• The Competition
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• Program overview & background
• ::
• News & updates
• ::
• Exhibition

• Site description/ opportunities
• Walking around
• On the block
• Neighborhood context
• Boston context
• Downloads, resources and links
• Community process
• About the BCA
• The BCA brand
• BCA boards

• The BCA block
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• Competition priority areas
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• The BCA Plaza
• Activities: everyday
• Activities: special events
• Garden
• Kiosk
• Restaurant outdoor seating
• Vehicular access
• Lighting
• Paving
• Electrical service
• Barrier free access requirements
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• Sidewalks
• Vehicular access
• Lighting
• Street trees
• Miscellaneous
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• Entry markers
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• Artists' Courtyard
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• (return to top)

Site description and opportunities

The following site description is organized into five main parts, the BCA block as a whole (descriptions of each of the buildings meant as a general introduction) followed by a detailed description of each of four "competition priority" areas.

Bulleted, italic text is used to indicate site opportunities specific to each project area.

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The BCA Block

The principal buildings of the BCA campus are the historic Cyclorama (1884), the Tremont Estates Building (1865), the Boston Ballet building (Graham Gund, 1991) and the new Atelier | 505 complex, incorporating the Calderwood Theater Pavilion (Machado Silvetti/ADD Inc., 2004).

The Cyclorama, built to display a gigantic panoramic painting of The Battle of Gettysburg, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 23,000 square foot Cyclorama rotunda is now the site of exhibitions, performances and community events. The building also houses the Community Music Center of Boston, the Art Connection, the Boston Ballet Costume Shop, two small theaters and a rehearsal studio. A jazz cafe, The Beehive, will open in the summer of 2006 on the lower floor of this building with access both to the BCA Plaza and the Artists' Courtyard.

The Tremont Estates Building, originally a piano and organ factory, now houses over 50 artist studios and offices for cultural organizations, the Mills Gallery, two rehearsal spaces and Hamersley's Bistro.

The Boston Ballet's headquarters building houses rehearsal and administrative spaces and a ballet school.

The Atelier | 505 development is a mixed-use complex that includes 103 luxury condominium residences, 21,000 square feet of commercial space, and the Calderwood Pavilion.

The massing of this newest building defers to the varying contexts of the site in a refined and skillful manner. Overall, there is a tower block to the east, a mid-rise linear block centered on the rotunda of the Cyclorama, and lower townhouse style condominiums along Warren Avenue. The Calderwood Theatre Pavilion is treated as a sculptural object in scale with the cornice line of the Cyclorama's entrance on Tremont Street, and is sheathed in a modern zinc-paneled skin to signal its unique function. For more information on the history of the BCA's buildings, visit the history page on the BCA's website. For a "walk-around" virtual tour, go to walking around the site.

• Entrants should imagine how transformations to the existing buildings through the use of lighting and signage could address the competition goals of creating a distinctive public space landscape and building a collective identity that gathers together the many disparate elements of the BCA campus.
• Note that the buildings and their facades are not explicitly a part of the competition site. Any alterations to the buildings would be subject to review by the South End Landmarks District Standards and Criteria, including any proposals for building signage and lighting.

Competition priority areas

Entrants are expected to address each of the following site areas, described in order of importance. Priority of effort and design emphasis is to be determined by entrants.

For full site information and documentation please go to Downloads, resources and links for plans, elevations, and images in various digital formats.

The BCA Plaza

The principal site area for the competition is the triangular Plaza located at the intersection of Tremont and Clarendon Streets. It is approximately 13,000 square feet in size, measured from the plaza building faces to the sidewalk curbs. Prior to 1975, Montgomery Street continued past Clarendon Street to Tremont. The BCA Plaza was created by closing Montgomery Street east of Clarendon to expand what was once a small triangular pedestrian plaza.

It is fronted by the Tremont Estates Building and the historic Cyclorama, and contains a small non-professionally maintained landscaped area (the garden) with two mature trees. Pedestrian paths mostly follow the sidewalks that surround this plaza along Tremont and Clarendon Streets, and along the building edges. Crosswalks are located at the corner of Tremont and Clarendon Street, as well as at mid-block connecting the Plaza to Hanson Street. Looking west down Tremont and Montgomery Streets, the Plaza affords a quintessential view of the historic South End: wide tree lined avenues with bow-fronted rowhouses punctuated by distant steeples. Looking east down Tremont Street, the view of the Atelier | 505 and Calderwood buildings is limited by the angling northward of the street.

• Entrants may consider the historic location of Montgomery Street in their design proposals.

