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HarborWalk
Boston Harbor's waterfront is
a wonderful area for walking, sightseeing, fishing, or simply enjoying
spectacular views of the Harbor!
In 1984, the City of Boston,
at the suggestion of the Harborpark Advisory Committee (of which The
Boston Harbor Association was an active member), established "HarborWalk"
guidelines to encourage development of public walkways and public
access along Boston Harbor. The Boston Harbor Association continues to
work closely with the City of Boston's Environmental Department,
Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Massachusetts Department of
Environmental Protection, and waterfront property owners to ensure
completion of the 47-mile HarborWalk. Currently, the HarborWalk is
about 75% complete.
HarborWalk additions and
improvements in 2005 include: Carlton Wharf in East Boston; an interim
public walkway at Lovejoy Wharf in the North End; new open spaces, new
public art, and new HarborWalk segments in the Fort Point Channel
district; recently and soon-to-be completed segments along the Reserve
Channel in South Boston; and improvements to West Link Park on Harbor
Point and along the Neponset River Salt Marsh in Dorchester.
In July 2004, thanks to a
$30,000 grant from The Boston Foundation, The Boston Harbor
Association, in partnership with the Boston Redevelopment Authority,
launched a website on Boston's Harborwalk. The website provides
updated information on Harborwalk for the public, including maps, site
descriptions, transportation information, events, and resources for
enhancing neighborhood advocacy. The site promotes Boston's Harborwalk
as a resource for residents and visitors, encouraging them to take
advantage of the many publicly accessible attractions along Boston
Harbor.
Be sure to check out the new
features added to the Boston HarborWalk website in 2005, including
additional HarborWalk locations with amenities, public art and
incredible views of the Harbor and Boston's downtown skyline; the new
"Check-It-Out" feature on the home page that highlights
special events and activities of immediate interest occurring on the
HarborWalk; and the new interactive map of Boston Harbor and the
HarborWalk. Art lovers and the public will enjoy the newly designed
web page featuring "Art on the HarborWalk" that showcases
the unique sculpture, paintings, displays, and interpretive signage
found along Boston's six waterfront neighborhoods. The website can be
found at www.bostonharborwalk.com.
For more information, contact The Boston Harbor Association at mail@tbha.org
or 617-482-1722. Special thanks to the Boston Foundation and the
Boston Redevelopment Authority for funding this website.
Participate in one of The
Boston Harbor Association's free HarborWalk tours. Enjoy the exercise
and scenic views while learning about recent changes and improvements
to Boston's HarborWalk, view public art, and make recommendations on
how public access can be improved. Your comments, observations, and
suggestions will be incorporated into TBHA's ongoing efforts to make
the HarborWalk an inviting and enjoyable destination for all. Both
residents and visitors are encouraged to attend.
The following upcoming free
tours will highlight some of the public art along Boston's changing
waterfront.
Norman
B. Leventhal Collection of Boston Harbor Maps
Boston Harbor Hotel
On Wednesday, 30 November, at 3:15
p.m., please join Alex Krieger and The Boston Harbor Association for a guided tour of Norman B. Leventhal's Boston Harbor Maps Collection on permanent display at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf. Alex Krieger is a world-renowned map expert who helped Norman Leventhal assemble his map collection of Boston and Massachusetts Bay, editor and author of "Mapping Boston", and former Chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. The collection is widely regarded as one of the finest private map collection in New England that includes more than 50 maps depicting the seventeenth and eighteenth century Boston and New England coasts. This tour will begin in the lobby area next to Intrigue Cafe at the Boston Harbor Hotel and will be followed by a light tea and pastry service at the Cafe. The tour and afternoon tea are free to those who register with TBHA by 29 November.
John
Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse
Art and Architecture
On Wednesday, 18 January
2006, at 4:00 p.m., please join The Boston Harbor Association for
a guided tour highlighting the art and architecture of the courthouse
and view the specially commissioned permanent works by noted artist
Ellsworth Kelly, as well as temporary exhibits on the ground floor and
second floor of the Courthouse. This tour will begin in the lobby of
the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse and will be followed by light
refreshments at the Daily Catch Restaurant overlooking Boston Harbor.
The tour and refreshment are free to those who register with TBHA by
17 January 2006. Because of security measures at the Courthouse, two
forms of identification, including one with a photo, are required for
entrance.
Future "Art on the
HarborWalk" tours in February and March 2006 will include the
Long Wharf Marriott Hotel in the North End, one of the best-kept
secrets for harbor-related art, and The USS Constitution Museum
located in the Boston National Historic Park in the Charlestown Navy
Yard. Dates and times to be announced. For more information, please
visit the Events pages at www.tbha.org
or www.bostonharborwalk.com
websites. To make a reservation, please contact The Boston Harbor
Association at mail@tbha.org or
617-482-1722.
