Boston: BCEC / Menino Center (South Boston Seaport)#

Opened: 2004. Exhibit space: 516,000 sq ft contiguous. Walk Score: 62.

What happens when you build big on empty land.

What Was Here Before#

Underutilized industrial piers and derelict waterfront. The state used eminent domain to assemble a 60-acre site. A lost 1999 plan by Cooper Robertson proposed smaller blocks, a network of parks, and “active street fronts” — killed by political opposition and post-Big Dig budget constraints.