The city hall sparked a real controversy in the trade press world-wide only shortly after the ribbon was cut. Like Rudolph’s Boston Government Service Center  the building is part of the Boston masterplan developed by I. M. Pei. The city hall’s shape popularized a phenotype based clearly on La Tourette, that was to be encountered the world over in similar shapes (#LaTouretteType): It can be read as a temple missing its gable.

The Boston City Hall has always been the subject of much public controversy and debate. In 2006, for example, the mayor proposed demolishing it selling the property to private investors and constructing a new building elsewhere in South Boston. The plans were scrapped in December 2008 in light of the recession. The building received a productive push toward appreciative preservation in 2017, when the Getty Foundation awarded Boston a $120,000 grant to explore ways to preserve and enhance the City Hall and its plaza. Since January 24, 2025, the Boston City Hall is officially heritage protected (last updated on February 26, 2025).