At its most recent board meeting, the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the building of a new mixed-use structure that will include housing that caters to middle- and lower-income earners. As part of the project, developer Related Beal has committed to building a new public park.
Boston’s more contemporary park systems have taken public space usage to new heights by incorporating certain features and programming that not only amplify the allure of the physical space itself, but also provide activities and entertainment for those looking for more than just an opportunity to lounge.
According to the BRA, “the developer has committed to a number of other benefits. Related Beal will make a $500,000 contribution to design and build a new park.”
Related Beal’s press team essentially told me that it’s too early to tell how the park will be conceptualized and if it’ll even be constructed on-site or elsewhere.
To that end, I took it upon myself to speculate on five advantageous aspects Related Beal would do well to include, or at least consider, in order to elevate its park to the upper echelon of open spaces Bostonians are quickly becoming accustomed to.
1. Something playable
“Playable” is a broad term but its essence resonates with everybody. The idea here is to create something that’s based on happiness and well-being as opposed solely to functionality. The Lawn on D and Rose Kennedy Greenway are masters of this, bringing in park goers by offering experimental art like inflatable play-spaces and the massive fibrous Echelman sculpture.
Possibilities abound for Related’s park but its size and scope will certainly act as constraints. The Lawn on D, after all, is nearly three acres while the Greenway amounts 15.
City Hall Plaza is on the right track with playable, and if Related’s park is on the smaller side, it could take cues from there. Included in the shadow of Boston City Hall is a life-sized chess set, frisbee games and a patch of turf which will hopefully someday be replaced with actual grass. Even an area to house board games and art supplies would up the park’s profile.
2. Visual entertainment space
Along with “playable” attractions, Boston’s parks are increasingly becoming venues and go-to event destinations. Again The Lawn on D, Greenway and City Hall Plaza come to mind but let’s pop over to Somerville to get a better sense of how a park could enjoy entertainment features.
A proposal to convert the city’s former Powder House Community School into artist-centric housing includes an amphitheater and outdoor cinema. Music staging is just fine but with Boston Calling taking place on the Plaza annually, and the Greenway and Lawn on D having ample space for that as well, some kind of visual component could be attractive.
Mayor Walsh has already hosted viewing parties on the Plaza for the likes of the World Cup, but given that there is no greenery or shrubbery planted between the bricks, it’s not particularly comfortable.
During the warmer months, Bostonians tend to enjoy outdoor screenings of movies in various locales but depending on where Related’s park is built, it could become a centralized location with a permanent screen and accompanying comfortable seats—with some kind of overhanging shelter during times of inclement weather.
3. Tom Menino public art
City council President Bill Linehan has been trying for months to devise a way to honor Mayor Ray Flynn, probably best known to you as Mayor Tom Menino’s predecessor.
Flynn was a successful Mayor of Boston in his own right and would vacate his seat at the helm of the Hub to accept an appointment by President Clinton as Ambassador to the Vatican.
But the late Mayor Menino served for an unprecedented 20 years as Boston’s chief executive and in retrospect is beloved by the vast majority of residents who dwelled here under his tenure.
Since his passing last October I’ve been thinking that the city should honor his legacy and contributions to Boston in the form of public art. The city is currently experiencing a renaissance in that area while celebrating the collective creativity of those to create masterful pieces throughout the metro region.
Yes, Mayor Menino is the namesake of an absolutely stunning park that juts out from the Spaulding Rehab Center in Charlestown. In fact, one could say it was a pet project of his for which he solicited $4 million in donations in order to get it built.
But it’s my own contention that Menino deserves a lasting piece of artistic beauty too. Within a small radius of City Hall, passersby can enjoy creative salutes to Mayors Kevin White, John F. Collins and James Michael Curley. The main access point to Boston from the north is the Tobin Bridge, named for Mayor Maurice Tobin, and in the Back Bay massive exhibitions take place at the Hynes Convention Center, named for Mayor John B. Hynes.
With the exception of Menino and Flynn, that accounts for every Mayor of Boston dating back to 1938 – not counting John E. Kerrigan who served as acting mayor upon the ascension of Tobin to Governor of Massachusetts.
4. New technology
Shortly after Mayor Walsh took office, the civic-minded municipal group New Urban Mechanics hosted a competition called the Public Space Invitational which sought submissions for initiatives to activate public spaces.
One of the winning submissions which has yet to come into fruition was called Rhodes, billed as “an outdoor life-size video conference between public spaces in Boston and another city.”
Imagine spectating, or even communicating with, passersby in New York, Rome, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing or wherever else.
According to its description, “Boston has an opportunity to be at the forefront of public, digital collaboration, and emerge as the leader of a field that we will believe will inevitably take form elsewhere.”
The proposal simply calls for two projector screens, Web cams, and a Chromebox.
5. Craft beer garden
The opening of the Boston Public Market on Hanover Street made me realize that one of the most impressive locally sourced collections of sustenance in New England is a surprising one: beer.
Hopster’s Alley at the market features more than 100 craft beers available from our corner of the country the selection is awe inspiring. Liquor stores around the city certainly boast their fair share of smaller name brews, but they’re also still carrying the corporate brands as well.
Slumbrew is a Somerville-based brewery with a beer garden at the swanky new Assembly Row development. If the city could emulate this while taking on some of the suds featured in Hopster’s Alley, I’m sure it would almost instantly become a huge draw for residents.
