City Hall

City Hall Review

Over the years, various plans—involving gardens, restaurants, music, and hotels—have been floated to make this a more people-friendly site. Possibly the only thing that would ameliorate Bostonians' collective distaste for the chilly Government Center is tearing it down. But for the moment, City Hall, an upside-down ziggurat design on a brutalist redbrick plaza remains in commission. The design, by Kallman, McKinnell, and Knowles, confines administrative functions to the upper floors and places offices that deal with the public at street level.