The chronology of Boston’s architectural evolution spanning three centuries can be traced from landmark structures in the historic North End neighborhood, to modern glass towers that meet city-mandated Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements.
“Like most U.S. cities, Boston has had several face lifts over the years,” Architectural Record news editor, James Murdock reported. “And now, with the completion of the Big Dig and the removal of its old elevated highway, the Central Artery, it’s in the midst of yet another.” Citing the diversity of architectural styles to be found in Boston, Murdock contrasted today’s “cutting edge architecture” with colonial New England designs represented by the historic Paul Revere house with its casement windows and overhanging second floor.
Visitors to Boston can step back in history to a time when black bread and beans baked in molasses were mainstays in the diet of colonists, accounting for the city’s famous nickname of Beantown. Stops along the city’s historic Freedom Trail include the Old North Church made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.” The oldest church building in Boston, the Old North Church, is another example of the colonial style with its three-tiered steeple where the two lanterns were hung that signaled the start of the Revolutionary War. The Freedom Trail also leads to examples of the Georgian style of architecture, such as the Old State House depicted in Paul Revere’s famous engraving of the “Boston Massacre,” and the Old South Meeting House where colonists gathered en route to the famous Boston Tea Party.
After the War of Independence, the Federalist style of architecture emerged represented by the Massachusetts State House with its Corinthian columns and brick construction, and Faneuil Hall built in 1742, which Forbes Traveler lists among America’s Top 10 Tourists Attractions. With the 19th century came the Victorian influence represented by Trinity Church, which American architectural historian and author Dr. James F. O’Gorman described as, “a cultural event of the first importance in American history.”
A major achievement during the late 19th century was the creation of Boston’s Emerald Necklace, an 1,100-acre chain of nine parks connected by parkways and waterways. Stretching approximately seven miles, the Emerald Necklace connects the nation’s oldest park, Boston Common, with the Franklin Park. “The parks in this system are designated Boston Landmarks and are listed on the National Register of Historic Place,” according to the City of Boston.
Among the city’s contemporary structures is the John Hancock Tower, a 60-story skyscraper designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners in the Modernist style. Completed in 1976, the building has been recognized with the Twenty-Five Year Award presented by American Institute of Architects (AIA) for its “enduring quality in design and function.” Located in the historic Copley Square, the glass tower has been described by Boston Globe architecture critic, Robert Campbell, as “one of the greatest office towers of the second half of the 20th century.”
Today, Boston’s municipal zoning code requires all large-scale projects to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification standards. The mandate, which was the first of its kind in the nation, has resulted in a new generation of sustainable developments, including the new 31-story Atlantic Wharf mixed-use project that has been pre-certified LEED Gold. Located on the Fort Point waterfront next to the site of the Boston Tea Party, the redevelopment project includes office, residential, retail and public event spaces, including a waterfront plaza.
Atlantic Wharf was designed to use 33 percent less energy and 69 percent less domestic water than comparable downtown office towers, according to the building’s owner. “Over 85 percent of the construction waste was diverted from landfills, over 20 percent of the building materials were manufactured from recycled products, and over 50 percent of wood products in the building was harvested from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests,” the project’s website stated.
The project featured interior and exterior coating systems from Tnemec, which assisted the developer in achieving the LEED pre-certification, according to coating consultant, Larry Mitkus, of the Righter Group. Exposed steel columns inside the building’s atrium were shop-primed with Series N69 Hi-Build Epoxoline II, an advanced generation polyamidoamine epoxy, which conforms to air pollution regulations limiting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in coatings. The atrium’s steel columns and glass curtainwall were field-primed with Series 27WB Typoxy, an advanced generation, high-solids water-based epoxy, followed by a finish coat of Series 750 UVX, a low-VOC hybrid urethane, which offers superior color and gloss retention.
“Aesthetics, along with resistance to ultraviolet (UV) light were primary performance considerations, which is why Series 750 UVX was specified,” Mitkus explained. “Another consideration was resistance to abrasion caused by people coming in contact with the base of the columns.”
Exterior canopies coming off the atrium were primed with Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a two-component, moisture-cured, zinc-rich urethane, followed by an intermediate coat of Series N69. A topcoat of Series 1071 Fluoronar, a semi-gloss high-solids fluoropolymer, and a clearcoat finish were applied to extend the system’s long-term weathering performance. The same coating system was shop-applied to a 200-foot tall steel spire ascending an exterior corner of the glass tower.
The base of the office tower consists of historical buildings, which were preserved and renovated for residential use. Cast iron facades on these buildings were blast-cleaned and primed with Series 1 Omnithane, a single-component, moisture-cured urethane primer containing micaceous iron oxide and zinc. An intermediate coat of Series N69 and a finish coat of Series 750 were brush- and roller-applied for long-term protection from exterior weathering.
Boston’s waterfront has experienced a renaissance since the completion of the Central Artery/Tunnel project, known unofficially as the “Big Dig.” Prior to completion of the tunnel, Fort Point channel had been separated from the rest of the city by the elevated Central Artery (Interstate 93).