This project happened in a particular sociopolitical moment: large scale development was just beginning to happen in the cherished historic neighborhoods of Boston, with the South End topping the list. Among residents, this produced a climate of fear and mistrust—the recent effects of urban renewal, with its painful erasure of Boston’s West End, haunted discussions. The issue of historic preservation and how to build in protected areas became the subject of much good public debate. “Victoriana,” its replication or its contemporary interpretation was a hot topic. The image of buildings mattered a great deal, dividing public sentiment. In the midst of these conversations, the Druker Company organized an invited competition for the project site. What made the selection process even more relevant and suspenseful, was that the Cyclorama block—as it was more popularly called then—was the undisputed “jewel of the crown” of old sites opening up for redevelopment.

It was clear to us from the beginning that new thinking about urban design needed to be applied. A simple peripheral block with a central courtyard—a traditional strategy of the 19th century—was not going be successful. Worse still would have been a single towering element. Either of these strategies would have produced huge building masses, effectively destroying the scale of the neighborhood, with its finely grained nuanced details and diverse imagery.