Fall River Government Center
Fall River Government Center | |
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![]() View from South Main Street | |
Completed | 1976 |
Location | One Government Center |
Owner | City of Fall River |
Architectural Style | Brutalist |
Architect | Continental Engineering (RI) |
Builder | Dimeo Construction (RI) |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/Fall_River_City_Hall.jpg/220px-Fall_River_City_Hall.jpg)
Fall River Government Center (also known as "city hall") is the location of the municipal government offices in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts, United States. Located at One Government Center, and constructed directly over Interstate 195, it was the first public building built over a Federal interstate highway.[1] It replaced the city's historic 19th century city hall which had been demolished in the early 1960s as part of the construction of Interstate 195, which cuts through the center of the city's downtown area. Delayed and plagued by problems during construction, the new city hall opened in 1976. In 2008, the building and site underwent a multimillion-dollar exterior renovation.
Location
The current Fall River Government Center is located at the historic "crossroads" of the city, at the intersection of Central Street (Bedford Street) and Main Street. Fall River's first town hall was destroyed in the first great downtown fire of 1843, which destroyed over 200 buildings in the center of town.[2]
Old city hall
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Fall_River_Old_City_Hall_color_image.jpg/150px-Fall_River_Old_City_Hall_color_image.jpg)
The city's historic 19th century city hall was demolished in 1962[3] for construction of Interstate 195, which cut through the heart of downtown Fall River. It was a time of so-called "urban renewal" in the city after the tough years since the collapse of the city's textile industry in the 1920s and 1930s. Several other 19th and early 20th century buildings were also demolished as part of the new highway construction. The old city hall, which had survived two fires, was constructed next to the Quequechan River, the source of power for the early textile mills. As part of the highway project, the river was diverted into an underground culvert which parallels the highway, along the south side of the current city hall. Two granite columns from the front of the old city hall are located across from the current building, along Sullivan Drive, next to the Academy Building. The eagle which topped the spire of the old city hall is currently located in the foyer of the new building.
Current building
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Fall_River_Massachusetts_Government_Center_City_Hall.jpg/220px-Fall_River_Massachusetts_Government_Center_City_Hall.jpg)
The new Government Center (city hall), constructed of reinforced concrete and glass, in the popular Brutalist style of the 1960s and 1970s opened in 1976, after years of construction delays and quality control problems. The main buildings occupies a space further east than the original city hall, which was closer to South Main Street. A wing of the current building, which contains the city council chambers is located at the west end of the site, closer to South Main Street. A plaza was created north of the new city hall, between the adjacent United States Post Office. The original scheme for the new city hall included a parking garage, that was later eliminated from the design.
The main building is a concrete cube, approximately 144 feet (44 m) square,[4] with a smaller glass-enclosed cube forming the middle floors. The building is set atop an elevated "basement" containing mechanical and storage areas constructed atop the steel platform which spans the highway. The platform also includes South Main Street to the west and Second Street to the east, creating a 900-foot (274 m) long tunnel.
1999 tunnel incident
In March 1999, several concrete slabs, which formed the ceiling of the tunnel beneath Government Center, fell onto the westbound lanes of Interstate 195. Although six vehicles crashed, including a minivan which overturned, nobody was killed in the accident. It was later determined that the support brackets which held the concrete slabs had corroded; as a result, state highway officials ordered the immediate removal of all of the concrete ceiling panels beneath Government Center.[5]
With the slabs removed, the underside of Government Center became vulnerable to fire in the event of an accident within the tunnel. State and local officials therefore decided that all trucks carrying hazardous cargo, such as gasoline or oil, would not be allowed to pass along the interstate beneath the building. For several years, these vehicles were detoured through the city streets around Government Center. In May 2008, with the replacement of the concrete panels complete, this restriction was removed.[6]
See also
- Fall River, Massachusetts
- History of Fall River, Massachusetts
- Interstate 195
- List of structures built on top of freeways
References
- ^ Bostonroads.com I-195
- ^ "History of Fall River, Orin Fowler, appendix" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-19. Retrieved 2008-08-14.
- ^ "Old City Hall". Emporis. Emporis. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Patriot Properties
- ^ Slab falls from tunnel, shuts Fall River highway
- ^ "Herald News Article, May 02, 2008". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2008.
External links
- City of Fall River website
41°42′07.70″N 71°09′20.52″W / 41.7021389°N 71.1557000°W / 41.7021389; -71.1557000
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- American Printing Company
- Battle of Freetown
- B.M.C. Durfee High School 1886 building
- Bradford Durfee Textile School/Bradford Durfee College of Technology
- Corky Row Historic District
- Downtown Fall River Historic District
- Fall River Railroad
- Fall River Iron Works
- Fall River Line
- Great Fall River fire of 1928
- Highlands Historic District
- Lower Highlands Historic District
- Historic Places
- Oak Grove Cemetery
- Pocasset Manufacturing Company
- Slade's Ferry Bridge
- The Skeleton in Armor
- Truesdale Hospital
- USS Fall River (CA-131)
- Watuppa Branch
![Seal of Fall River](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Seal_of_Fall_River%2C_Massachusetts.svg/80px-Seal_of_Fall_River%2C_Massachusetts.svg.png)
- Mariano S. Bishop
- Lizzie Borden
- Nathaniel B. Borden
- Richard Borden
- M. C. D. Borden
- Charlie Buffinton
- James Buffington
- Robert Correia
- Jasiel Correia
- John W. Cummings
- Orin Fowler
- Chris Herren
- Emeril Lagasse
- List of mayors of Fall River, Massachusetts
- Humberto Sousa Cardinal Medeiros
- Joe Raposo
- Jerry Remy
- Melvin Zais
- Academy Building
- Al Mac's Diner-Restaurant
- Battleship Cove
- Braga Bridge
- Copicut Woods
- Fall River Government Center
- Fall River Heritage State Park
- Interstate 195 (Rhode Island-Massachusetts)
- Marine Museum at Fall River
- List of mills
- New Harbour Mall
- Old Colony & Fall River Railroad Museum
- Quequechan Club
- Route 24
- St. Joseph's Orphanage
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- Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River
- St. Anne's Church and Parish Complex
- Notre Dame de Lourdes Church
- St. Patrick's Church