Government Center circa 2000

Government Center is a city square and plaza in Boston, Massachusetts, bounded by Cambridge, Court, Congress, and Sudbury Streets. The anchoring square, Scollay Square, is at the triple intersection of Court, Cambridge, and Tremont Streets. It is the location of Boston City Hall, a major MBTA subway interchange station, and a large open plaza used for large outdoor urban events, including free concerts in the summer and a large Santa's Workshop display in the winter. Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 573 KB)View of Government Center, Boston, showing the more prominent buildings of the development, including (clockwise from top left): John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building One Congress Street Boston City Hall One Hundred City Hall Plaza Government Center MBTA station entrance One Center Plaza... Download high resolution version (1536x1024, 573 KB)View of Government Center, Boston, showing the more prominent buildings of the development, including (clockwise from top left): John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building One Congress Street Boston City Hall One Hundred City Hall Plaza Government Center MBTA station entrance One Center Plaza... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, Athens of America, The Hub (of the Universe)1 Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County  - Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D) Area    - City  89. ... Boston City Hall during the 2004 rally for the New England Patriots. ... The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is a quasi-governmental organization formed in 1964 that controls the subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry systems in the Boston, Massachusetts area. ... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area — with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ... A typical depiction of Santa Claus. ...

History

Development and commerce

Scollay Square (though often locally pronounced skull-ee, the real pronunciation is Skall-ee) was named for William Scollay, a prominent local developer and militia officer who bought a landmark four-story merchant building at the intersection in 1795. Locals began to refer to the intersection as Scollay's Square, and in 1838 the city officially memorialized the intersection as Scollay Square. Colonel William Scollay (1756–?) was a Boston developer and militia officer who gave his name to the infamous Scollay Square. ... Lexington Minuteman representing militia minuteman John Parker Militia is the activity of one or more citizens organized to provide defense or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ...

Early on, the area was a busy center of commerce, including the city's first daguerreotypist (photographer), Josiah Johnson Hawes (1808–1901), and Dr. William Thomas Green Morton, the first dentist to use ether as an anaesthetic. An early daguerreotype, claimed by some to be Abraham Lincoln, although many experts disagree with this claim. ... William Thomas Green Morton (August 9, 1819 - July 15, 1868) was responsible for the first successful public demonstration of ether as an inhalation anesthetic. ... X-rays can reveal if a person has cavities Dentistry is the practical application of knowledge of dental science (the science of placement, arrangement, function of teeth) to human beings. ... Diethyl ether, also known as ether and ethoxyethane, is a clear, colorless, and highly flammable liquid with a low boiling point and a characteristic smell. ... Anesthesia (AE), also anaesthesia (BE), is the process of blocking the perception of pain and other sensations. ...

Local cultural landmarks took form, attracting visits from such intellectual contemporaries as Charles Dickens. Dickens redirects here. ...

The Old Howard

Main article: Old Howard Theatre

Scollay Square in the 1880s

Among the most famous (and infamous) of Scollay Square landmarks was the Old Howard Theatre, a grand theater which began life as the headquarters of a Millerite Adventist Christian sect which believed the world would end in October 1844. After the world failed to end on schedule, the building was sold in 1844 and reopened as a vaudeville and Shakespearean venue. Later, in the 1900s and 1910s, it would showcase the popular minstrel shows. The Old Howard Theatre was a famous burlesque house located in Boston, Massachusetts, USAs erstwhile Scollay Square. ... Scollay Square in the 1880s Location: Scollay Square, Boston Source: [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Scollay Square in the 1880s Location: Scollay Square, Boston Source: [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... The Old Howard Theatre was a famous burlesque house located in Boston, Massachusetts, USAs erstwhile Scollay Square. ... Millerite can have the following meanings: Millerites, a diverse family of denominations and Bible study movements that have arisen since the middle of the 19th century, traceable to the Adventist movement sparked by the apocalyptic teachings of William Miller. ... The term Adventist can refer to: One who believes in the Second Advent (usually known as the Second coming) of Jesus. ... The Great Disappointment was a period in the early history of certain Christian denominations in the United States, which began when Jesus failed to reappear on the appointed day of October 22, 1844 as some Christians had expected. ... Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Shakespeare redirects here. ... // First flight by the Wright brothers, December 17, 1903. ... // Caitlin wants nathans penis mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. ... Detail from cover of The Celebrated Negro Melodies, as Sung by the Virginia Minstrels, 1843 The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the American Civil War, African Americans in blackface. ...

