John F. Kennedy Federal Building
- Architects
- Walter Gropius The Architects Collaborative
- City
- Boston, MA
The John F. Kennedy Federal Building is a 1960s modernist complex in Boston's Government Center, designed by Walter Gropius and The Architects Collaborative with Samuel Glaser and built in 1963-1966. It pairs two offset 26-story towers, each 387 feet tall, with a low four-story building connected by an enclosed glass corridor, standing diagonally across from Boston City Hall.
the building
Twin offset towers. The two 26-story, 387-foot towers sit on-axis to each other rather than stacked identically, a composition meant to maximize the offices that get natural light while reducing the visual bulk a single monolithic tower would create.
Glass corridor link. A low four-story building connects to both towers through an enclosed glass corridor, tying the complex together at street level while keeping the towers visually distinct.
the style
The building is a straightforward example of 1960s modern architecture; its paired-tower-and-low-block composition is a common Modern form used extensively across the United States and abroad.
the architect
Walter Gropius designed the building together with his firm The Architects Collaborative and Samuel Glaser.
significance
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
nearby
- Boston City Hall
- Union Oyster House
- Howard Athenaeum
- Suffolk Savings Bank
- Ames Building
- Suffolk County Courthouse