Our connections to the past are knowingly or unknowingly surrounding us. As we have discussed in previous papers, specifically in the Natural Processes assignment, there are forces that are uncontrollable despite our attempt to control our manicured urban environments. Despite many parts of my site being razed in order to create room for skyscraper office buildings and shopping centers, the traces of the past intentionally and unintentionally still remain. A trend on my site is the synthetic connection to the past, which stems from Bostonian’s interest and pride in reconnecting to Boston’s rich history. This reconnection to the past can be seen in the Copley Square area on varied scales: from buildings’ architectural style, the adjusted programming within buildings, and memorializing Bostonians and the Boston Marathon. Despite efforts to modernize the past, traces of the unaltered-past seep through in areas that are out of the public’s focus. An additional trend is the influence of transportation on the site. From streetcars to railroads to automobiles my site has been defined by the transportation that allows people to visit the site, since it is largely non-residential area. The current use infrastructure of transportation continues to influence as well as reveal the past of the Copley Square site. The area’s intention to revere the perceived past is prevalent, nonetheless the traces and artifacts of the true past can still be found. Over time the intentions of the area have altered. The land initially was developed to serve as a metropolis[1]: a cultural and academic hub of Boston. The MFA, MIT, and the natural history museum were these first pillars that intended to transform this area into a center of innovation. However, as these institutions grew and the land prices did as well, each institution decided to move where it could prosper in a less cramped environment.

The theme that stood out to me the most in the Copley Square area is the preservation of the past. Boston, as one of America’s oldest cities, is proud of its historical past. This theme, however, is not unique to Boston and Copley Square; as Kevin Lynch remarks in What Time is This Place, “A new kind of urban preservation is emerging in the 1990s in community based public history, architectural preservation focusing on vernacular buildings, landscape preservation and commemorative public art.” The ‘urban preservation’ is a trend I would expect to continue to be prevalent on my site.

The architectural preservation is prevalent through out my site. The buildings are the most notable artifacts of the Copley area: the Hancock Tower and Berkeley Building are significant members of Boston’s skyline and Trinity Church is renown as was selected as one of the ten most significant buildings in the United States by the AIA in 1885-1886 [3]. Trinity Church’s Neo-Romanesque style is the focal point of Copley Square. It was taken into account when designing the new Hancock Tower. Bostonians were concerned that the looming skyscraper would cast a shadow on the beloved and culturally significant church. In order to reduce these effects the tower adopted a blue-tinted mirror-paneled minimalistic façade. This façade now reflects historical buildings in the area, contributing to and not diminishing their impact on the area. In addition to its reflective nature, the façade’s blue-tint decreases its imposing presence because the blue is meant to mimic the sky and evoke the sense of the openness. Thus, despite the tower’s modern style, its presence accentuates the historic buildings in the area rather than feel iconoclastic.

Another building that is influenced by the addition of the Hancock Tower in the 1970s is the Berkeley Building. Besides losing its name and being designated as the ‘Old John Hancock Building,’ it also lost its significance as the second tallest tower in Boston and became cast in the shadow of the Hancock Tower(see figure 3 below). The Berkeley Building despite its construction in the 1940s pays homage to the past. Specifically its column façade is a nod to ancient Greek architecture and a more classical style (See figure 4 below). Although the style is not specific to Boston’s past, it still ties into the theme of wanting to connect to the past.

In addition to reflecting the past via architectural styles, there are traces on certain buildings in my site that reflect their past use. The first example is of this is on the backside of the brick buildings that are accessed via an alleyway between Stanhope St. and Stuart St (See figures 5-8 below). A majority of my site is stylized into a pseudo-historic mold, but in this hidden alley way (see figure 10 below) the layers of time due to changing ownership exist. A reason why these buildings have stood the test of time as brick buildings while many other buildings in the area have been rebuilt is because the Bay State Brick Co. owned them. The company may have had some influence in keeping these brick structures. On another note, a reason these buildings may not have been rebuilt into larger office buildings, which is a trend of my site, is because they exist in a non-standard shape site (See figure 9 below). This awkward shape is due to the merging of the Back Bay and South End grids, which is why it was an ideal location to place the Railroad Tracks when the R&R companies were developing and unappealing as high-rise office space.