By around the 1940s the Scollay Square area began to lose its vibrant commercial activity, and the Howard gradually changed its image and began to cater to sailors on leave and college students by including burlesque shows, as did other nearby venues such as the Casino Theater and Crawford House. "Always Something Doing" became the Old Howard's advertising slogan. The venue also showcased boxing matches with such old-time greats as local Rocky Marciano and John L. Sullivan, and continued to feature slapstick vaudeville acts, from likes of The Marx Brothers and Abbott and Costello. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... Photograph of Sally Rand, 1934. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called pugilism (from Latin), prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science[1] is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a... Rocco Francis Marchegiano, better known as Rocky Marciano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969), was an American boxer. ... John Lawrence Sullivan in his prime. ... Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence. ... See Marx brothers (fencing) for the 16th century German brotherhood. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

But it was the success and prominence of the burlesque shows that brought the Old Howard down. In 1953, vice squad agents snuck a home movie camera into the Old Howard, and caught Mary Goodneighbor on film doing her striptease for the audience. The film led to the closure of the theater, and it remained closed until it caught fire mysteriously in 1961. 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Vice Squad is a punk rock band formed in 1978 in Bristol, England. ... (Redirected from 16mm film) 16mm film was initially created in the 1920s as an inexpensive amateur alternative to the conventional 35 mm film format. ... For other uses, see Striptease (disambiguation). ...

The square was also the home of Austin and Stone's Dime Museum. Austin and Stone’s Dime Museum was an entertainment emporium located in Boston, Massachusetts, USAs famous Scollay Square. ...

Abolitionism

Scollay Square was also a flashpoint for the early abolition movement. Author William Lloyd Garrison was twice attacked by an angry mob for printing his anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator, which began publication in 1831. Sarah Parker Remond's first act of civil disobedience occurred in 1853 at the Old Howard when she was refused the seat she had purchased but was instead seated in the 'black' section. Many of the buildings in the area in and around Scollay Square had hidden spaces where escaped slaves were hidden, as part of the Underground Railroad. This English poster depicting the horrific conditions on slave ships was influential in mobilizing public opinion against slavery. ... William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December 12, 1805–May 24, 1879) was a prominent United States abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... This article is about the abolitionist newspaper. ... Sarah Parker Remond (June 6, 1826 - December 13, 1894) was an African-American abolitionist, an agent of the American Anti-Slavery Society. ... An anti-war activist is arrested for civil disobedience on the steps of the Supreme Court of the United States on February 9, 2005. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Rex Theatre for Colored People Racial segregation is characterized by separation of different races in daily life when both are doing equal tasks, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a rest room, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Redevelopment

Boston City Hall

As early as the 1950s, city officials had been mulling plans to completely tear down and redevelop the Scollay Square area, in order to revitalize the aging and seedy district. Attempts to reopen the sullied Old Howard by its old performers had been one of the last efforts against redevelopment; but with the theater gutted by fire, a city wrecking ball began the project of demolishing over 1000 buildings in the area and 20,000 residents were displaced. Boston City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts Source: Library of Congress Collection: Historic American Buildings Survey Origin: National Park Service URL: http://memory. ... Boston City Hall, Boston, Massachusetts Source: Library of Congress Collection: Historic American Buildings Survey Origin: National Park Service URL: http://memory. ... // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ...

With $40 million in federal funds, the city built an entirely new development on top of old Scollay Square, renaming the area Government Center, and peppering it with city, state, and federal government buildings. The centerpiece of the main plaza is the uniquely imposing and brutalist Boston City Hall. While considered by many an architectural masterpiece, it is not popular among locals. The mayor has twice (most recently in December 2006) proposed moving City Hall to a new building elsewhere in the city and sell off the land. ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Indian Ocean Territory[1], the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 2. ... Unité dHabitation, Marseille (Le Corbusier 1952) Brutalism is an architectural style that spawned from the modernist architectural movement and which flourished from the 1950s to the 1970s. ... Boston City Hall during the 2004 rally for the New England Patriots. ...

The plaza is not a well-loved space. As Bill Wasik wrote in 2006, "It is as if the space were calibrated to render futile any gathering, large or small, attempted anywhere on its arid expanse. All the nearby buildings seem to be facing away, making the plaza's eleven acres of concrete and brick feel like the world's largest back alley. … [It is] so devoid of benches, greenery, and other signposts of human hospitality that even on the loveliest fall weekend, when the Common and Esplanade and other public spaces teem with Bostonians at leisure, the plaza stands utterly empty save for the occasional skateboarder…" (Wasik 2006, 61) Image:Boston common Boston Massachusetts USA.jpg Boston Common in 2005, with the State House looming in the background 1890 Map of Boston Common and the adjacent Public Garden View of the Water Celebration, on Boston Common, October 25th 1848 Boston Common Engraving For the television series, see Boston Common...

References to in Popular Culture

Seminal proto-punk band The Modern Lovers on their 1976 debut album include a song called "Government Center". In it, singer Jonathan Richman humorously croons about his desire to "Rock non-stop tonight at the Government Center" in order to "Make the secretaries feel better" "As they put the stamps on the letters." Led by Jonathan Richman, the protopunk band The Modern Lovers came out of Massachusetts in the early 1970s. ... Jonathan Richman (born May 16, 1951), musician, is an American proto-punk icon and one of the progenitors of indie rock. ...

