330 Beacon // 1959

While this apartment building is completely out of scale with its surroundings in the Back Bay neighborhood, it is one of my favorite Modernist apartment buildings in the neighborhood it its own right. Hear me out! 330 Beacon was built in 1959-1960 as a seventeen story (plus penthouse) apartment building designed by modernist architect Hugh Stubbins & Associates. The tower is largely constructed of red brick similar to early 20th century apartment houses, and exhibits an undulating facade, possibly as a nod to the prevalence of 19th century projecting bays which the neighborhood is so known for. The fenestration (window placement and proportions) is also interesting as it differs on every third floor, the staggering breaks up the monotony of many similar apartment blocks built in this time period. Many of you likely will not love this building, especially after knowing that it replaced five stunning townhouses, but I love to show how New England architecture has modernized and changed based on ever-evolving tastes and housing demands.