A portion of one of the large site-specific murals by Constantino Nivola. It is one of two murals there—both by Nivola—which face each other in the main lobby of Hurley Building (the portion of the Boston Government Service Center which is threatened with destruction.) The mural includes an abundance of civic symbolism. Photograph © Peter Cachola Schmal, and used with permission.
The Boston Government Service Center, one of Rudolph’s largest and most multifaceted urban designs, is threatened—and the destruction could include wrecking cultural treasures that belong to all of Boston’s citizens: two civic-minded murals by the distinguished artist Constantino Nivola.
Nivola worked on publicly-oriented commissions around the US, working with numerous prominent architects—Saarinen, Rudolph, Breuer, Sert, Loewy, Belluschi, SOM, Le Corbusier, HOK, Urbahn, Cambridge Seven…—and in 1967 the American Institute of Architects awarded him the medal for achievement in the field of art in architecture.
The state has proposed selling-off an integral part of the Boston complex (the Hurley Building) to a developer—and they’ve recently released a report showing various alternatives for developing the site—which likely put the Nivola murals in great jeopardy of destruction.
NIVOLA FAMILY: AGAINST DESTRUCTION
The Nivola family, in a just-released statement, speaks of the artist’s goals—and the importance of saving the Boston murals (and the building which is their site-specific setting). You can read the entire statement here. The following are key excerpts:
Costantino Nivola was an Italian-born artist well known for his work with renowned modernist architects during his long career in the United States. In 1939, like many artists and intellectuals fleeing Fascism, he emigrated and settled in New York . . . .Turning to sculpture, he developed techniques suited to large architectural projects. Sgraffito he had learned in his family trade as a mason.
Nivola thought a great deal about public art and took seriously the responsibility of the artist to the public. . . . In his own words, he believed, “a work in a public place is a civic act…an ethical [act], it has to do with how we live together, how we affect each other…. the work itself should create an atmosphere, a quality that goes above the ego of the individual artist”
The techniques he developed were affordable and easy to integrate into construction plans, and this was his intention. . . .The two sgraffito murals in the Hurley Building in Boston - now in danger of being lost - are the largest of many such murals Nivola painted and etched directly on walls.
More significant than the impressive scale of the two Hurley murals, is its elaborate narrative . . . . Nivola was commissioned to make two facing murals for the lobby: one on the theme of “Unemployment Insurance” and the benefits it provided to families and society; the other on the theme of “Employment Service” and how skills training aids workers and the economy. The art work is unique in depicting the functions and benefits of the American social service system, reflecting the ideal of government’s capacity to address social ills. The murals not only capture a moment in Massachusetts history, but thanks to their aesthetic merits, have a strong and vitalizing effect on viewers.
NIVOLA FOUNDATION & MUSEUM: AGAINST DESTRUCTION
The Fondazione Nivola and the Museo Nivola carry on his legacy, presenting his work alongside that of 20th century and contemporary artists. Prof. Giuliana Altea, President of the Fondazione Nivola, just issued the following statement (read the entire statement here). Here are key excerpts:
Some images from one of the Hurley Building murals—which were shown on the Nivola Museum’s pubic statement.
The lobby of the Charles F. Hurley Building in Boston hosts one of the most significant murals by Costantino Nivola (1911-1988), internationally recognized for his collaborative work with many of the 20th century’s renowned architects.
“Given the fact that the murals are to be part of a Government Center,” Nivola wrote, “and that the building in which they shall be part has a unique and important public function, it occurs to me that the artwork should have direct social content.”
The murals also provide a humanizing element, filled with bright, primary colors and anthropomorphic figures playing against the monumental massing of the exterior.
Nivola’s public works . . . . punctuate the architectural landscape of the United States, contributing to the visual identity of New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Albany, Hartford, and other cities.
Today the existence of the Hurley Building murals is put at risk by a redevelopment of the area. Saving them not only means preserving Nivola's legacy . . . . but also acknowledging an essential piece of Boston's social history.
ACTION ALERT FOR THIS WEEK:
This week—Thursday morning, February 13th—there will be a meeting at which development options will be presented (see meeting info at bottom of this post).
Three of the four proposed alternatives would demolish different portions of the Hurley Building, with complete demolition as the fourth option—and the Nivola murals are threatened. The report shows no option for “full preservation”/“no demolition.” Also, all the proposals include filling-in a large part of the pedestrian plaza.
Please join us at the meeting on Thursday in Boston: your presence will show the support for preservation [full meeting & RSVP info is below.]
Please sign the petition, Save the Boston Government Service Center HERE - and share it online with all of your friends!
MEETING INFORMATION
NAME OF EVENT:
HISTORIC RESOURCES: BOSTON GOVERNMENT SERVICES CENTER—HISTORY IN THE UNMAKING
DATE & TIME:
Thursday, February 13, 2020 — 8:00 AM -to- 9:30 AM
TO ATTEND:
The meeting is Free and Open To The Public—but you must RSVP (see below)
TO RESERVE:
RSVP on the event page, HERE
LOCATION:
Boston Society of Architects - BSA SPACE 290 Congress Street, Boston, MA
DIRECTIONS & ACCESSIBILITY:
Directions and visitor info can be found HERE
EVENT WEB PAGE:
The official announcement of the event can be found HERE
A different view of one of the two site-specific Nivola murals. It is in the Boston Government Service Center’s Hurley Building (which, along with the murals, is now threatened.) Photo by Kelvin Dickinson © The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation