Boston City Hall - Boston, MA
N 42° 21.587 W 071° 03.532
19T E 330449 N 4691777
Regarded as ugly by many city residents, Boston City Hall was designed by Gerhard Kallmann, Noel McKinnell, and Edward Knowles of Columbia University. It is considered an outstanding example of Brutalist Modern design.
Waymark Code: WM8CVM
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 03/13/2010
Views: 23
The winning design for Boston City Hall was selected from over 250 entries in a national competition in 1962. Designers Gerhard Kallmann, Noel McKinnell, and Edward Knowles were professors at Columbia University. It was constructed from 1963 to 1968.
The building is an inverted pyramid with an interior courtyard. The lower floors, built into a hillside, contain the most publicly accessible offices. Above those floors are the Mayor's Office, City Council office and Chamber and the other city offices. The top floors are occupied by internal city agencies less visited by the public.
The 8-acre plaza surrounding the building is public open space and the scene of occasional parades and city-wide celebrations such as those honoring championship winning Boston sports teams.
Despite the controversy of its design, its location in central Boston makes government services easily accessible to Boston residents. Several art and exhibit galleries in the City Hall are open to the public for free.
Upon its opening, Boston City Hall was disfavored by locals and city employees were unhappy with the confusing interior floorplan.
The design continues to be controversial. In 2008, Boston City Hall topped the "World's Top 10 Ugliest Buildings and Monuments" list on the website VirtualTourist.com, a website that promotes tourism. (
visit link)