Big Changes, but Good Changes Proposed for Christian Science Plaza

Three new towers at , along with a renovation to the reflecting pool -- which includes a walkway through the middle -- is starting to stress some people out.

Overall, I support the proposed changes. But it's a lot to take in.

On the table

The church is planning to build a 35-story and 15-story tower on Dalton Street; a new underground garage; and a 291-foot tower on Huntington Avenue, next to the Sunday school building. It's a total of 950,000 square feet in additional development.

The proposed expansion has worried some people. They fear new shadows on nearby buildings, the wind effects of construction, and the encroachment of more high-rise towers in the surrounding neighborhoods.

But the kicker is the plan to shrink the reflecting pool. At 686-feet long and 98-feet wide, the project would shorten the pool by 18 feet to allow easier pedestrian passage around the Plaza. It would also reduce the depth by a foot or more to cut down on water usage.  And, the church wants to build a new walkway across the pool, connecting its eastern edge along Huntington Avenue with the original church building on its western edge.

The reflecting pool

Yikes. The pool, in place since 1971, has become a treasured icon to residents of the city of Boston, and visitors near and far. To some, it's equivalent to removing the Public Garden lagoon or the Boston Common Frog Pond. Anything that would lessen the pool's soothing effect or mar its beauty would disappoint and even shock a lot of people.

But shrinking the pool is alright by me. Eighteen feet shorter won't have any noticeable effect. Reducing the depth carries a bit more risk. As is, you can't see the bottom of the pool when full, and I wonder if having just 6 feet, 2 inches of water will destroy this effect. Still, I trust the church to know what it's doing, and using less water is better for the environment.

Yet it's hard to image putting a new walkway through the middle of the pool won't cause a visible breakage in its smoothness. The church is adamant that it won't. The walkway will make the Plaza more-accessible while putting the visual emphasis back on the original church.

The three towers

When it comes to the towers, the uses of the three new buildings remain up in the air. The towers in the rear may include a hotel, office, and/or residential space. The Huntington Ave. tower will most likely be residential. The Church's seven existing buildings will remain as is, as will the underground, 550-car parking garage.

Given that two of the buildings will go up in the rear of the plaza, I'm not concerned about the heights.  That block already has a Hilton and two Sheraton hotel towers. It can handle two (albeit, taller) more.

Also, putting the Huntington Ave. building so close to the southwestern edge of the plaza will lessen the effect it will have on the beauty and serenity of the open space. Even with the new towers, it seems to me that what we think of as the "Church Plaza" will continue to exist.

It seems like a lot of proposed changes. And it is. But the church has been a good neighbor and should be commended for giving us such a beautiful and publicly accessible space. I think they'll end up doing a good job here.