District Hall
District Hall is Boston's public innovation center. It has the distinct honor of being the first building completed in seaport square.
What is District Hall?
The answer is in the window as you walk by on Seaport Blvd:
District Hall is a not for profit civic innovation center, public workspace and event venue designed to inspire innovation, build community, and make your ideas happen.
Things I learned about District Hall
- Officially open on October 24, 2013
- Overall 12,000 square-feet
- Cost $7 million to build
- In June 2013, Global Investors financed the project and leased the building to the City of Boston for $1 a year for 5 years.
- City has an option to renew the lease for an additional five years
- Mayor Thomas Menino toured the facility before leaving office.
- Rental space fees will be adjusted according to the groups means. Non-profits would pay less for the same space than a large corporation.
There's three main parts of District Hall
- Lounge WiFi Hang out
- Meeting Space
- Lunch/Dinner (Brew and Gather)
A Whiteboard greets you as you walk in...
Lounge - Free Wifi
If your looking for a nice quiet WiFi spot to get some work done, then District Hall is perfect.
There are plenty of tables and couches with a plug nearby. It does seem to get busy shortly after lunch time. Looks like most people use the Cafe Hangout to talk about projects they are working on.
Check the walls for the current Wiki name and password.
The smell in the Lounge is very nice, you don't have the strong coffee smell that you find at Starbucks. The WiFi range is powerful enough to reach the outside patio.
Brew Cafe Hangout
Hungry? Thirty? Want to meet-up over coffee? Enjoy the Brew cafe. They brew Starbucks coffee and have a delicious selection of sandwiches. Prices are fairly reasonable. A single size pizza is $3.50.
There's hardly any wait at the cafe. The service is quick and the selection is excellent. Coffee is good.
Gather
If your into some afternoon celebration try Gather. They have a great selection of beer and wine. They also have pizza and lots of other delicious entries.
You can sit outside and have a nice view of a park and the Boston Harbor in the distance. In addition, this summer there will be tall ships that will be dock close to District Hall. This will add a nice touch to the scenery.
Meeting Space
District Hall is a great venue to hold a meeting of just about any size. They have several large rooms with removable walls to accommodate big meetings.
As an added bonus, meeting rooms have whiteboard paint on some of the walls. You'll run out of ideas long before you run out of whiteboard space. Tip: If your hosting an event, bring a step stool so you can write high up on the wall.
They offer excellent catering services with a wide selection - including health and Gluten free options.
I attended several meetings in the Assembly Rooms, they were nice and quiet. Room temps were very nice, I attended meetings on a very cold winter day and a nice spring day. You may occasionally hear aircraft taking off from Logan airport. (They usually don't fly over the District Hall, but weather factors may change their take-off paths.)
Getting to District Hall
District Hall is located 75 Northern Ave, Boston, MA 02210 in Boston's Seaport district.
It's about an 8-minute walk from South Station, or you can catch the Silver Line and get off at Court House. It's the first Silver Line stop after South Station. Once you get upstairs it's a 1/2 a block walk to the District Hall.
District Hall is open to the public 8 am to 5 pm, Monday thru Friday. They are open other times for private events.