MEMBERS VOICE
What to Do in Boston While You’re at the Convention
BSA members spill the beans about their city

by Tracy Ostroff
Contributing Editor

Summary: AIArchitect asked five Boston Society of Architects members what their fellow architects should see when they are in town for the AIA National Convention May 15-17. We received five different responses, but they agree that there’s a lot to explore beyond Beantown’s city limits. In addition to seeing the downtown sights, they advise that you don your walking shoes and visit a new area, catch some entertainment, and truly experience the vibrancy of the city’s distinct neighborhoods.

Brad Nederhoff, AIA
Principal, Verner Johnson and Associates
There are certainly a lot of historic sites, but there’s also the new Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) by Diller Scofidio + Renfro on the waterfront, and the federal courthouse by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners by the convention center. Boston also has lots of good museums: the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Museum of Science, and the smaller Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which has a beautiful courtyard. It’s good to walk around all the neighborhoods or to get farther away from the city to Rockport, Marblehead, or Cape Cod.

Chris Iwerks, AIA, LEED-AP
Principal, Bertaux+Iwerks Architects
The best way to see Boston is by neighborhood. The most visited is probably the Back Bay, which is the most user-friendly because of its access to Newberry Street. At the end of the day, I’d recommend two places: Harvard Square and Davis Square in Somerville, which may be more interesting because of its independent restaurants and shops. There’s also the Airport and Aquarium Blue line MBTA stations, MIT campus with its new Gehry and Holl buildings, and the Allston Library. There are also a number of ventilation buildings from the Central Artery/Tunnel project (aka. the Big Dig), all of which are quite different from one another.

Brandy H. M. Brooks, Assoc. AIA
Executive Director, Community Design Resource Center of Boston
The biggest thing I would say is: “Get out of downtown Boston!” Boston is divided into 13 neighborhoods, and some of them are the farthest out from what people would consider the core of Boston. Have a meal in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Dorchester, Allston, Brighton, East Boston, and meet the neighborhood!

Liz Minnis, AIA
Director, Court Facilities Unit, Division of Capital Asset Management
One thing to do would be to come out to the center of Boston, to where the Bulfinch Statehouse on the edge of Boston Common stands. Behind that is the historic courthouse hemmed in by buildings—some historic, some Modern. Then walk to the Government Center area, where there’s a lot to see about the progression of Boston, including the Brutalist Boston City Hall by Kallmann McKinnell & Wood, and the Government Service Center by Paul Rudolph.

David Hancock, AIA, LEED-AP
Principal, CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares Inc.
Go to the South End, North End, or Back Bay. That’s where you’ll see the fabric of Boston and what makes it a very walkable city. Those three neighborhoods are good for seeing Boston’s residential side streets. In the city, the Christian Science Center reflecting pool is a wonderfully serene space.