A nay vote on City Hall

EDWARD L. Glaeser's suggestion to place the fate of Boston City Hall in the hands of voters is a good one (Op-ed, June 6), and I'm willing to bet two dollars the result would be bulldozers on the plaza. The reason City Hall is so disliked by non-architect voters is that it is virtually devoid of the aesthetic merit that Glaeser attributes to art objects. He believes that a little lipstick and a public tutorial on art history will save the building, but the odds are against it for reasons he cites.

"The beauty of an object," he writes, "depends on the emotions, ideas, and memories that are associated with the artwork." Compare the shared emotions of Fenway Park, which Glaeser mentions, with those of City Hall. Everyone remembers the stunningly pleasurable thrill of walking into Fenway for the first time. I remember my stunningly unpleasant first visit to City Hall Plaza - February, east wind, barren expanse of ice-cold bricks, wet cement of City Hall looking as damp and chilly as a basement.

I would vote for bulldozers and a new start on the waterfront.

JIM MIARA
Needham