Activities: everyday

On a daily basis the Plaza accommodates people strolling, dog walking, eating lunch, chatting while seated on the few benches, and most generally just passing through. In good weather outdoor cafes provide welcome activity for the Plaza, from early afternoon through late at night. A constant flow of people in and out of Hamersley's Bistro and the Mills Gallery is assured year round, with lingering, smoking, and idle conversation lasting as long as weather permits. The many activities of the BCA provide episodic groupings of people coming to and leaving from events. Posters and advertisements on a large kiosk draw the occasional passerby, and the ATM it contains attracts moderate use. Activity patterns follow the expected daily cycles, full of commuters passing through in the early morning and evenings, smaller groupings at lunchtime, fewer numbers late into the evening finally dwindling off substantially after dark. Weekends attract a greater mix and number of people, many passing through the Plaza en route to the BCA or the many other South End venues.

• Entrants are encouraged to consider a wide range of users and activities on the Plaza, and the spatial configurations that will accommodate them best. Designs should allow for gatherings of individuals, small informal groups, and the occasional special event.

Activities: special events

The Plaza currently accommodates a wide range of activities throughout the year. It is used as a spill-out space for events in the Cyclorama, theaters and Mills Gallery, as a set-up area for tents used as anterooms, as a place for information tables and support elements during summer events, as a place for programmed performances, and as a special neighborhood gathering place for annual celebrations. Crowds often fill parts of the plaza after events in the Calderwood Pavilion (its larger theater has a capacity of 300 people) or the Cyclorama (capacity 1,200 people) lingering as long as weather permits. During openings at the Mills Gallery, people spill out onto the Plaza as well. At such openings, a small area is typically cordoned off to allow for outdoor alcohol consumption. In the colder seasons, anterooms for coat checking and check-in are created with rented tents set up adjacent to the Cyclorama and the BCA Plaza Theater entrances. Tents are typically 20 feet by 8 or 16 feet wide and are supported by poles in sand or water-filled stands. During events such as the annual South End Open Studios day in the fall, the Plaza provides a place for information booths and a variety of small-scale performances. Future plans for this event and others might include set-ups for artists' booths and displays, or special rental opportunities that enliven the Plaza to help bring the community inside and the BCA out.

Performances in the Plaza take on a variety of configurations depending on expected audience size. Moveable seating, stage, sound and light support equipment is set up in a variety of configurations. Typically a raised platform stage is located at the east end of the large open space in front of the Cyclorama, with the audience facing west, looking down the length of Montgomery Street. Other performances take place directly on the Plaza paving without a stage, allowing for even more flexibility and audience interaction. Annual neighborhood events such as Pride Lights and the Holiday Tree Lighting take place at a similar location on the Plaza, where a stage is usually set up between the kiosk and the Mills Gallery entrance so that the existing evergreen tree, when lit, is showcased. At such programmed events as the tree lighting, a maximum of 100 moveable seats are set out in rows. Approximately 20 feet of clear space is required between seats and building walls, street curbs, and fixed elements such as planters and stairs, to ensure ample circulation and "egress" during events.

• Design proposals must accommodate a variety of events and activities such as those that take place currently on the BCA Plaza either as existing or in an optimized way. Entrants should suggest new configurations, events, and possibilities for the Plaza as well.
• Entrants must indicate areas for 100 moveable seats with appropriate spacing as well as areas for stage and technical equipment set-up suitable for a variety of performances. Entrants may choose to indicate a variety of configurations in their proposals. Egress paths from all entries and surrounding seating must be maintained.

Garden

A small garden is located at the western end of the Plaza, and dates from the space's inception. Significantly altered over the years in an ad hoc manner, the garden is partially enclosed by a wrought iron fence, and contains both raised brick platforms and planted areas. Seating along ledges and benches is limited and currently not well accommodated. A variety of plant types, including small coniferous hedges, ivies, vines, and opportunistic species grow in and around this space. This planting along with numerous, small deciduous trees provide a welcome relief to the Plaza which is an otherwise undifferentiated expanse of brick.

The two mature trees located in this garden are significant landmarks for the Plaza and the communities of the South End. The large evergreen tree is decorated and lit each year for the Seasonal Holidays in December, and again in June for the "Pridelights" celebration. This tree is approximately 50 feet high; it is rooted in a slightly raised terrace, approximately 6 inches above the paved surface of the Plaza. A large deciduous tree, approximately 50 feet high at the top of its crown which is 30 feet in diameter, is located in the garden directly opposite the entrance to Hamersley's Bistro. This tree provides ample shade for outdoor dining in the summer, and is rooted in a bed raised approximately 36 inches above the sidewalk.