TBHA is compiling a
comprehensive photographic inventory of existing interpretive signage
along the entirety of Boston's waterfront. Participants in TBHA's
HarborWalk tours and Harbor education programs have consistently
recommended that interpretive signage be developed to inform the
public about significant locations along Boston's waterfront. This
initiative will provide an important starting point from which TBHA,
in coordination with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and other
interested parties, can begin to examine the types of signage which
work best along Boston Harbor and to explore options for the
development of a city-wide program for interpretive signage.
Through its detailed comment
letters and Harbor Use Committee meetings with project proponents, The
Boston Harbor Association is the key advocacy organization working to
complete the entire Boston HarborWalk network by the end of the
decade. During the past year, significant new segments have been added
and improvements made to the HarborWalk system, allowing for
additional public access along Boston Harbor. Several additional
HarborWalk segments under construction will be completed in early
2006, providing residents and visitors first-time access to these
sections of the waterfront in their neighborhood.
- Carlton Wharf: The
newest segment of the HarborWalk in East Boston opened at Carlton
Wharf in May 2005. This HarborWalk segment reconnects the site to
the surrounding community, providing both visual and physical
connections to its wonderful waterfront. The beautifully
landscaped HarborWalk segment offers a great place to gaze at
Boston's downtown skyline. Other amenities include benches,
lighting, and an interpretive marker describing the site's former
industrial activities, including barrel making, fish packing, and
ship building.
- Lovejoy Wharf: An
interim public walkway was constructed at Lovejoy Wharf. The
temporary walkway will be replaced with a permanent HarborWalk at
the time of redevelopment of the property, connecting with the
adjacent HarborWalk.
- Children's Wharf Park: A
new HarborWalk segment and park next to the Boston Children's
Museum opened to the public in July 2005 as a result of the MBTA's
Silver Line waterfront construction mitigation. This new
HarborWalk segment and park provides an extension of the boardwalk
at the Boston Children's Museum to the HarborWalk beneath the
Evelyn Moakley Bridge. The Museum will provide long-term
maintenance and programming on this section of the HarborWalk
beginning in the near future.
- HarborWalk at 253
Summer Street: Thanks to the generous leadership of Beacon
Capital Partners, the HarborWalk at 253 Summer Street is now
linked to the new HarborWalk on the Gillette property (Gillette
HarborWalk built by the Central Artery/Tunnel Project). Amenities
on this new segment of the HarborWalk include seating and
lighting. This portion of the HarborWalk is a great place to view
Fort Point Channel and Boston's downtown skyline.
- Fan Pier: In 2005,
four art works were added to the existing amenities, which include
benches, plantings, lighting, and bike rack, on the interim
HarborWalk located on the undeveloped portion of Fan Pier. Three
of the art works relate to the past commercial/industrial
activities occurring on the Fan Pier whereas the fourth piece
places in context the past, present and futures uses of the Fan
Pier. The site offers one of the best panoramas of the city, with
unobstructed views of East Boston and some of the Harbor Islands.
This portion of the HarborWalk can be accessed either from the
John Joseph Moakley United State Courthouse or from Northern
Avenue next to Pier 4. From this location, one can also monitor
the progress of construction of the new Institute of Contemporary
Art (slated to open in late 2006). A permanent HarborWalk will
replace the interim HarborWalk as part of the development of Fan
Pier.
- NSTAR HarborWalk: Adjacent
to the Federal Express HarborWalk is the NSTAR HarborWalk segment
to be completed by April 2006. The HarborWalk segment will include
a walkway, benches, trash barrels, pedestal-mounted binoculars, a
series of interpretive signage, and landscaping. This HarborWalk
segment will be a great place to come and relax and watch small
boats using the marina in the Reserve Channel, observe wading
birds, or take in the incredible Boston skyline views. When fully
completed, these two adjacent HarborWalk segments will provide
some of the best amenities and public access to the waterfront in
South Boston.
Thanks to the efforts of the
Central Artery/Tunnel Project and the Massachusetts Turnpike
Authority, significant new segments of the Fort Point Channel
HarborWalk and open space opened in 2005. These include:
- South Bay Park:
This new three quarter acre park is located between Frontage Road
and the Channel, consists of planted areas and a HarborWalk. An
open space area has been incorporated immediately north of
Broadway Bridge.
