Boston – On the 238th anniversary of the original Boston Tea Party, Mark DiNapoli, President and General Manager of Suffolk Construction’s Northeast Region, joined officials from the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum to celebrate the raising and placement of the cupola on the roof of the museum structure. This milestone event marked the topping off of the $27 million, 18,700 square-foot project.
“Suffolk Construction is extremely honored to be building such a prominent and historically
significant project in the City of Boston,” stated DiNapoli. “We know that on this day, December
16th, a pivotal event occurred in the history of our country. Today, we celebrate the boldness of a
group of present-day entrepreneurs, visionaries, and advocates who persevered to bring the vision of
the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum to reality.”
DiNapoli was joined by Shawn Ford, Executive Director and Vice President of the Boston Tea
Party Ships & Museum; Chris Belland, CEO of Historic Tours of America; and Michael Cantalupa,
Senior Vice President of Development of Boston Properties. Following the topping off, period
actors representing the patriots of 1773 threw replica tea crates into Boston Harbor as a reenactment
of the actions 238 years ago.
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum project was designed by Margulies Perruzzi Architects.
As construction manager, Suffolk is using state-of-the-art virtual models and collaboration tools
to build this structure that will pay tribute to this seismic event in American History. Building
Information Modeling (BIM) helped the team coordinate the installation of extensive mechanical
systems throughout the project, which will consist of a two-story bridge house pier structure
supported by 47 steel piles and a 350-ton, 200-foot floating barge that was built off site in a historic
Quincy shipyard. For example, the virtual models helped the team realize that the structural
constraints of the tight attic spaces would not enable all the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing
components to properly fit. The end result was the seamless coordination of a complex installation
process in both the pier building and barge structure.
The pier building will contain a retail store, two re-enactment meeting rooms, and offices. Three
historic replica ships will surround the floating barge, which will house a museum on the first floor
and a Tavern/Tea Room on the second level. More than fifty percent of construction will take place
off barges on the water.
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum will offer a unique museum experience for visitors. There
will be interactive tours, actors dressed in period clothing, cutting edge exhibits, and living history
programs that allow anyone at any age the chance to reenact history from 1773. Another special
feature of the museum will be the display of the Robinson Tea Chest, one of only two known tea
chests that still exist from the original Boston Tea Party event.
The ground breaking for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum took place on April 19, 2011. After
eight months of building the museum barge, it was launched on November 11, 2011. The raising of
the cupola on December 16, 2011 is another milestone toward the opening of the Museum in June
2012.