• Each of these trees should be carefully evaluated in the proposal, as they are likely to be championed by local stakeholders. It is not required that they or any other portion of the garden be retained although the root systems and their relationship to grade should be factored into any design that incorporates these landscape elements.

Kiosk

The kiosk, located directly in front of the Cyclorama, was originally the cupola of the House of the Angel Guardian, an orphanage designed by Gridley J.F. Bryant in the 1850s. It was substantially altered and then moved to the BCA Plaza in the 1970's. It is currently used for BCA posters, schedules and announcements and houses a Sovereign Bank ATM. The ATM lease for the kiosk provides revenue to the BCA and is leased for another 5-10 years.

• It is not required that the kiosk remain in place or on the site although consideration should be given to its removal or relocation. An ATM location should be identified on the site to enable the BCA to maintain its current lease and revenue source.
• Entrants should designate a place appropriate for information and notices about the BCA's ever-changing calendar of events and productions within their overall proposals as well. This can be incorporated into the overall site strategy for signage and wayfinding.

Restaurant outdoor seating

Outdoor dining in the summertime is a rare treat in Boston and one key to the success of the BCA Plaza. Hamersley's Bistro, a nationally renowned restaurant located in the ground floor of the Tremont Estates Building, currently leases 1,000 square feet of space for seasonal outdoor seating with moveable chairs, tables, umbrellas, and small planter boxes adjacent to the west end of the Garden. With this set-up, the wait station is located immediately east of Hamersley's main entrance, against the face of the TEB. The future jazz cafe, The Beehive, will lease 700 square feet of space for outdoor seating on the Plaza. The location of its outdoor seating has not yet been determined. It is expected that both establishments will continue to provide, maintain, and secure their own umbrellas, tables, and chairs for such use.

• Entrants must identify seating areas for each of the restaurants described above, convenient to but not necessarily adjoining each establishment. Seating areas must not block access to the Mills Gallery, Cyclorama, or other public venues, and paving materials should be suitable for the use of moveable tables, chairs, and umbrellas. Entrants are encouraged to suggest new configurations and settings for restaurant outdoor seating.

Vehicular access

Currently all loading and unloading for the Cyclorama, BCA Plaza Theaters, and Community Music Center take place across the bricked plaza to trucks, cars, and vans parked on Tremont Street. Equipment needed for events in the Cyclorama is delivered through both the front doors of the Cyclorama, and through the Community Music Center doors. Waiting vehicles park in a commercial loading zone directly opposite the main entry to the Cyclorama, and up to five vans or cars are permitted to park on the Plaza itself. Access for vehicles onto the Plaza is via a mid-block curb cut. Plaza parking is typical for large multi-vendor events such as The Boston Tattoo Convention and the Boston International Fine Arts Show. Cars and small vans load and unload directly through the main entrance of the Mills Gallery. Vehicular access to the Plaza entrance of the Tremont Estates Building is rare, but occasionally permitted.

• Successful operation of the Cyclorama as a revenue generating facility depends on loading and unloading across the Plaza. Entrants must accommodate vehicular access to the various venues as described, and must indicate desired loading, parking and vehicular access routes on plans or diagrams.

Hamersley's Bistro and Sibling Rivalry provide valet parking from stands on Tremont Street. It is expected that the future jazz cafe, The Beehive, will provide valet parking from a stand on Tremont Street as well.

• Entrants must identify a valet parking area for Hamersley's, Sibling Rivalry, and the future Jazz Cafe at locations on Tremont Street that do not interfere with pedestrian crosswalks. Valet parking stands typically occupy metered parking spaces during evening hours.

Lighting

Street and sidewalk lighting is provided, serviced, and maintained by Boston's Department of Public Works. Lights along Tremont Street are cobra fixtures on exposed aggregate concrete poles with dark brown anodized aluminum lamp housings. They are spaced at intervals of approximately 50 feet. These lights provide required illumination levels for streets and sidewalks but not for the Plaza itself. There is no comprehensive lighting plan for the South End or any of the major arterials such as Tremont Street. Acorn style lampposts are located along Warren Avenue and Clarendon Streets for the entire length of the BCA Block. The landmarks commission recommends use of the historic acorn style streetlights throughout the South End. Lighting fixture heights are limited to 19 feet along major thoroughfares and 16 feet along residential streets.

The Plaza itself is moderately lit at night with the exception of uplights illuminating the two large trees in the Garden. Ambient light from the interiors of the buildings as well as from minimal facade lighting of the Tremont Estates Building and the Cyclorama provides some illumination to the Plaza. Lighting of the Calderwood Pavilion marquee and facade, by contrast, is very bright.

