Two Public Buildings

Before I conclude showing photographs from my recent trip around Vermont, western Massachusetts and Boston, here are two notable public buildings in Boston.

The Massachusetts State House stands on land once owned by John Hancock, above Boston Common.  It was designed by the noted architect, Charles Bulfinch, and was completed in 1798.  When it was new, the State House was celebrated for demonstrating the architectural sophistication of the new nation. 

 Several British potters including Joseph Stubbs (above) produced views of State House, Boston, around 1815 - 1830 on plates and platters for sale to Americans.  (I collected blue and white transferware for forty years and this is one of the few I have retained.)

In the modern era, Boston decided to replace the rundown Scollay Square neighborhood with a new government center.  A collaboration between Gerhard Kallmann, Noel McKinnell and Edward Knowles, was chosen to design a new city hall in May 1962.  The building opened in 1969.

The Brutalist style has not worn well in public opinion, though I occasionally whisper that I like it.  The bottom third is open, to invite citizens to come inside to transact their business with the city.  The middle section is complex, housing the mayor's office and the city council.  The top three levels are uniform, reflecting the administrative work and paper-pushing that occurs within.