Hall of Fame Nominations

[statler]

Nominate any building, development or infrastructure project currently standing in Boston. Make a case for why you think this is one of the all time greatest in Boston.

You may put in as many nominees as you wish, but the more information you provide (photos, news stories, critiques, etc.), the better the chances of it making the ballot.

Nominees so far:

Rowe's Wharf
Hancock Tower
Custom House Tower
Winthrop Building
Memorial Hall at Harvard
Prudential Tower

[ablarc]

Rowe's Wharf. The mighty arch pairs up with Custom House to provide Boston's drab harborview skyline with much-needed distinction, identity and focus. The city's most iconic building since the Hancock, and the only one that deals well with the waterfront. Sad and surprising that nothing has risen to rival or match its urban design success.

[kennedy]

Seconded.

Hancock Tower

I only remembered to nominate it because ablarc prompted it, but this is the perfect glass box. A landmark of Boston, the greatest feature must be the broad sides of reflective glass. At street level, it contrasts the church and the old hotel (Lenox, maybe?). From afar, it seems to extend the Charles River, and highlights it on a summer day (if only it were as nice for swimming as it looks in the reflections).

[statler]

Two nominees from me on this (I also would second the two already mentioned)

The first will probably get my final vote:

Custom House Tower
Height: 151m / 495 feet
Floors: 32
Original Building Completed: 1847
Tower Completed: 1915

Though most older American cities have similar towers There is something about the Custom House that is just unmistakably Boston. It is defined by its setting in Boston and it, in turn, helps define Boston.

My second choice probably isn't a first year ballot choice for most but as my personal favorite building Boston I think it deserves at least a nod:

Winthrop Building
Built: 1893
Architect(s): Clarence Blackall
First steel frame skyscraper in Boston.

The colors, the materials, the setting, the footprint, the street level, the scale.
It is just such a perfect building in every conceivable way.

[ablarc]

Question is: how far should the Hall of Fame stretch back? Trinity Church? State House? Old State House?

Maybe it should be limited to buildings built in the modern era (after 1945).

[Beton Brut]

And is (for instance) Memorial Hall at Harvard off the table because it's in Cambridge?

[statler]

No. It's allowable.

Again, I wasn't clear on this. In all applicable awards categories Boston=Boston/Cambridge.

It was in a first draft, but got left out of the final draft somehow. Apologies.

[ablarc]

Originally Posted by statler

Aside from my reservations in my previous post, I like the 'still standing' criteria. True, we will never see another Trinity Church built again, but that doesn't mean there are no lessons to be learned from it.

I thought about a 'Modern Era' & 'Classic Era' Hall of Fame, but that sort of defeats the purpose.

In that case, Custom House is the right choice.

But I'm pretty sure a Hall of Fame based on Postwar buildings would have more impact. Why give an award to a universally-acknowledged classic? Like giving a posthumous Oscar for best music to J.S. Bach for his work in The Aviator.

An award to Rowe's Wharf, the Hancock Building or Christian Science Center would help archBoston confirm them as classics in a role they're not yet universally accorded.

Much more meaningful, imo. More projection of archBoston clout.

[Patriots_1228]

Prudential Tower



The Prudential Tower is a one of a kind landmark. Both its height and design make it a staple in the Boston skyline. In a city of generic brown boxes, the pru provides a much needed relief. You will be challenged to find another building with a similar look and facade. Speaking of the facade, the Prudential Center has one of the most intricate dazzling facades if you actually bother to look at it. The tower has been a staple of boston for almost, what, 40 years? It houses a well-known restaurant, the highest observatory in new england, and is the centerpeice of one of the most popular complexes in boston.

[found5dollar]

how about 111 Huntington Avenue?

It is in the pic in the last post. I love the battery wearing a crown look it has. It is distinct from the rest of the skyscrapers in boston.

[unterbau]

I'd like to nominate Fenway Park, easily one of the most iconic ballparks in baseball, and one of Boston's most important landmarks. Surprised this wasn't mentioned already...

[ablarc]

^ Architectural masterpiece?



(Maybe just a well-loved old shoe.)

[unterbau]

Well if the Pru gets to be in this thread, anything goes!

[ablarc]

^ Touche.