A community meeting will be held on June 24 to discuss the controversial proposed demolition of 55 Shattuck St. building on the Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) campus. See the Hill Agenda for details on the meeting.
BCH did not respond to a request for comment, but previously said that no decision had been made about potential changes at 55 Shattuck St., meaning that it is only a plan. The demolition is part of BCH’s Institutional Master Plan (IMP), which still needs to be approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).
Article 85 of the zoning code requires an automatic delay in issuing a demolition permit for a building more than 50 years of age while the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) reviews possible historic preservation. The BLC said the Article 85 review can happen anytime during the planning process of a project.
The BLC is also reviewing a petition by Friends of Historic Mission Hill to landmark the building, which has four Greek-styled columns in the front.
According to the Friends of Historic Mission Hill, the building was originally a hospital for infants starting in 1914 before being purchased in 1921 to become the headquarters for the Harvard School of Public Health, according to the statement. During the 1970s, it was purchased by BCH, becoming an administration building.
Under BCH’s IMP, which was filed with the BRA in October, the building would be replaced with a new clinical building at the corner of Shattuck Street and Meadow Lane on BCH’s main campus. An IMP is a comprehensive development plan that describes an institution’s existing facilities, long-range planning goals and proposed projects.
The new building would also controversially replace the Prouty Garden, which sits behind 55 Shattuck.