MILES
HUSTON
BIO
PRESS
< >
Miles
Cornwell Huston
LAMONTAGNE GALLERY
51 Melcher st, Fort Point, Boston
802 522 4675
www.lamontagnegallery.com
The current status surrounding the fate of Boston City Hall and
the Plaza is a complex one that demands closer attention. There
are many groups and agencies that have associations to the location
and usage of the building. It is a difficult issue that creates
an involved discussion that deals with multiple view points. The
past history of the site, the function for its current occupants,
real estate market concerns in addition the value to the public.
The central location itself being close proximity to the Department
of Homeland Security add another topic for discussion.
It is important to bring as much information to the surface for
the people of Boston. There needs to be an effort to bring this
conversation into other areas of discourse (not only in a closed
formal arena). I believe the BAC has put in place, an active dialogue
that bridges multiple avenues of people, regardless of their varied
backgrounds. Working with the BAC I am trying to take initiative
to extract information from as many parties to be used in this conversation.
The proposition I am making is for a casual sit down chat between
Mayor Menino, Henri Wood, and myself. The conversation will take
place in LaMontagne Gallery around a coffee table, which also happens
to be a model of Boston City Hall. Certainly, this will be a moment
of exposure to the basic parts of the situation, the occupant of
the design (Mayor Menino), the designer (Henri Wood), and user (Miles
Huston, a sort of mediator between the two). With the Mayor’s
approval we will have this video taped and shown on BNN public access
television. Unlike formal debates that happen, this conversation
will not have a conclusive goal of coming to a resolution of a problem.
Rather, this will be about people laying out the basic and complex
problems of this situation. Hopefully this will aid the larger more
formal discussion that will take place in the future when more people
are involved. We need to provide an opportunity to allow people
to show they really care and asked them to show their own level
of involvement, for this is the people's building as well.
This
meeting will need to happen in the month of July upon availability
of the Mayor. Henri Wood has agreed to participate. The required
time to do this would be 2 hours. With the Mayor’s approval
we could have an audience for questions and answers. Everything
will be done in LaMontagne Gallery at 51 Melcher St. It is important
to note that conversation is not intended to be a debate where personal
motivations wish to be resolved. I am very excited to get to know
both points of view and I believe others would also. I am exited
to learn more about the Mayor's ideas and believe he has a lot to
offer.
I also am interested in Henri’s own feelings on his struggling
building. This event could be a very positive experience for all
who are open to discussion. The types of discussion topics that
we could be prepared for would be:
The history of the site, Scollay Square
The history of the design of the current building and how it came
to win
The ideas behind the design
The failures and successes of the design
Mayor Menino’s time and experience in the building
The failed propositions for the plaza
The idea behind the new building
The Mayor’s proposition
Examples of Environmental Sustainability in other cities
Historical Preservation
Culture sites
The new ICA
Functionality
Public Space
Location of government buildings (department of homeland security)
The future of Boston
Impact of design and architecture on everyday life
