One of my old teachers said that the best thing about City Hall was that you could look out the window and fanueil hall.
Last time i went into City Hall…
it was very pretty. there was marble everywhere…
but I never thought some people thought City Hall was ugly…
I guess i learn somethin new everyday =)
Is this where the expression, “Ugly as sin” came from? Did we walk by that building last time I was there? I’m trying to recall. We also have a weird looking city hall building in Tempe. I’ll let you judge the (un)sexiness.
Hahaha. This article made me laugh, laugh, laugh!
“When I had to enter City Hall for the first time a few years ago to hand in some Boston Public Schools form or other, I literally thought I’d entered the lair of Hades. The fridgid air lashed my skin (Wikipedia explains the near impossibility of adequately heating the twisted building), and the walls were a jagged, unfinished concrete akin to the dripping inside of a cavern deep in the Earth’s core. I half-expected to see a bat (or ten) swoop down and give me rabies.”
This made me crack up the most, especially how you thought you would enter “The Lair of Hades”! And about the bats giving you rabies… HYSTERICAL!
Also, did you ever notice how this building actually looks like the White House-on a coin-upside down? Take a look.
Ha ha I love your “kerthump” caption. Since you mention Brutalism, here’s what my brother wrote about this building and this particular architectural style for City Journal a while back:
“…City Hall exemplifies a cold-hearted, inhuman school of modernist architecture, Brutalism, which was all the rage in the Summer of Love. Sophisticates will say that “Brutalism” derives from the French “beton brut,” which means “raw concrete.” But don’t be fooled: brutality is what it’s all about. In the sixties and seventies, the enlightened experts built municipal buildings, schools, libraries, arts centers, and even public playgrounds in the style of Nazi pillboxes on the Normandy coast.
Brutalist architecture manages to offend a remarkable number of senses. It’s ugly to look at, certainly, but its hard rough surfaces are also unpleasant to the touch, and they reflect sounds that are hard on the ears. Raw concrete also seems to have the same effect on vagrants that fire hydrants have on dogs: it is an irresistible invitation to urinate. So Brutalism may be the only architectural style with its very own smell. It may have a distinctively offensive taste too, but research has its limits…”
http://www.city-journal.org/html/eon2007-01-31pm.html
This is HILARIOUS. Thanks so much for sharing
I guessed the building before I even clicked on the article link on the facebook page! HAHAHAHAHA! It’s definitely one of the fugliest if not THE FUGLIEST building in the city. Don’t know who thought it was cool when the design was originally unveiled. However, I have enjoyed that plaza out front a lot. Scooperbowl, circus, free giveaways, farmers market every week, etc.
So true!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I cracked up when I read the article name! It’s verrrryyy interesting. I think the building is something that I’d stop and laugh at…for a while. Remodeling it WOULD be nice, but this building makes Boston, well..Boston! I think they should AT LEAST paint it some neon color. By the way Ms. Marshall, this site is really cool. When I’m bored, I just come here and read about someone’s experience. Thanks for showing me this site(:
Yaaay, Josalyn!
I pass by Boston City Hall everytime I go to Downtown. I remember one cloudy day passing by that building, its sight some what depressed the surrounding more. But in my opinion if it wasn’t there, I’d feel like Boston wouldn’t be the same. It’s one of those things you don’t appreciate while it’s there, but one day if it’s ever gone, it would actually miss its presence.
You make a good point… Sigh…
Well it’s not an attractive building that’s for sure but I really think the FBI building (J Edgar Hoover Building) in DC takes the cake for ugly buildings (in the US anyways). Quick research on Wiki claims it was done in this same “Brutalist” architecture that I’ve never heard of before today. You’d think the people who work for the FBI would have a nicer looking building to work in!
Oy vey… The online photo of that FBI building just performed brutality on my eyes.
Ms.Marshall I kind of disagree. It doesn’t look that bad. It kind of looks Roman and you’re forgetting that’s the city building. That’s the home of the mayor or where he works more specifically though he does have a house somewhere else.
Aw, Mohamed… now I feel kind of bad: The student is schooling the teacher on proper civic respect! Another perk of being a teacher is being around good-hearted folks like you!
OMG… I cannot say I’m an architect standing next to this building. How embarrassing! And even worse for the AIA in the 1970′s! I’m willing to redesign it… for free… just for the sake of helping Boston. Lol
LOL! But what could you possibly do to assist it??? Drape a giant mumu over it??
LOL… I could do one of three: Your suggestion, do a Jean Claude and Christo inspired permanent installation, or implode it, er, Urban Redevelopment…
I’m at your service!
The building may be ugly, but Boston City Hall is where my wife and I got our marriage license, and that is just beautiful.
Very true! Beautiful things do come out of this tan lunk. And congrats!