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The last time City Hall Plaza had a fountain

By adamg on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 11:38am
City Hall Plaza with a fountain in 1973

The National Archives has a collection of photos, taken in 1973, of the waterfall and fountain that once gurgled on City Hall Plaza, in a sunken area off Cambridge Street, near the JFK federal building.

City Hall water fountain
City Hall water fountain

The city has announced plans to put a new fountain on City Hall Plaza, but near the Bill Russell monument, on the other side of City Hall.

Neighborhoods: 
Downtown
Topics: 
History
Free tagging: 
City Hall Plaza


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Comments

By Bugs Bunny on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 11:55am.

It's nice to see pictures of people prior to iphones.

By anon on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 1:00pm.

I know. People were more socially skilled before iphones. People enjoyed being engaged with other humans and actually speaking with them.

By bogey on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 8:56pm.

AND Let me use this space to write an insane tirade of just how wrong you are and how you are a horrible person. Even though we probably agree on some things and might enjoy each others company and have a laugh or two.

(god, I am so lonely....)

By dotratfromwayback on Wed, 07/04/2018 - 6:22pm.

Don't worry, I'll text you later.

By Matthew Wunderlich on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 2:02pm.

The majority of people in the picture appear to be on their own. Some are reading books. Are iPhones really so bad? https://www.reddit.com/r/PhonesAreBad/

By anon on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 12:11pm.

It's beauteous!

By MrZip on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 12:11pm.

I loved that show (one reason I moved here I suspect), Google up Banacek Intro to see a brand new City Hall and Plaza/fountain plus lots of other cool aerial shots of early '70s Boston.

By adamg on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 12:17pm.
Kid at fountain

Jed Hresko forwarded this photo (by Philip Hresko) of him at the old fountain back in the day.

By John-W on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 1:04pm.

Tell old Mr. Ahern to calm down a while....

By anon on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 1:06pm.

People don't believe me when I tell them there was a time when that area was actually quite hospitable and considered a place to linger. But it was. Over the succeeding years it came to be seen as barren. Maybe because t's so dirty now and bereft of the fountains, trees and flowers. And don't underestimate the globe-like streetlights that once adorned the area. They may seem dated now but they were attractive in their time.

By Brighton-ite on Wed, 07/04/2018 - 11:08am.

Next thing you'll tell me is that it wasn't used as a parking lot or municipal vehicles.

By anon on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 1:46pm.

Here's a Sesame Street film of the fountain: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nrPz8ryMeQk&t=1m29s

Afterward there are clips of the Frog Pond, and Mas Ave and Longfellow Bridges.

By statler on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 2:56pm.

Watah! Watah! Watah!

By Melissa on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 4:42pm.

I remember a bunch of fountains, growing up in the 1970s: at the Museum of Science, the Burlington mall. No more. I guess they just didn't like their water bills or something?

By anon on Tue, 07/03/2018 - 6:48pm.

If I recall, in the 60s and 70s there were fountains at the Pru also.

By Ward8Mahatma on Thu, 07/05/2018 - 4:50pm.

.... but that sunken fountain also functioned as a small amphitheater., when the water wasn’t on.