Masonry Magazine March 1979 Page. 23
Boston's Pine Street Inn Tower Gets A New Lease On Life
By JOHN M. LOONEY, P.E.
Four years ago our office, CBT/Childs Bertman Tsek-kares & Casendino Inc. of Boston, was hired by the Pine Street Inn to find a new home. The Inn is a private, non-profit organization that provides food, shelter and limited medical care to indigent and homeless persons. The new facility would need to house approximately 300 men and 50 women. After a considerable search we chose the old City of Boston Fire Headquarters and three adjacent buildings. It was thought that the 156 foot high tower of the old Fire Headquarters would serve as an effective beacon for the Inn's guests. One year earlier the City of Boston had condemned the tower building because of severe deterioration. CBT developed repair methods to save this landmark and directed the restoration of the tower and exterior. The firm also designed new interior spaces and a landscaped park.
Historical Background
In 1892 the City of Boston built its new Fire Headquarters on Bristol Street in Boston's South End. City architect Edmond Wheelwright modeled the building after the town halls of Florence and Siena, Italy. The Fire Department used the tower for ladder practice, fire lookout and fire alarm purposes. The Department's "old guard" admits that even today the tower building brings back memories of their "fearless youth," when leaping six stories into a net below was as easy as rolling out of bed.
About the Author
Mr. Looney is chief engineer for CBT Childs Bertman Tseckares & Casendino Inc. of Boston. He has 14 years of experience in the design and construction supervision of masonry, concrete, steel and wood frame structures as well as civil and electrical distribution projects. Mr. Looney joined CBT, architects and planners, in 1975, and has been responsible for engineering design and management on new construction as well as restoration and rehabilitation projects. He is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the American Concrete Institute.
The former Boston Fire Department Headquarters was constructed in 1892, and its design was influenced by the town halls of Florence and Siena, Italy. These pictures of the yellow brick building with its 156 ft. high tower were taken before restoration. The building will become the new home for the Pine Street Inn, a private, non-profit organization for homeless men and women.
The building and tower are built of yellow New Jersey fire brick, with Amherst stone trimmings and balconies. The tower is a 14 foot square shaft rising 125 feet to a low roof. At this point a series of interlocking arches and corbels dramatically increase the size of the tower to 18 feet square. Above the low roof the walls step back and rise another 30 feet to the high roof. At the high roof another series of arches, corbels and piers form a crown to top off the tower.
The exterior walls are two feet thick. All partitions are brick and the steel beams covered with terra cotta. The building, thoroughly fireproof, was completely sprinkled inside and outside, and heavy steel shutters could be closed over the windows in case of fire. All these precautions were taken to ensure that a fire would not put the please turn page MASONRY/MARCH, 1979 23