Gazing up at the towering roof of the Jackson Square Station, imagine the roar of an eight-lane interstate highway. This was almost the reality for this vibrant neighborhood. Jackson Square was meant to be a rest stop on I-95, a concrete scar slicing through Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. Local protests erupted, halting the highway’s advance in 1972. The land, already cleared, became a wound on the city’s landscape. But from this scar, something beautiful emerged. Jackson Square, once destined for asphalt and exhaust fumes, blossomed into a vital transit hub and community gathering place. The Southwest Corridor project, born from the ashes of the highway’s demise, repurposed the cleared land. It brought the relocated MBTA Orange Line, Amtrak’s Northeast Service, and a linear park. Jackson Square station opened in 1987, a symbol of community resilience. The station’s design reflects this transformation. A broad roof plane spans the tracks and bus stalls, folding strategically at the street level lobby. This allows a clerestory to draw light into the station, signaling the entrance on Centre Street. Beneath the lobby, commuter rail tracks are encased in a tunnel, a reminder of the layers of history embedded in this space. The station’s art also tells a story. James Toatley’s “Faces in the Crowd,” later completed by his wife Linda, captures the spirit of the community. Murals added in 2004 further enrich the station, a vibrant tapestry created by local youth working with artist Roberto Chao. Jackson Square isn’t just a transportation hub. It’s a testament to the power of community activism. It’s a place where a highway’s ghost gave way to a vibrant present, a space where art and transit intersect.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to