Geography and transportation

Government Center T-stop

Government Center is located between the renowned North End and the affluent and politically significant Beacon Hill neighborhood. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Categories: Stub | Boston neighborhoods ... Cutting down Beacon Hill, about 1800; a view from the north toward the Massachusetts State House. ...

It is directly across Congress Street from historic Faneuil Hall and popular Quincy Market and very near the Old State House. It is two blocks away from Interstate 93 (the 'Big Dig') which runs through the historic bloodline of the city. Faneuil Hall, located near the waterfront and todays Government Center in Boston, Massachusetts, has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742. ... Quincy Market is a historic building and shopping center in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. ... Old State House, circa July 2003. ... This Interstate Highway article needs to be cleaned up to conform to both a higher standard of article quality and accepted design standards outlined in the WikiProject U.S. Interstate Highways. ... Metropolitan Highway System Big Dig is the unofficial name of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), a megaproject to reroute the Central Artery (Interstate 93), the chief controlled-access highway through the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, into a 3. ...

There has been a subway station here since the first subway in America was built in Boston in 1897. Initially named Scollay Square Station, it was made famous in 1959 when The Kingston Trio performed a cover of a 1948 Boston protest song, known as Charlie On the MTA, about a man who is trapped to ride on the subway forever due to exit fares, an unpopular fare-collection method that survived until 2007 on some MBTA extensions. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is a quasi-governmental organization formed in 1964 that controls the subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry systems in the Boston, Massachusetts area. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Kingston Trios original lineup: Bob Shane, Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds The Kingston Trio is an American folk group. ... A protest song is a song intended to protest perceived problems in society such as injustice, racial discrimination, war, globalization, inflation, social inequalities, incarceration, the Greenhouse effect, the global warming. ... The MTA Song, often called Charlie on the MTA, is a 1948 song written by Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax Hawes, about a man named Charlie trapped on Bostons subway system, then known as the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). ... An exit fare is a method of collecting ridership fees, or fare, from a transportation system where the fee (or part of the fee) is collected from passengers upon reaching their destination. ... The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is a quasi-governmental organization formed in 1964 that controls the subway, bus, commuter rail, and ferry systems in the Boston, Massachusetts area. ...

Today the station, with its brick ziggurat-shaped entrance is known as Government Center Station and is the interchange for the Blue and Green Lines. Dur-Untash, or Choqa Zanbil, built in 13th century BC by Untash Napirisha and located near Susa, Iran is one of the worlds best-preserved ziggurats. ... Government Center Station of the MBTA, located at the intersection of Tremont, Court and Cambridge Streets in the Government Center neighborhood of Boston, is the main transfer point between the Green Line and the Blue Line. ... A Blue Line train at the recently rebuilt Logan Airport station. ... Two trains at Park Street. ...

Many major city streets either surround or lead to the plaza, including Tremont, Congress, Cambridge, Beacon, State, Washington, and Devonshire Streets. Hints of another street, Cornhill Street, still exist along one edge of City Hall Plaza -- one of the few remaining old buildings (Sears Crescent) facing the square follows the original curve of the street, and one Cornhill Street address is still in use by a veteran's shelter.

Nearby skyscrapers include:

• One Beacon Street
• One Boston Place
• One Devonshire Place
• 28 State Street
• 60 State Street

View of One Beacon Street in Boston One Beacon Street is a modern skyscraper in the Government Center neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. ... ü View of One Boston Place with 28 State Street and One Devonshire Place (L-R) in Boston Mellon Financial Center at One Boston Place is a 41-story Class A tower located in the heart of Boston’s Financial District, prominent on the Boston skyline with its distinctive diagonal exterior... View of One Boston Place with 28 State Street and One Devonshire Place (L-R) in Boston One Devonshire Place is a modern skyscraper in the Government Center neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts directly across from One Boston Place. ... View of One Boston Place with 28 State Street and One Devonshire Place (L-R) in Boston 28 State Street is a modern skyscraper in the Government Center neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. ... Boston skyscrapers, L-R: 60 State Street, Custom House Tower, and Exchange Place 60 State Street is a modern skyscraper in the Government Center neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. ...

References

• A Brief History of Scollay Square, also info on The Old Howard and on a book about Scollay Square, Always Something Doing on the same site
• Boston's Government Center, slide from "The Social Life of Cities"
• MBTA Government Center page
• "i: six nonlectures" by e.e. cummings, footnote
• Sophie and the Suburbs, Jewish Week, Sept. 27 2002
• Charlie on the MTA History and Lyrics page
• Wasik, Bill; "My Crowd - Or, Phase 5: A report from the inventor of the flash mob", p. 56 - 66, Harper's Magazine, March 2006