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COLUMBIA POINT
NEW VISION
A
Boston Society ofArchitects
Urban Design Committee
Columbia Point Focus Team
COLUMBIA POINT
NEW
VISION
A
Boston Society ofArchitects
Urban Design Committee
PUBLIC
Columbia Point Focus Team
Joan E. Goody. FAIA, Chair
Kay Edward Alexander. AIA Ronald Bennett
Michael M. Bernard Carmelo M. Garufo, AIA
Anne C. Gelbspan Harvey Ray Montague, AIA
Constance W. McMillin G. Michael Tzerai, AIA
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COLUMBIA
POINT
NEW
VISION
A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Executive Summary
I
Existing Conditions/CurrentDevelopment Activity
II
CriteriaforFuture Development/Urban Design Guidelines
III
Visions forthe Future
INTRODUCTION
Surrounded by water on three sides, with views of Boston Harbor and the Boston
Skyline, Columbia Point is a superbly located peninsula with over two miles of
shoreline,onlyminutesfromdountourn. Itisa likely location forthestrikingKennedy
Library—building. Yet for much of its 20th century history it has been a dumping
ground literally, for thecity's garbageand sewagepumping, and then forplaces no
other neighborhood would accept: a prisoner of war camp in WWII, followed by the
largest low-income housing project in New England, built shortly after that war.
It is little wonder that the name, "Columbia Point" has had negative associations for
many people northat those institutions which ventured out there to takeadvantageof
the large amounts of available land were planned as isolated entities, insulated from
their surroundings. Unfortunately this has led to a series of separate enclaves rather
than a unified neighborhood and has limited the vision of what could be there. This
report is a first step towards a new vision.
Thecurrentcirculation and land usepatterns presenta remarkably disconnected setof
roads with no coherent overall pattern. There is virtually no street system. A
pedestrian has few and generally unpleasant paths, with dangerous crossings.
Vehicularcirculation isequallyawkwarddueto the lackofcross-peninsulastreets,and
the congestion caused by heavy through-traffic mixing with local traffic, along
Morrissey Boulevard. These problems contribute to a lack of "sense of place" or
neighborhood.
TheBostonSocietyofArchitects FocusTeam was formed to lookat this largebutoften
neglected part of ourcity and to stimulate thought about a vision to guide its growth
and change. Its methods and objectives have been to:
• Learn the current owners' goals for the future and their own development
on the Point. Find areas of potential common, mutual benefit, and ways to
achieve them;
• Assess the uniqueresources ofthearea and consideralternatescenarios for
its future;
• Initiate a process that will involve the current owners, users and residents;
Giveconsideration to theimpactsonadjacentareas; Recognizethepotential
public resource the Point represents to the city and the region.
• Stimulate thedevelopment ofa Masterplan to guide futuredevelopmenton
Columbia Point.
Over the last two years members of the Committee have had informal interviews (in
person or on the phone) with representatives of all the major entities located on
Columbia Point to learn more about the history and goals of these groups, their
common problems and their ideas about wavs to improve conditions.
FacingPage: mapofBoston identifyingColumbia Point,showingitslocation within the region
and lUustrating its size by superimposing its shape on downtown Boston.
Introduction
Some of these institutions and theirdecision makers are among the most powerhil in
the Commonwealth: the Un—iversity of Massachusetts, the Boston Globe, the Kennedy
Library, theBankofBoston to namejusta few. MostcametoColumbia Point when
theland was plentifulandcheapand wereattracted by the possibility ofbuildingtheir
own"campus"orenclave. Astheycontinu—etoexistorexpandonColumbiaPointthese
institutionsfacemanycommonproblems butforthemostparttheyhavebeentrying
to solve them alone. Our work has revealed a number of areas where the chance for
success could be greatly improved by concerted action.
The following pages identify some of those goals and some critical steps that should
be taken if they are to be achieved. And these steps must be taken promptly or the
opportunity forColumbia Point to realize its potential will be lost. If each institution
pursuesitsown goals without regard to its neighbors ora unified vision forthe future,
that future will be severelv limited for all.
Lacking a Masterplan orany vision to guide growth on Columbia Point as a whole in
the years ahead, there is no basis for coordinating such changes. Plans by existing
institutions forchangeorexpansion,as wellas newuses proposed forthearea,can not
be evaluated in a useful context. Although millions of dollars of private and public
money have been invested on Columbia Point in recent vears, and its character has
changed significantly, it has not begun to reach its potential and is even in danger of
dissipating those gains through lack of a coordinating concept. As development
pressures increase in coming years, Columbia Point can expect further building. Now
isthetime to guide thatdevelopment into theformation ofthe kind ofcommunityand
neighborhood the residents and the citv want to see there.
To highlight some of the opportunities that exist on Columbia Point and to encourage
the development of a Masterplan that will maximize its potential we have written a
report that
:
1. Reviews the existing conditions
2. Establishes goals and criteria for future development
3. Suggests alternate scenarios for Columbia Point's future.
This is notan exhaustivestudy; it is the beginningofan exploration that wehopewill
be an inspiration for the kind of planning which can benefit this verv special part of
Boston.
Introduction
