Suspended 120 feet above ground under Boston’s largest bridge, this facility for the toll collection administration and bridge maintenance was sorely in need of new exterior skin and roof as well as complete reorganization of the interior. The building, which is owned and operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority, includes, is open to administer toll collection 24 hours a day.
A new flush steel panel and window system replaces the corrugated metal skin, which had been badly corroded by salt washing down over the building from the roadways above. On the interior, zones of public and private activity are signaled by shifts in the wideth, height, alignment, and color of the coridor, at structural bay lines. Glass block partitions identify special uses, such as lounge, reception, and board room, and at the same time transmit light into what was formerly a dark interior.
The building remained in operations throughout construction. Work on the exterior was accomplished from scaffolding supported by the bridge, and materials were hoisted from the ground below or lowered down from the roadway. The colorful, machine-like building reflects the spirit of its mechanistic setting.