Federal Reserve Bank Building (Boston)


The Federal Reserve Bank Building is the fifth tallest building in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at Dewey Square, on the convergence of Fort Point and the Financial District neighborhoods. In close proximity to the Boston Harbor, the Fort Point Channel and major intermodal South Station terminal, the building is marked by a distinctive opening near ground level which allows sea breezes to pass through.

History

Built for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to replace the 1922 building which now houses the Langham Hotel Boston, the building was completed in 1977 and is 614 feet tall with 32 floors. It was designed by Hugh Stubbins Jr. of The Stubbins Associates, Inc. and was reportedly one of his favorite buildings. The design stood in contrast to that of the other Reserve Banks, which resembled fortresses. It sometimes referred to as "the washboard" building or "Venetian Blind" building

Design and features

The building consists of an office tower and a four-story wing, built between December 1972 and November 1974. The office tower has a glass front and an anodized aluminum exterior, with office floors that rise from a 140-foot bridge and a 600-ton steel truss.
It features an auditorium that is named for Frank E. Morris, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 1968 to 1988. It was designed to meet the Bank's needs and is also available to the community, offering lunchtime concerts as well.
Gardens are incorporated above street level.

List of tenants

In popular culture

In the 2006 Martin Scorsese film The Departed, in the scene where Colin Sullivan gets caught on the roof by undercover cop Billy Costigan, the building can be seen in the background.