John F. Kennedy Federal Building
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Federal Building is a United States Federal government office building located in the Government Center area of Boston, Massachusetts. It is adjacent to City Hall Plaza and is located diagonally across from Boston City Hall. An example of 1960s modern architecture, it is a complex that consists of two 26 floor towers that sit on-axis to each other and a low rise building of four floors that connects to the two towers via an enclosed glass corridor.[1] The two towers stand at a height of 117.96 meters or 387 feet (118 m).[2]
Architecture
The building is bounded by Cambridge, New Sudbury, and New 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 839,000 square feet (77,900 m2).
The exterior of the towers is constructed of pre-cast reinforced concrete. The lower sections are faced with polished granite. All aluminum work has a dark anodized 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.
The building's design result in 45% 4.6-acre (19,000 m2)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 Dmitri Hadzi, 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, and his war record. Two other artists created tributes to John F. Kennedy. Herbert Ferber designed an abstract sculpture of welded copper and stainless steel titled Full Circle: Profile in Courage, which is in the interior light court.
Significant events
- 1937: Walter Gropius immigrates to the United States and exposes Modern architecture
- 1945: Gropius founds The Architects Collaborative
- 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
Building facts
- Location: 15 Sudbury Street
- Architects: Walter Gropius and The Architects Collaborative with Samuel Glaser
- Construction Dates: 1963-1966
- Architectural Style: Sixties Modern
- Primary Materials: Steel, Reinforced Concrete, and Glass
- Prominent Features: Monolithic towers; Landscaped Plaza; Public Art
Partial list of tenants as of 2013
As of 2010, the Kennedy building houses offices for the following:
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts[3]
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services[4]
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services[5]
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs[6]
- U.S. Immigration Court[7]
- U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Taxpayer Service Division
- U.S. Social Security Administration[8]
- U.S. Homeland Security Investigations
- U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
- U.S. Federal Protective Service
Images
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Kennedy Building (at left), with view of City Hall; Cambridge Street (at right)
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Looking across City Hall Plaza
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City Hall (at left), City Hall Plaza, and Kennedy Building (at right)
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Kennedy Building (at right), looking up from Congress Street
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Looking up from Congress Street
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Sudbury Street, and Kennedy Building (at left)
See also
- American House (Boston), demolished 19th-century building that stood on site of JFK Federal building
- Hanover Street (Boston, Massachusetts), partially demolished
References
- ↑ "John F. Kennedy Federal Building, Boston, MA". Gsa.gov. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ↑ "John F. Kennedy Federal Building | Buildings". Boston /: Emporis. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ↑
- ↑ "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - Office Locator : Office Detail". Egov.uscis.gov. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ↑ "HHS/OS Organizational Directory (OPHS/RHA/Region I - Boston) - Browse". Directory.psc.gov. 2009-01-13. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ↑ "Directions - Locations". Va.gov. 2010-07-23. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ↑
- ↑
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to John F. Kennedy Federal Building (Boston). |
- GSA entry on the JFK Building
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the General Services Administration.
Coordinates: 42°21′41″N 71°03′34″W / 42.36144°N 71.05936°W