Boston’s $19,000,000 Copley Square Makeover: Landmark or Lame Mark?

Hi Everyone,

As I mentioned a week or so ago, I decided to do a review of the newly renovated Copley Square.

While it’s not quite finished, it’s finished enough for me to tell you what I think.

 

Copley Square: Boston’s Gray Pigeon Lounge

 

Those pavers are giving me vertigo!

So there I was, standing in the middle of what was once Boston’s grand civic salon, surrounded by benches that appear to have been designed by someone who hates humans, trash cans that could double as biohazard bins, and lights that scream “Attention Kmart shoppers! — circa 1983.”

 

And then, as if to crown this masterclass in missed opportunity… a brand-new statue of John Singleton Copley, plunked down in the middle of the cheap pavers, like someone just remembered, “Oh right, he’s the guy we named this place after!”

 

 

It’s not that the statue itself is bad—Mr. Copley’s looking dashing enough.

 

It’s that in this sea of grey concrete, cheap railings, phenomenally ugly concrete benches, it all feels about as natural as a Fabergé egg at a yard sale.

 

Image above, taken last May just after sunset.

Trinity Church is on the left, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza is on the right.

 

Yes, it was a very clear day today.

 

The view of Copley Square from the elegant Fairmont Hotel.

 

I was pondering all this when, I swear to you, a parchment letter came out of nowhere and fell right into my hand.

 

The handwriting was so elaborate I nearly sprained my eyelids just trying to read it. It was signed—get this—by none other than Mr. John Singleton Copley himself… and his friend (and occasional frenemy) Mr. John Hancock.

So, the rumors are true. Those two early Americans haunt this place.

Cool.

But, I didn’t realize they even knew each other in real life, but more about that in a sec.

 

I took a photo of the letter so you guys could read it as well.

 

My good Ms. Bern. Oh my!

 

Awww…

That last line really made me tear up. What sweet guys they are. I mean, were. What gentlemen!

 

Well,  I can’t disappoint them!

 

I learned later that not only did they know each other quite well, but Copley had painted Hancock’s portrait at least twice. It is reported that later in life, they had some sort of falling out. Well, how heartening that they found a common bond. Albeit, in the afterlife, and unfortunately, over something unsavory.

Above is John Hancock, the guy with the killer siggy and great American statesman, painted by J. S. Copley.

 

Above is the Copley family c 1776 via The National Gallery of Art.

 

The catatonic elderly man is John’s father-in-law. It’s true that Copley spent the second half of his life in England. However, his entire youth was spent in Boston.

 

I did a ton of research because I needed to know the history of Copley Square.

 

Surely, I thought, at some point, Copley Square must have been an elegant place where Bostonians could gather, chat, and relax after a hectic morning at the Library or a Sunday at Trinity Church.

Well, I was wrong. Copley Square was never anywhere close to the refinement of the Boston Public Garden — that true jewel of the city, brimming with charm, color, and grace. From its earliest days as a dusty triangle to its present incarnation as… well… Yes, as the guys said, cement bus terminal with landscaping, it’s had a history more awkward than glorious.

 

Copley Square circa 1915-1930

Copley_Square_from_old_John_Hancock_Building,_1950s looking over a snowfall. The Boston Public Library is at the top of the screen, and the Fairmont is on the left.

 

A Brief History of Copley Square

 

As you can see above, Copley Square wasn’t even a square to begin with. In the mid-19th century, the area was part of Boston’s Back Bay landfill project, a marshland slowly transformed into a planned neighborhood of stately streets. Originally called Art Square (1883–1884) in honor of the art institutions nearby, it was renamed after painter John Singleton Copley.

 

But in those early days, Huntington Avenue sliced right through it, creating more of a traffic triangle than a civic gathering spot. Yes,  Copley Square was not so much a destination as it was a glorified median!

The square gradually took shape in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, anchored by the newly completed Trinity Church (1877), the Boston Public Library (1895), and later the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel (1912). These elegant buildings gave the area cultural weight — but the open space itself lagged in beauty and utility.

 

 

In 1968, a major redesign created something closer to the modern layout, closing Huntington Avenue at Dartmouth Street to enlarge the park.

