Late International style architecture

Stone & Webster Office Building // 1975

Buildings of New England2 Comments

Stone & Webster, established in 1893 by MIT graduates Charles Stone and Edwin Webster, was a national leader in electrification and power generation, and provided services in engineering, construction, environmental remediation, infrastructure, and plant operation for industrial clients. After the Boston Redevelopment Authority acquired and demolished sections of South Station for redevelopment, Stone & Webster decided to relocate their offices to this new site. Los Angeles-based architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates, designed the office building in a late International-style, which serves as a counter to the masonry and classically designed, South Station nearby. The steel frame with metal and glass skin and boxy form are effective at delineating the building from its neighbor, but is not pedestrian-friendly at the ground level as the raised ground floor is lined at the sidewalk by concrete steps. The building is now largely leased to Fidelity Investments.

Knoll International Furniture Showroom // 1980

Buildings of New England2 Comments

An exemplar of late International Style, this stucco-clad concrete building stands apart from its traditional Back Bay neighbors and is located on one of the city’s most busy streets, Newbury Street. Built as the showroom and offices for Knoll International furniture, its crisp design is an elegant statement in form and details of Bauhaus- and Le Corbusier–inspired architecture, including its asymmetrical composition, curvilinear lower facade, horizontal window bands, and stairwell located behind a glass brick wall. The building was designed by Gwathmey, Siegel and Associates who have a great diversity of commissions, all with thoughtful site-specific designs. The building reinforced the positive qualities of modernist architecture at a time when some architects were advocating for historic revivals and Post-Modernism. The building was later occupied by DKNY and is presently rented out by Lenscrafters.