Federal Reserve Bank Building (Boston)

The Federal Reserve Bank Building is the fifth tallest building in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at Dewey Square, on the convergence of Fort Point and the Financial District neighborhoods. In close proximity to the Boston Harbor, the Fort Point Channel and major intermodal South Station terminal, the building is marked by a distinctive opening near ground level which allows sea breezes to pass through.

Federal Reserve Bank Building
General information
StatusComplete
TypeOffice building
Architectural styleModernism
Location600 Atlantic Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates42°21′08.55″N 71°03′14.82″W
Construction started1969
Completed1977
Height
Roof614 ft (187 m)
Technical details
Floor count32
Design and construction
Architect Stubbins and Associates
DeveloperThe Federal Reserve Board
Structural engineerLeMessurier Consultants

History

Built for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to replace the 1922 building which now houses the Langham Hotel Boston,[1] the building was completed in 1977 and is 614 feet (187 m) tall with 32 floors. It was designed by Hugh Stubbins of The Stubbins Associates, Inc. and was reportedly one of his favorite buildings.[2] The design stood in contrast to that of the other Reserve Banks, which resembled fortresses.[3] It sometimes referred to as "the washboard" building[4] or "Venetian Blind" building[5]

Design and features

The building consists of an office tower and a four-story wing, built between December 1972 and November 1974. The office tower has a glass front and an anodized aluminum exterior, with office floors that rise from a 140-foot bridge and a 600-ton steel truss.[6][7]

It features an auditorium that is named for Frank E. Morris, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 1968 to 1988. It was designed to meet the Bank's needs and is also available to the community, offering lunchtime concerts as well.[3]

Gardens are incorporated above street level.[3]

List of tenants
The Federal Reserve building from street level.
  • Aspen Specialty Insurance Co.
  • Cavan Group, The
  • ConnectEDU
  • Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
  •  Italy (Consul General) - 17th Floor[8]
  •  Japan (Consul General) - 22nd Floor[9]
  • Craig & Macauley P.C.
  • Dalbar Inc.
  • Harvard Management Company
  • Kforce
  • Krokidas & Bluestein LLP
  • Middleton & Company, Inc.
  • Peabody & Arnold LLP
  • Wolf, Greenfield P.C.
  • 600 Atlantic Federal Credit Union

Awards
  • 2010 — United States Green Building Council (USGBC), prestigious "LEED-EB Gold designation."[10] "LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance"[11] is a rating system that recognizes buildings with superior operational efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
  • 2009 — The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) of Boston, "The Office Building of the Year" (TOBY).[12]
  • 2010, 2008 — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "ENERGY STAR Award."[13]
  • 1979 — The American Institute of Architects New England Regional Council, "AIA Award for Excellence in Architecture."[14]
  • One of the small courtyards to the side of the building.
  • Vertical panorama. Convexity of the shot makes building appear shorter.
  • The building entrance.
  • Detail of the side, looking up.
  • Viewed from the back.
  • Parking lot security measures.
  • Position in the Financial District skyline.

In the 2006 Martin Scorsese film The Departed, in the scene where Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) gets caught on the roof by undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), the building can be seen in the background.

See also

References
  1. "History of the Boston Fed". bostonfed.org. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
  2. Hevesi, Dennis (July 11, 2006). "Hugh Stubbins Jr., 94, Creator of Emblematic Skyscrapers, Is Dead". New York Times.
  3. http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/conf/conf45/conf45h.pdf
  4. ArchitectureWeek - News - Hugh Stubbins, Modern Tower - 2006.0809
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-10-18. Retrieved 2012-07-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. 1977 | Architecture, Real Estate: The People's Chronology
  7. FRBB: A Brief History of the Boston Fed
  8. Italian Consulate-General: Boston
  9. Japanese Consulate-General: Boston
  10. http://www.usgbc.org/DocumentDownload.aspx?DocumentID=3330%5B%5D
  11. http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=221
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2010-06-22.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=labeled_buildings.showMiniProfile&SEARCH_PROP_MANAGER_ID=&PROFILES=0&YEAR=2008&BUILDING_TYPE_ID=740&SEARCH_OWNER_ID=&CITY=&STARTNUM=1&ZIP=&S_CODE=MA&SEARCH_SPP_ID=&FILTER_B_ID=&b_id=b_1524898
  14. http://www.aianewengland.org
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