 

Over the decades, the square saw various renovations, most aiming to make it more pedestrian-friendly, though not always with much success. The 1980s brought another facelift, with granite paving and seating areas — a step up from earlier versions, but still not on par with the Boston Public Garden. Incidentally, the Boston Public Garden is truly magnificent, especially since they renovated the Child Fountain at the Arlington-Commonwealth Ave. entrance.

 

Fast-forward to the 2020s, when the city decided it was time for a glow-up.

 

The current redesign, still underway as of this writing, could have been glorious. I mean, think mini Trevi Fountain. But no.

 

Instead, all we can muster is a “1970s YMCA basement pool entrance,” cheap materials, and lighting better suited to a discount store parking lot, meeting all 1972 illumination guidelines for maximum shopper disorientation— and all within spitting distance of historic Trinity Church and the elegant Beaux-Arts McKim, Mead & White masterpiece that is the Boston Public Library.

 

Please compare the street lights to the lights in the newly renovated Copley Square.

Guys, please listen.

I am horrified by this design. But it follows. Mayor Wu has said that she loves the Boston City Hall. Remember this post about the ten ugliest buildings in Boston? And well, the approved design is like a mini dystopian city hall plaza.

 

Alas, I have intentionally forgotten to mention the northern border of Copley Plaza.

 

It’s where lives a CVS (where they lock up the ice cream), an urgent care center for when the shock of the renovation gives you chest pains, if not from the Chick-fil-A and other fast food establishments — I mean nothing says ‘timeless Boston elegance’ like waffle fries under the shadow of a McKim, Mead & White masterpiece that is our exquisite late 19th century public library.

It’s no coincidence that Chick-fil-A is located next to an urgent care facility.</
Oh, you guys must check this out!

 

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
:

Boston Bureau of Bad Decisions

Date: Whenever

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The City of Boston is proud to unveil the newly renovated Copley Square — a bold reimagining of a beloved landmark that successfully strips away any vestige of charm, character, and sense of place, replacing that with an ambitious vision we’re calling “Retro 70s Parking-Lot Chic.”

Our design team, after studying decades of Soviet municipal planning and abandoned 1960s suburban malls, has delivered a space that will stand the test of time — or at least until the concrete begins to crack in about 18 months.

 

Visitors will be delighted to find:

 

• The most uncomfortable, and ugly 70s-inspired benches we could find.

 

• Railings sourced from the finest liquidation sales of mid-century YMCA facilities.
• Open expanses of whatever pavers were on sale, providing unobstructed views of skateboarders and folks enjoying their stolen free ice cream from CVS.
• A color palette specially formulated to clash with Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, the Fairmont Copley Plaza, and itself.

 

We understand some residents may mourn the loss of Copley Square’s former character. To them, we say: please enjoy the Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Smash Burger, and Finagle a Fake Bagel– all directly across from the square on Boylston Street.

 

We look forward to the grand unveiling— sometime before the end of the decade.

 

Seriously, aside from the kiosk, which I actually think is kind of cool, could they have made this any uglier, cheaper, weirder, and soulless?

 

Everywhere else in the Back Bay, including across the street and in front of the library and Fairmont Hotel, are elegant gaslight-inspired light posts.

 

That is, everywhere but in Copley Square.

 

Yes, I realize that the square isn’t finished, but the bones are all in:

 

• The ugliest weirdest pavers ever.
• Nonsensical diagonals that are disorienting.
• A plethora of disjointed materials, concrete, ugly gray pavers, reddish brick, and wood planks.
• The fountain is off to the side.
• The handrails are straight out of the 1970s Community College.

 

Where was the Back Bay Architectural Commission?

 

Hmmmmm?

 

How could they possibly let this one go through?

 

From Google maps probably taken last summer.

 

I had to attend a special hearing to obtain approval for installing a condenser in my enclosed garden.

And then there’s this 2.4-acre eyesore in what is one of the most elegant parts of Boston.

It once was.

But now it’s gone.

19 million dollars down the drain.

And it’s already over-budget.

 

Dear Mr. Copley, Mr. Hancock, and Mr. Jefferson,

 

I hope you will see this blog post about Copley Square.

Please know that I’m incredibly honored you reached out to me. I did my best. That is all I’ve ever done, but despite your faith in me, I have zero power. Please rest in peace, knowing that there are still people fighting the good fight to preserve the beauty our founding fathers created.

xo,

 

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