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.
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.”
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.
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.
“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.