From the time they take office in early January until mid-February, when they receive committee assignments and are invited to share actual office space with their colleagues, [Massachusetts] House rookies are herded into Room 437--a cramped, damp, loud, classroom-sized corral.
It's an unholy cluttered hellhole, a space far too congested for any real work to get accomplished. The room itself is about 800 square feet--not bad for an Allston studio, but not exactly the kind of acreage you'd want to share with 30 new coworkers. Cramped is a mild way of putting it. Each rep has one aide, and together they share a single computer. Fax machines, office supplies and anything else not tacked down are up for grabs. There's no sense of permanence; if the heat ever rolled in, legislators and their aides could easily pack up and bounce in 30 seconds.
In lieu of nameplates, reps have their info printed on copy paper and taped to the backsides of their computer monitors. Miles of ethernet cables stretch across stain-resistant carpeting, saturated with years of Dunkin' Donuts coffee. The glass-paneled ceiling--which may have once resembled one of those clear ballroom roofs that Batman is prone to crashing through--boasts a Pollock-esque diarrhea-colored spatter.
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Inquiring minds on the 13th Floor (which, by the way, has serious heating and cooling issues) want to know: Is the Bay State's "bullpen" the worst capitol workspace in America? If your office should be considered for this dubious distinction, send us your adjective-laden descriptions.
