Walter Gropius - John F. Kennedy Federal Building - Boston, MA - Master Architects - International Style on Waymarking.com

In Boston's Government Center portion of the city is a tall, light grey building that is the John F. Kennedy Federal Building. This building was designed by Walter Gropius and The Architects Collaborative with Samuel Glaser.

The campus is bounded by Cambridge, New Sudbury, and New Congress streets. The campus has a building complex that consists of 26-story twin towers and a 4-story low building. The faces of the sections are pre-cast reinforced concrete, while the low portions have a polished granite face. Dark-anodized aluminum with a grey finish is included, contrasting with the lighter concrete. The towers are connected to the lower building via glass walkways. The corners are rounded, with the glass following the form.

Walter Gropius was well established as an architect by the time he immigrated into the U.S. He taught at nearby Harvard University, teaching the principals of modern architecture. He founded The Architects Collaborative (TAC) in 1945, which promoted teamwork in architect design. In 1961, the Government Services Administration (GSA) retained Gropius and TAC, along with local architect Samuel Glaser, to design and build a federal building in Boston. Construction took place from 1963-1965 and the building was occupied in 1965. The site had cost $1.2 million, and the building had cost $24 million. After President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the building was dedicated to him as a fitting honor to both him and the region he came from. The ceremonies, which were attended by his family, were on September 9, 1966.

Today, the buildings are part of a modernized part of a city connected by similarly styled buildings, including Boston's City Hall, and a large brick plaza. At the time of the visit, there was construction happening on the face of the towers.

Most of the information contained in this description is from the GSA web site. See this web site for more information.

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Architect: Walter Gropius Building Type: Government Date Built: 1965 City building is located in: Boston, MA

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