• Entrants are encouraged to explore lighting as a significant component of their designs. In addition to the daytime activities in the summer and on weekends, it should be noted that many events take place well after dusk for a significant portion of the year. The BCA is eager to extend use of the Plaza well into the night. The future jazz cafe, The Beehive, has secured permission to serve liquor until 2am, ensuring future nighttime activity on the Plaza.
• The Cobra fixture can be found along the entire length of Tremont Street as well as throughout Boston. It is one of the standard Department of Public Works fixtures that satisfies city lighting requirements. Entrants are encouraged to explore alternative fixtures for the site that meet the stated programmatic goals of identity creation and wayfinding.
• Entrants should suggest levels of illumination and desired ambiance through nighttime renderings. The Plaza shall be illuminated to a minimum 1.25 foot-candles and a maximum of 2.0 foot-candles in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act requirements for exterior plazas and in conformance with the South End Landmark District Standards and Criteria.
• The site should be lit in a flexible fashion that allows for a multitude of events and uses as well as overall pedestrian safety. Subtle building lighting is encouraged and any lighting schemes should not overwhelm the character of the area's surroundings.

Paving

The Plaza area and surrounding sidewalks are almost entirely comprised of brick with the exception of the remains of the granite curb flush with the ground in front of the Tremont Estates Building (the original curb of Montgomery Street which until 1970 extended across what is now the Plaza to Tremont Street). There are several catch basin grates and new metal grating for ventilation from the underground garage at the Atelier | 505 Building. The brick paving of the Plaza is in need of repair; subsidence is noticeable at several locations and irregular ponding occurs after moderate rainfalls. This sea of brick, characteristic of the South End, changes in character around the BCA Block. On the Plaza itself reddish-brown brick combines with dark grey brick in large, running bond pattern fields with edges delineated by a single turned row. The existing brick surface is uneven in many places and provides a considerable challenge to the physically impaired.

• Entrants are encouraged to explore a wide variety of paving materials and patterns that help to reinforce the visions of their designs and accommodate the multiple activities anticipated on the site. Paving may be the primary means of expression on the competition site, providing important visual markers for entries, paths, or gathering places.
• Any materials used should be easily maintained in a New England climate, able to physically support any programmed uses, suitable for tables and chairs where required, and meet accessibility guidelines. The South End Landmarks District Standards and Criteria recommend dark materials for paving preferably brick and/or stone. Compelling designs may challenge this assertion in so far as they contribute to and complement the overall quality of public spaces in the South End. Please refer to the resources and links webpage for a full version of the Standards and Criteria.

Electrical service

Electric service for performances and events on the Plaza is supplied by extensions cables from within the BCA buildings and from access points in the Garden. Two large, unsightly electric utility boxes are located at the eastern end of the block, close to the "entry marker" priority area described below. These boxes cannot be relocated and access cannot be blocked.

• While not a major focus of the design, entrants should indicate where power access points might be located to support events and performances. It is expected that complete electrical service can be incorporated into most designs via underground cabling and recessed access points.
• As part of the "entry marker" design, entrants may decide to address the existing electric utility boxes. Entrants should be careful not to impede access or serviceability of these boxes.

Barrier free access requirements

The Tremont Estates Building and the Mills Gallery are not currently handicap accessible; future compliance will require handicap ramps or lifts located either inside or outside of the building. Public areas of any proposed project shall be accessible to physically handicapped persons in accordance with the American with Disabilities Act requirements for exterior plazas and the Boston Zoning Code and Enabling Act.

Sidewalks

The sidewalk areas that surround the BCA Plaza along Tremont and Clarendon Streets (somewhat lighter and more consistent in color as seen in aerial photographs) are included as part of the competition site areas, yet are owned and maintained by The Boston Department of Public Works. The sidewalk areas along Clarendon Street and Warren Avenue up to but not including those surrounding the Atelier | 505 development, are included as part of the competition site as well. They too are owned and maintained by the Department of Public Works. The conditions of these sidewalks varies greatly, some areas have been recently upgraded, while others have not. The sidewalk along Warren Avenue is particularly wide and worthy of special consideration, as this area is, in many ways, the BCA's front door to visitors from the Back Bay and the adjacent Ellis Neighborhood. Again, the South End Landmarks District Standards and Criteria recommend dark materials for paving preferably brick and/or stone. Please refer to the resources and links webpage for a full version of the Standards and Criteria.

