Lumbricus Terrestris

Last month, fundraising for the Boston Museum Project reached the $4 million mark, a milestone for them, but still just a fraction of the $70 million projected total cost. The goal of the Boston Museum Project (BMP) is to construct a new museum showcasing Boston’s past, present, and future on parcel 12 of the soon-to-be created Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

Bostonist doesn’t mean to sound overly critical, but our first reaction to seeing the architectural rendering of the proposed structure was that its smooth, curvilinear shape reminded us of a gigantic smiling earthworm emerging from the expressway tunnel underneath the greenway. The structure, designed by firm of Moshe Safdie and Associates, has been described as reminiscent of a ship’s helm, “symbolic of Boston's rich maritime past.” All Bostonist saw was a giant lumbricoid with a toothy grin. Maybe worms are indeed better than spending a year polishing your bean, eh Chicagoist?

Bostonist is curious to know whether we are alone in finding the design evocative of a night crawler (lumbricus terrestris). Although the design was unveiled back in May 2004 in the BMP’s response to the RFP issued by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority for parcel 18 (in front of Rowes Wharf)—the BMP lost. Bostonist is sure there were community meetings during the planning phase, but they certainly didn’t garner much attention. In the whole of 2005 there was only one community forum held by the MTA, which took place on June 20, after the current design had already been formulated but before the BMP had been designated as the official developer of parcel 12—without a formal bidding process, incidentally.

Bostonist cannot help but think that the proposed structure, with its wormlike appearance, will symbolize less Boston’s seafaring days than the Hub’s more recent subterranean adventures in the Big Dig. The difference is that earthworms are efficient creatures. Sure, their progress through the soil can appear slow and rather clumsy, but the benefits they provide are numerous. If only one could say the same about the Big Dig.

Image is a drawing of the earth worm coming soon to a museum project near you. Post contributed by Sandouri Dean Bey