The final adapted use building in my site to highlight is the Loews hotel. It exists on the site of the old Police Department. The hotel has as John Maibach, the general manager, states, “embraced the history of the building.” [5] The façade of the building still dotes the “City of Boston Police Department” inscription and the seals of police department (see figure 10). Additionally, the hotel has named is restaurant and bar “Precinct Kitchen + Bar” as a reference to its past. Due to these actual and synthetic connections to the past, “…hotel guests will undoubtedly depart with a clear record of the history engrained within the walls of this Bostonian building.”

On a smaller scale, another way the site references the past is through the details. Within the square, the lampposts benches and gates all have an old-timey feel with their iron aesthetics. The images below highlight the historic looking features on my site. Additionally, many of the buildings in the Square highlight their heritage by displaying their year of construction on plaques prominently. See images below of the plaques on Trinity Church and the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. Likewise, within the square there are signs hanging with Copley Square rules that prominently displays 1883, the year of the Square’s creation. The prominence of these artifacts emphasizes the area’s attempt to recall the past. Since the area directly surrounding Copley Square is largely non-residential, transportation is vital to the site’s success. The modes of transportation have varied from horses, to streetcars, to railroads and finally to the automobile. The contemporary technology supporting transportation spatially influences the land usage on my site. Since transportation infrastructure is a large land investment, the infrastructure for the various technologies have built upon the previous infrastructure.

The most relevant example of transportation technology building upon the past infrastructure is I-90. The imposing I-90 infrastructure is located where originally was the where the railroad tracks lay. The railroad intersection of Back Bay forces an awkward break in the grid. In 2005 the space was filled with a multipurpose solution, the Frieda Garcia Park. The park serves as a visual and spatial boundary between the interstate and the pedestrian commercial areas as well as serving as a green recreational space.

The highway is not always considered as space but Dolores Hayden remarks, “freeways connect dispersed locations of workplaces and dwellings, typical of contemporary working landscape. As interstate freeways carry automobiles speeding at 55 miles per hour, it becomes difficult to analyze the experience they provide …” The Frieda Garcia Park not only is aesthetically pleasing to the pedestrians, but also it beautifies the freeway experience as commuters drive into Boston with its jovial colors and wall-sculptures.

A trace of the past transportation infrastructure is seen directly in Copley Square, with the absence but influence of Huntington Avenue. Huntington Ave intersected the square and determined the plan of Trinity Church. Even though the Avenue does not exist any more its trace is still present because the plan of the church has not expanded further into the square. Below is an original image from the 1950s of the layout of Copley Square.

A trend that has already been touched upon is Bostonian’s pride in their city. I have discussed their pride in a historical context, but another thing Boston is proud of is its marathon—an entire day, Patriot’s Day, is even dedicated to cheering on the runners. The Boston Marathon’s finish line is located on Boylston Street in front of the Boston Public Library, leading into Copley Square. The finish was established in 1900, for the third BAA marathon, and has remained there ever since. Marking the centennial of the marathon, a commemorative memorial was constructed on the Boylston side of the square (see Figure 11). The memorial depicts the marathon’s route, the BAA unicorn and the inscription “One equal temper of heroic hearts; Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will; To strive, to seek to find and not to yield. – Tennyson. ‘Ulysses’”

The strength represented by the marathon memorial has become even more meaningful in the wake of the tragic bombings at the finish line in 2013. The bombings have drawn even more attention and Bostonian pride to the marathon.

