Moving Region 1: EPA New England

History of the McCormack Federal Building

• Building a Place in History
• Interior Spotlight–Preserving Historic Features
• Source Documents
  

 

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Building a Place in History Article Source: J.W. McCormack P.O. & Courthouse, Historic Building Preservation Plan, Ann Beha Assoc. March 1995

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The U.S. Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal Building, was constructed in 1931-33, as an expression of Boston’s national stature and demanding growth. The building became one of the finest art-deco style buildings in the region in the 20s and 30s. It was a product of the Public Buildings Act of 1926, the first Congressional authorization for new federal construction programs since 1913—unleashing a floodgate of backlogged projects that helped the government jump-start Depression-related job programs. Construction of the building at the time illustrated early efforts of political leaders to use large federal projects to help offset the impact of the Great Depression and spur the economy.

The new Federal Building replaced an overcrowded Post Office and Sub-Treasury Building that occupied the site since the 1870s. Although, Boston’s Great Fire of 1872, leveled much of Boston’s emerging commercial district, the original Post Office building was miraculously spared (see inset for more information on the Great Fire).  Explosive growth in the 1910’s gave Boston the distinction as the fourth largest postal district in the U.S. by 1931, providing the political capital needed to move forward with plans for a new larger postal building and federal courthouse.

The Building was one of several large-scale federal construction projects initiated just prior to the Great Depression that served as models for various public works programs. Leaders realized that construction of federal building provided an important boost to the local economies by offering employment opportunities to both building contractors and materials suppliers. In 1930, New England’s congressional delegation waged a successful lobbying effort to substitute more expensive New England granite for Indiana limestone as the primary exterior facing material. Representatives from the granite-producing towns of Chelmsford and Quincy led the successful campaign to raise the project allocation from $4.5 million to $6 million. In the end, a combination of several eastern granites were used on the exterior– polished dark Quincy granite in the basement stories, Concord granite for the first two stories, and Chelmsford granite for the upper stories.

Although Art Deco was in vogue at the time, it was an unusual choice for Boston, known as a conservative city. But critics praised the building, saying the Art Deco elements “created a romantic urban image, reflective of the modern city.” The building is the tallest of Boston’s four art-deco styled buildings from the 1930s. The other three were: the United Shoe Machinery at 138-164 Federal Street, State Street Bank & Trust now known as 75 State St, and the Batterymarch Building (now the Hilton Hotel at 89 Broad St.). These four buildings together changed Boston’s skyline forever.
In honor of one of the Commonwealth’s most powerful and respected politicians, the building was rededicated in 1971/2 as the John W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse. McCormack had dedicated most of his adult life to state and national politics. He rose to become Speaker of the House from 1962, until his resignation in 1971.

Interior Spotlight–Preserving Historic Features Article Source: J.W. McCormack P.O. & Courthouse, Tentatives Phase Submission, Basis of Design Report, Goody, Clancy & Assoc.  9/16/04

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 The McCormack Building was found to contain “some magnificent examples of art deco architectural details executed in a wide variety of materials,” in its 1995 Historic Building Preservation Plan. This plan evaluated the Building’s interior spaces to pinpoint unique areas that deserved extra care and effort during renovation and design.

Efforts to preserve these designated historically significant spaces were at the forefront in the minds of the architects and planning team.

Among the areas that the architects sought first to preserve were the original courtrooms and main library, the ground floor entrance lobby and five of the elevator lobbies. Wood wainscoting, marble walls and rusticated plaster are some of the intact finishes encountered in these rooms. Courtroom benches and jury boxes will be removed from some courtrooms to accommodate a change in use from courtroom to meeting space. Plans to preserve the courtroom ceilings, which are described as “ornate, most with ornamental coffers or trim embellished with decorative plaster details,” are also part of the renovation design. Lighting and paint improvements will match the original design.

Among other improvements, the first floor lobby ceiling will be restored to reestablish the original character of the space, with paint colors resembling the original design. The ground floor lobby, originally used as a service entrance for the post office, will be used as the main entrance—after alterations for security needs. The lobby walls and ceiling will be restored with fixtures similar to the original. The terrazzo floors with marble inlay will be restored on the historical corridors. The central stairway leading from the main entrance to the grand first floor lobby will be restored to improve the connection between upper and lower lobbies.

The overall design strategy embraced the building’s original interior presence by salvaging and restoring as much of the original as possible, while improving and incorporating green features to meet future needs.

Source Documents

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• McCormack Historical Narrative (PDF, 3 pp., 147 KB, About PDF)
• Preservation Plan (PDF, 46 pp., 3.69 MB, About PDF)