The Revitalist

The Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building by Paul Rudolph
Trans National Place by Renzo Piano

Another preservation story in the news: developer Steven Belkin plans to demolish the 1960 modernist Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building in the Financial District and replace it with Trans National Place, a 80-story glass tower designed by Renzo Piano. The plan has preliminary approval from the BRA and comes up before the Boston Landmarks Commission on Tuesday the 13th. The Commission can issue a demo delay, but they can't stop the project from going forward. Preservationists and Modernists are up in arms because the building, designed by Paul Rudolph, was the first Modernist office building in downtown Boston and because there are a number of endangered Modernist buildings around the country.  Those arguing for preservation realize that they can't keep the tower from going forward, instead they are asking that the old be incorporated into the new.

 I quite like the Rudolph building and the moderate scale of many of the older buildings in the financial district. I assume that the BRA has considered the slippery slope question and weighed it against the economics, but it would be a shame to see downtown to turn into a NYC-style forest of steel and glass...