2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01580v

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Federal Building is a United States federal government office building located in the Government Center area of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to City Hall Plaza and diagonally across from

Boston City Hall Boston City Hall is the seat of city government of Boston, Massachusetts. It includes the offices of the mayor of Boston and the Boston City Council. The current hall was built in 1968 to assume the functions of the Old City Hall. It is a con ...

. An example of 1960s modern architecture, and designed by

Walter Gropius Walter Adolph Georg Gropius (18 May 1883 – 5 July 1969) was a German-American architect and founder of the Bauhaus School, who, along with Alvar Aalto, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, is widely regarded as one ...

and

The Architects Collaborative The Architects Collaborative (TAC) was an American architectural firm formed by eight architects that operated between 1945 to 1995 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The founding members were Norman C. Fletcher (1917-2007), Jean B. Fletcher (1915-19 ...

with Samuel Glaser, it is a complex that consists of two offset 26-floor towers that sit on-axis to each other and a low rise building of four floors that connects to the two towers through an enclosed glass corridor. The two towers stand at a height of . The complex was built in 1963-1966. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2021.

Significant events

*1937:

immigrates to the United States and exposes Modern architecture *1945: Gropius founds

*1961: Gropius, TAC, and Glaser retained to design federal building in Boston *1963: Construction begins; building is named to honor President Kennedy after he is assassinated *1966: Construction completed and building occupied 2017 John F

Building facts

*Location: 15 Sudbury Street *Architects:

and

with Samuel Glaser *Structural engineers: LeMessurier Consultants *Construction dates: 1963-1966 *Architectural style: Sixties Modern *Primary materials: Steel, reinforced concrete, and glass *Prominent features: Monolithic towers; landscaped plaza; public art

Architecture

The building is bounded by Cambridge, Sudbury, and Congress streets. The building consists of twin 26-story high-rise towers, which sit on axis to each other, and a low, 4-story building. This combination of tall towers paired with low buildings is a common Modern form that is used extensively throughout the United States and abroad. The double towers increase the number of offices lit by natural light and decrease the visual bulk that a single monolithic building would create. The building contains . The exterior of the towers is constructed of pre-cast reinforced concrete. The lower sections are faced with polished

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies un ...

. All

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

work has a dark

anodized Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. The process is called ''anodizing'' because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an elect ...

finish in a medium gray tone. A glass-enclosed walkway connects the four-story building to the towers. Like the towers, the low building's facade is made of concrete and glass. Overall, the exterior lacks ornamentation, instead displaying a stark functionality. Bands of windows wrap around the towers; corner windows have rounded edges. The bases of the towers have arcades with entrances set back beneath a covered area supported by piers. The tops of the towers are distinguished by metal louvers. An exposed glass atrium connects the two towers at the ground level. A glass-enclosed walkway connects the four-story building to the towers. Like the towers, the low building's facade is made of concrete and glass. Vertical slabs form piers that interrupt the horizontality of the building and create the off-center entrance, which is articulated by a cantilevered porch. A protruding second story creates a covered pathway to shelter visitors. The building's design result in 45% of the available space being occupied by the structure. The remaining portion contains terraces, plazas, landscaping, a sunken patio, and driveways. Plazas are surfaced with stone in most sections. Paved walkways are interspersed throughout. A tiered stair platform of cement and brick leads to the low building. In 1963, Gropius and Glaser saw sculpture by artist

Dimitri Hadzi Dimitri Hadzi (March 21, 1921 – April 16, 2006) was an American abstract sculptor who lived and worked in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also taught at Harvard University for over a decade. Life Hadzi was born to Greek-American immigrant pare ...

, who worked in Modern abstract forms, and decided Hadzi's style would be appropriate for the federal building. They commissioned Hadzi to produce a bronze sculpture called Thermopylae, which is located in front of one of the towers. The abstract sculpture was created in 1966 and inspired by President Kennedy's book, ''

Profiles in Courage ''Profiles in Courage'' is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States Senators. The book profiles senators who defied the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was ...

'', and his war record. Two other artists created tributes to John F. Kennedy.

Herbert Ferber Herbert Ferber (1906 – 1991) was an American Abstract Expressionist, sculptor and painter, and a "driving force of the New York School." Background Herbert Ferber Silvers was born on April 30, 1906, in New York City. In 1923, he beg ...

designed an abstract sculpture of welded copper and stainless steel titled ''Full Circle: Profile in Courage'', which is in the interior

light court In architecture, a lightwell,light well, light-well sky-well,skywell, sky well or air shaft is an unroofed or roofed external space provided within the volume of a large building to allow light and air to reach what would otherwise be a dark or ...

. ''New England Elegy'', a controversial mural by

Robert Motherwell Robert Motherwell (January 24, 1915 – July 16, 1991) was an American abstract expressionist painter, printmaker, and editor of ''The Dada Painters and Poets: an Anthology''. He was one of the youngest of the New York School, which also inc ...

, occupies the area between the towers and the low-rise building. Revolving exhibits in the building often focus on aspects of Kennedy's life and presidency.

Selected tenants

As of 2010, the Kennedy building housed offices for: *

Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as ...

, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts * U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services * U.S. Department of Health & Human Services *

U.S. Department of Labor The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the United States federal executive departments, executive departments of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of fede ...

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

* U.S. Immigration Court * U.S.

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory t ...

, Taxpayer Service Division * U.S.

Social Security Administration The United States Social Security Administration (SSA) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that administers Social Security, a social insurance program consisting of retirement, disability and survivor benefits. To qualify f ...

* U.S.

Homeland Security Investigations The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration tha ...

* U.S.

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...

* U.S. Federal Protective Service

Gallery

File:Federal Office Building, Boston, Massachusetts (13848703395) crop.jpg, Architectural rendering
(c.1963) File:2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01573v.jpg, The connector between the low-rise building and the towers File:2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01570v.jpg, Lobby File:2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01574v.jpg, Interior File:2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01582v.jpg, Interior staircase File:2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01575v.jpg, Courtyard File:2006 JFKennedy FederalBuilding Boston byHighsmith LC 01579v.jpg, Plaza view

References

Notes Sources *

External links

General Services Administration (GSA) entry
{{Walter Gropius Buildings of the United States government in Massachusetts J.F.K. Federal Building Twin towers Government Center, Boston Government buildings completed in 1966 Walter Gropius buildings National Register of Historic Places in Boston Government buildings in Boston