Copley Square, developed in 1883, was named after the American painter John Copley (See figure 12 below). This dedication reflects Boston’s intention of creating a burgeoning culturally aware area. When Back Bay was established as a residential area, the churches and institutions that were attractive to the elite Bostonians began to cluster in this area, which is on the periphery of Back Bay and the South End. An emphasis on culture and academia continues to be developed in the area; however, there has been a shift to cater towards tourism, commercialism, and office space. The most surprising, but telling, memorial I stumbled upon in the square is for the Poet Khalil Gibran. The stone memorial stands facing the Boston Public Library. Khalil Gibran educated himself in the Boston Public Library. He used the area as it was intended, to grow culturally and intellectually. I find his memorial inspirational; it serves as a reminder that even in our modern lives where we can get caught up in work and commercialism that education is and should be accessible to all. The Copley Square site serves as a reminder of Boston’s cultural and historical contributions. It strives to emphasize the past as a culturally important area. An opposing view to this ‘historical preservation’ comes from Dolores Hayden. She notes in Power of Place,

“Places also suffer from clumsy attempts to market them for commercial purpose: … developed ‘themes’ to make them more attractive to tourists, the places become caricatures of themselves.’” [7]

Hayden suggests using clunky themes is a ploy to create tourism and is not a genuine representation of the past. To a certain extend this is a trend of Copley Square, that it has turned towards revitalizing the ‘past’ and towards commercialism and tourism. However, the Bostonian pride and interest in institutional success extends beyond a solely tourism. Looking to the future, I expect to see continued preservation of the past while adopting modern trends.

Fig.1 Image of Trinity Church and its reflection in the Hancock Tower. The tower also reflects the sky, which allows it to blend in and appear more airy.

Fig.2 Another angle of Trinity Church (from Copley Square) reflected in the Hancock Tower. This image accentuates the blue-tint of the façade and it’s minimized contrast with the sky.

Fig.3 Shown on the left the Hancock Tower reflecting the buildings in the area and the Berkeley Building standing to its right.

Fig.4 On the right, is a closer image of the Berkeley accentuating its segmented façade (columned section, and a single level partitioned from the upper levels).

Fig.5 The alleyway between Stanhope and Stuart Street’s desolate façade has the remains of painted advertisements. This displays the trace of a time period when this street was in use and could attract pedestrians to stop in.

Fig.6 This image is of a brick façade that has adapted over time. The difference in pattern and shading is visible in sections that used to be doors or windows, which have now been covered.

Fig.7 More views of the residue of another use on the backs of buildings on Stanhope Street.

Fig.8 More views of the residue of another use on the backs of buildings on Stanhope Street.

Fig.9 The circled section of the map of my site (which outlined in blue) is the area where the brick buildings still stand. The unnamed street at the top of the circle is the alleyway which is largely unused except by delivery trucks.

Fig.10 Façade of the Loews hotel with the frieze from the Boston Police Department, “City of Boston Police Department,” still intact. Within each set of windows is a Boston Police Department seal.

Fig.11 The Boston Marahon Centennial Memorial. Located along Boylston Street in Copley Square.

Fig.12 Statue of John Singleton Copley in Copley Square. The inscription reads: “John Singleton Copley/ 1739-1815/ Boston and London/ American Portrait Painter/ Member Royal Academy of Art.” Copley was a famous artist from the colonial era. The statue depicts John holding paintbrushes. The dedication of the square to him highlights the trend of Boston’s cultural preservation and adulation of Boston’s past.

Fig.13 This figure shows the square’s benches. They evoke the past through their style. The Zeuthen, David. “Bench on Copley Square.” December 1, 2005.

[1] Haque, Ruiz. Copley Square: Realizing its potential. 1984. MIT Press. [2] Lynch, Kevin. What Time is This Place? 228. [3] Architect’s Choice: The Top Ten Buildings in the U.S. 1885. American Architect & Building News. [4] YWCA Boston Timeline. Web. http://www.ywcaboston.org/timeline/ [5] Dada, Samah. Traces of the Past. Loews Magazine. Oct 24, 2014. [6] Khalil Gibran Memorial from side, Copley Square-Boston. Massachusetts Office of Transport. July 20, 2012. [7] Hayden, Dolores. Power of Place. 26.

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