| Building on his commitment to make public spaces welcoming, accessible and equitable for all, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the renovation concept design of Boston City Hall Plaza. The renovation will transform the Plaza into a civic space for all residents, with universal accessibility, new civic spaces for all to use, increased environmental sustainability, and critical infrastructure improvements that will ensure the Plaza is safe and accessible for all for generations to come. “Boston’s City Hall Plaza is a space visited by thousands of Boston residents each and every day,” said Mayor Walsh. “This renovation will turn our seven-acre space into a welcoming, accessible space for all, featuring new civic spaces for events to areas for families to enjoy together. Creating a new People’s Plaza will help us achieve our goals of making one of Boston’s most-used public spaces better for all residents.” Phase 1 of the project will deliver updated civic spaces and programming capabilities, as well as add infrastructure that will make the Plaza more sustainable, including connecting Congress and Cambridge Streets with an accessible sloped Promenade activated by 21st century civic amenities like shady seating and gathering areas, a destination play space, public art space and an iconic water feature. City Hall Plaza’s redesign includes a focus on: A Welcoming Front Yard for Civic Life With Boston’s renovated City Hall Plaza, this community space will become universally accessible for residents of all abilities. Opening up the Plaza for all will include re-opening the second floor of City Hall Plaza to the public, allowing easier access to the building. This public-facing entrance was closed in 2001, and will open again under the new renovation plan. The renovation also includes 3,000 new welcoming spaces for residents to sit, 12,000 square feet of playscapes for children and families, and 11,000 square feet of terraces for pop-up play and interactive public art. The new design will also include three smaller event and gathering places, and a new civic building on Congress Street, equipped with a bathroom and other facilities to support public gatherings. A Model of Sustainability and Resilience Creating a sustainable City Hall Plaza that meets the City’s environmental goals is one of the key parts of the Plaza renovation, and this renovation will make City Hall Plaza one of Boston’s signature civic spaces environmentally sustainable, meeting Boston’s resilience standards. The renovation includes an increase in permeable surfaces that will soak up stormwater, planning ahead for severe weather in downtown Boston. The design also includes 100 new trees, improving the shade, scale and air quality of the Plaza. Fifty lights will be replaced with efficient LED technology, and 22,500 feet of granite and brick paving will be reused or recycled. Funding for Phase 1 of the Plaza is included in Boston’s Capital Budget, announced earlier this year. Of this budget, $70 million in total project costs is designated to complete Phase 1 of the Boston City Hall Plaza renovation. The Plaza design and implementation is led by global design firm Sasaki. The project is managed through the City’s Operations Cabinet by the Public Facilities Department in partnership with the Property Management Department and is assisted by owners project manager Skanska USA. The current renovation project builds off the foundations of the Boston City Hall and Plaza Master Planning Study: Rethink City Hall. Released by Mayor Walsh in October 2017, the study was led by the City’s Public Facilities Department and design teams of Utile and Reed Hilderbrand. The study resulted in a 30-year master plan to address required repairs and to transform the 50-year-old City Hall and Plaza into an innovative, healthy, efficient and civic facility designed to better serve current and future generations of Bostonians and visitors. Over 600 residents visit Boston City Hall on a daily basis, while 19,500 residents live within a half-mile of the Plaza, in addition to its 18 million annual tourist visitors. This renovation supports Mayor Walsh’s commitment to investing in civic spaces throughout Boston, and creating a City Hall that is accessible for all residents. More information about the City Hall Plaza renovation is available on boston.gov. A public community meeting will be held at Boston City Hall Plaza on Wednesday, June 5th at 6:00 p.m. for a design presentation and discussion about the Plaza renovation. |