The portions of the sidewalk surrounding the Atelier | 505 development were designed by landscape architect Martha Schwartz and were built as part of the project; these sidewalk areas are not to be altered. These areas were designed using wire-cut brick as recommended by the Department of Public Works. This brick is recommended due to its regular, smooth surface thus alleviating many ADA concerns. The "City Hall Paver," used by the Department of Public Works until recently, has a more irregular surface and is considered more in character with Boston's older brick sidewalks.

• While it is anticipated, and cost effective, to have The Department of Public Works maintain their sidewalks, the demarcation between BCA property and city property need not be explicitly expressed in the design proposals.
• As noted above, any materials used should be easily maintained in a New England climate, able to physically support any programmed uses, suitable for tables and chairs [where required] and meet accessibility guidelines.
• Entrants should recommend improvements for the Warren Avenues sidewalk areas closest to Clarendon Street so as to acknowledge this important entry condition.

Vehicular access

Metered parking is available on most streets surrounding the BCA block, as well as designated handicapped parking spaces. Valet Parking for Sibling Rivalry is located on Tremont Street in a designated area close to the main entrance. Loading zones for the Cyclorama are along Tremont Street as described above. Access to the Atelier | 505 garage is from Warren Avenue.

Lighting

Please refer to description of lighting in Plaza section above.

Street trees

The Department of Public Works currently maintains the street trees, pits and guard fences along Tremont, Clarendon, and Warren Avenue within the city owned sidewalk areas. Several of the trees along Tremont Street have been recently planted and contrast with adjacent more mature trees. A variety of species are represented on the BCA site and throughout the South End. The largest trees are located along Tremont Street and Warren Avenue.

• Entrant's proposals should respect the larger urban context that consistent materials, lighting and street trees provide for neighborhoods such as the South End. Significant exceptions to the existing standards should be well justified by the merit of the designs themselves.

Miscellaneous

The loading dock located on Warren Avenue at the rear of the Cyclorama is used solely for art deliveries as stipulated in past agreements with the city. Use of this loading dock is infrequent and prior approval must be granted by the city.

Entry markers

Visitors to the BCA campus enter the site from the mid-block point on Tremont Street and from three important corners: at Tremont and Clarendon, Tremont and East Berkeley, and at Warren Avenue and Clarendon. These places offer the potential to serve as "nodes" or entry points that signal entry onto the BCA precinct. Each of them can each be seen from some distance away, particularly those on Tremont Street.

• One of the principal goals of the competition is to promote a comprehensive understanding of the 'campus' and provide signage and way-finding to guide visitors to all of the BCA's venues, including the gallery, theaters, restaurants, merchants, the Cyclorama, artist's studios, etc. All proposals should incorporate directional and informational signage, including an 'entry marker' or 'node' at each of the four noted points on the site and, potentially, on the Plaza and on the buildings—all in a unified way.

Artists' Courtyard

A small courtyard is located off of a short service alley from Clarendon Street at mid-block. The area of this courtyard is approximately 3,000 square feet, and the service alley is approximately 2,000 square feet. This courtyard currently functions as a service area for the entire BCA complex. It is the more private side of the BCA, lined with windows from the artists' studios that look onto this interior courtyard providing an intimate scale and human presence.

The courtyard currently contains short-term parking for a limited number of vehicles, delivery access, garbage storage areas, mechanical equipment, and other service related functions. Backdoors and loading docks for The Boston Ballet, The BCA Plaza Theatre, The Mills Gallery, The Tremont Estates Building, Hamersley's Bistro and the future jazz cafe, The Beehive, are located here. Garbage is collected daily for Hamersley's Bistro (and future Jazz Cafe) and weekly for the BCA from the service lane. Three elements occupy the courtyard (in addition to a few parked cars): a small dumpster used by the BCA for garbage collection, a rather large and noisy condenser unit for Hamersley's Bistro, and a single-story brick shed attached to the west wall of the Tremont Estates Building. The floor of the brick shed is approximately six feet below the level of the plaza. The ground level of the courtyard itself drops in elevation from service lane down to the rear doors of the Tremont Estates Building. While the condenser unit cannot be accommodated elsewhere in the complex, the dumpster may be relocated, and the brick shed may be removed. The service alley is designated as a firelane; clear access must be maintained for its length.

• We have labeled this small exterior space the Artist's Courtyard in hopes of soliciting new ideas for its configuration and use from the competition entrants and the many artists who claim this territory as their own. With the removal of the brick shed and the reconfiguration other existing elements, this courtyard could provide a more private counterpoint to the Plaza, both less refined and more energetic.
• Design ideas for Artists Courtyard may have greater latitude in deviating from the South End Landmarks Commission Standards and Criteria because it is not under their formal review. Nevertheless proposals should be mindful of the location within a historic district.