How's The View Down There?

Life At Four Feet Tall

An Obstacle To Equality

By Brian McGrory, Globe Columnist | January 10, 2006

Nothing's easy in this town, is it?

Now that MBTA officials have finally decided to make more of the Green Line accessible to people with disabilities, you'd think everyone would be cheering them on.

You'd think everyone would be cheering over the fact that the T paid world-famous architect Graham Gund to design elevator head houses in Boston's Back Bay. You'd think everyone would be cheering over the $48 million in planned renovations to two key stations, at Arlington Street and in Copley Square.

What's not to cheer about? We ought to have a parade down Boylston Street for the disabled, welcome them to Copley Square, apologize that it took so long. It's not like anyone could be opposed to these improvements, right?

Wrong. Allow me to introduce you to the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.

Years ago, I simply mentioned the acronym NABB to Thomas M. Menino and the mayor let out a long, resigned groan. Restaurateur Charlie Sarkis recently referred to the group as ''professional obstructionists." NABB's mantra: ''You propose, we oppose."

On the issue of allowing people with disabilities into the neighborhood, NABB officials say they're for it. What they don't want, however, are the elevators that will allow the disabled to get from the subway to the street, at least in the locations that the T plans to build them.

T officials, God love them, just want to build their multimillion-dollar, Gund-designed head houses next to existing subway entrances. It seems like a reasonable plan, no?

Well, no. NABB officials say one of those head houses would violate the architectural symmetry of the venerable McKim Building at the Boston Public Library.

They say the other, next to the Old South Church, would disturb sightlines into Copley Square.

The head houses, I should note, are to be made of glass.

(Snip)

I know for a fact that most NABB members are well-intentioned people.

As I look over a roster of NABB officials, I'm realizing that many of them live on my block and -- oh, boy -- in my building. I recognize some of them as friends.

But they've lost a sense of perspective, and, in short, seem more concerned with the buildings of the Back Bay than the people who live and work inside them.

What they fail to understand is that cities are vital and dynamic places. Copley Square is filled with trucks, restaurants, and stores, mobbed with people of all colors and shapes.

It is blessed with three historic landmarks in the form of a stately library and two gorgeous churches, but buildings exist to encourage life, not to stymie it.

Every day that people with disabilities lack easier access to the Back Bay is another day of embarrassment for this city -- and another day of shame for NABB.

Glass elevator head houses will block the view? It must be nice to see the view to begin with.

Look, I love historic views and districts as much as anyone, but this is stupid. They're delaying disabled people's ability to commute and hold down jobs over a couple tastefully designed glass elevaters. We have enough trouble in small, conservative towns getting around, but the People's Republic of Boston can't get us accessibility? This is as disgraceful as San Francisco being one big ball of 'screw you' to gimps, too. Yes, it's getting better, but it's still sad that the most liberal of places are often the least gimp-friendly.