The Christian Science Plaza Redesign

The 14-acre Christian Science Plaza is Boston’s largest publicly accessible private open space, a designated Boston Landmark, and a national icon, originally designed in 1968 by I.M. Pei & Partners and Sasaki Associates and completed in 1972. This 2021 redesign is the Plaza’s first comprehensive restoration in nearly 50 years.

The redesign of the Plaza and its beloved Reflecting Pool is more than a restoration effort. Arcadis introduced new elements and alterations to achieve the client’s goals of making the Plaza more welcoming and environmentally sustainable without compromising its mid-century Brutalist character and historic integrity. To make the plaza more inviting, Arcadis added new welcoming entry signs at each of the three unmarked primary gateways. The Huntington Gateway involved shortening the 700’ long Reflecting Pool by 16’ to create a clear, accessible plaza entry. A fourth new gateway called “the Beach,” on the Huntington Ave/Belvidere St. corner, consists of a tilted lawn panel, granite seatwall, welcome signage and a break in an existing concreate seatwall that previously blocked Plaza access. The gateway now accommodates the high volume of pedestrians by providing a direct path leading into the Plaza, transforming the formerly shapeless and uninviting space. The original Plaza design had few places to sit, and those that existed were uninviting. To add seating without clutter, Arcadis adapted original curbs into seatwalls using the same design language. Arcadis created the open and welcoming “Nooks” along Huntington Avenue by removing two raised planters and adding large wood platform benches for additional seating. Along the Mass. Ave. edge, an unsettled line of 13 concrete platform benches beneath a row of mature red oaks were too fragile to reset without crumbling, so Arcadis replaced them with wood platform benches in the exact same dimensions, to honor the original mid-century design intent while providing more warmth. Arcadis also overcame challenging technical issues to completely deconstruct, re-waterproof, and reconstruct the monumental Reflecting Pool, which was leaking into the 800-car garage below, implementing aesthetic and sustainability improvements that reduced potable water consumption significantly while preserving its historic appearance. Underground galleries under the Mass. Ave. lawn capture and infiltrate stormwater, reducing runoff by half while recharging groundwater. The original spalling and slippery glazed brick paving required full replacement with a skid-resistant brick, maintaining original character while meeting current safety and universal access codes. To improve the nighttime experience, Arcadis unified numerous disparate light sources into a single warm LED source and refurbished the historic candelabra lampposts. To fill dark spots without adding more light poles, lighting was integrated into building facades, seatwalls and the Linden bosques. The Christian Science Plaza Redesign project extends the life of this historic open space into the next 50 years, adapting it to a new social context, keeping it relevant and vibrant. The new design elements respect the original design, while making the plaza more welcoming to all ages, in all seasons, at all times of day or night.