Post Office Square is one of the more subtly esteemed areas in Boston. Dating back to the late 1800s, and the site of a stirring address by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, Post Office Square is deserving of distinction. The beautiful green space that occupies much of the square, the Norman B. Leventhal Park, is equally deserving for its originality and beauty and as such, will be commemorated Wednesday afternoon by the Boston Redevelopment Authority and American Planning Association.
Launched in 2007, the Great Places in America program honors distinguished areas in three categories: Great Neighborhoods, Great Streets and Great Public Spaces. According to the APA, these categories represent three crucial components to building and maintaining upstanding communities.
“With our 2013 designations we reach our two hundredth Great Place in America,” said APA Chief Executive Officer W. Paul Farmer, FAICP, in a statement back in October. “We’re excited during National Community Planning Month to recognize these exemplary neighborhoods, streets and public spaces and the contributions planning and plan implementation make to these communities’ success.”
In an email, the Boston Redevelopment Authority referred to the achievement as “a testament to the successful public-private partnership that transformed what was once an unsightly above ground parking garage into a beautiful park in the heart of downtown Boston.”
The park itself features over 125 different varieties of plant life, a 143-foot trellis draped in seven species of vines, and a vertical fountain intended to give the space the feel of an urban oasis. Several trees were donated courtesy of The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, including, for you botany lovers out there, a Hybrid Red Oak, an Eastern Arborvitae, and two Giant Western Arborvitae.
Also available for people to enjoy is Sip Cafe, free wireless access and a slew of public events such as musical performances and fitness classes.
“The land is owned by the city but leased to the legal entity managing the park and the [underground] garage,” an APA spokesperson told BostInno in an email explaining why the park appeals to the orgainzation. “This park and garage work together successfully. One of the goals is for excess revenue from the garage to support not only the Norman B. Leventhal Park, but also other parks in Boston.”
The APA’s award is another in a collection accolades doted on the park dating back to 1991.
Image via Norman B. Leventhal Park