- Cabot Cove: Located
on the Fort Point Channel's east bank, immediately west of
Dorchester Avenue and adjacent to the Vent Building 1 Open Space,
Cabot Cove includes a new seawall, HarborWalk, and plantings. The
area includes seating and lighting and is accessible via a
pedestrian bridge built into the Old Colony Railroad Bridge and
along the west side of the Dorchester Avenue Bridge. Cabot Cove
links South Bay Park to Fort Point Channel which also offers a
great vantage point for observing the Channel.
- Vent Building 1 Open
Space: Come and discover this wonderful park approximately one
acre in size, with lawn, landscaping, and seating areas,
overlooking Cabot Cove. By the end of November 2005, a sculptural
artifact consisting of a refurbished and painted arm of the
rolling bridge that formerly occupied the site will be placed in
the park. Stones are arranged in a seating pattern to mimic a
circular configuration of another bridge, that occupied a nearby
site.
- Gillette HarborWalk: Opened
in August, this new HarborWalk segment, extending from Dorchester
Avenue to the existing HarborWalk at 253 Summer Street,
significantly increases public access to Fort Point Channel. The
HarborWalk boasts seating areas, lighting, and plantings such as
magnolias, silver lindens, and dogwoods. The HarborWalk provides a
great vantage point to observe activities within the Channel and
Boston's downtown skyline. During the warmer months, come and have
lunch on the HarborWalk as restaurants on Summer Street are
located only a few minutes away.
- Binford Park: Adjacent
to Gillette's worldwide headquarters on Mt. Washington Street,
this landscaped half acre park boasts a lawn area, a beautiful
pergola with benches, and a wonderful bulb garden. Come and relax
under the pergola while enjoying Boston's downtown skyline and the
Channel. During the warmer months, this is a wonderful location to
have lunch while gazing at Fort Point Channel and the Boston
skyline.
- Federal Reserve Bank:
A new HarborWalk segment along Dorchester Avenue across from the
Federal Reserve Bank is furnished with benches and trees and
provides great views of the Channel. Walk across Dorchester Street
to the Federal Reserve Building to view David Bakalar's "Life
Force" and Denis Kowal's "Ominous Icon #7". Both
sculptures are displayed on Summer Street. Upon completion of the
Congress Street Bridge in late 2006, the remaining portion of this
HarborWalk segment will be completed and open to the public.
- Russia Wharf: A new
HarborWalk segment along the Fort Point Channel is also open to
the public at Russia Wharf immediately north of Congress Street.
- Wormwood Park: Opened
in late fall 2004, this neighborhood park includes 6,000 square
feet of open space, benches, lighting, and landscaping, and a
wonderful pair of lion sculptures guarding the entrance to the
park.
New segments that will be
added in late 2005 and early 2006 will provide critical links to the
existing HarborWalk system in Dorchester and improve the continuous
linear access to the waterfront and the Neponset River Salt Marsh.
- West Link Park:
Improvements to the West Link project located behind the Bayside
Expo Center is scheduled to be completed by March 2006. The open
space will connect Carson Beach to Old Harbor Park at Harbor
Point, and includes an overlook, lighting along a new
ADA-compliant walk, benches, picnic tables, and trees and beach
grasses throughout the site. Corcoran Jennison Companies, which
maintains the neighboring Old Harbor Park, will be responsible for
the maintenance of this site.
- Neponset II Park: Designed
through a community process, the new Neponset II Park will provide
access to the Neponset River Salt Marsh, one of the few remaining
extensive salt marshes within the Boston area. Just north of
Granite Avenue, three cleaned up former industrial/commercial
properties acquired by the Department of Conservation and
Recreation are the site for the new Neponset II Park along the
existing Neponset River Greenway multi-use trail. Construction on
the Neponset II Park is nearing completion and will be accessible
to the public by the end of December. The new park will provide
direct access to the Neponset River for non-motorized boats.
Amenities include a dock for non-motorized boats, benches,
interpretive signage, spray-fountain for children, drinking
fountain and landscaping. There are parking spaces for visitors
and public restrooms in season. The Neponset River Greenway
multi-use trail, opened for three years, goes along the edge of
the marsh and is part of the 2 1/2 mile trail from Tenean Beach to
Central Avenue in Milton. The trail through the marsh has benches,
interpretive signage, and trash barrels.
The Boston Harbor Association
(TBHA) is the leading harbor advocacy group working to promote a
clean, alive, and accessible Boston Harbor. In 1984, as a member of
the City of Boston's Harborpark Advisory Committee, TBHA successfully
advocated for the establishment of "HarborWalk" guidelines
to encourage the development of public walkways, parks, sitting areas,
cafes, public art, and other public amenities along Boston Harbor.
Purpose
of the Report
The "State of the HarborWalk: A Progress Report" is an
assessment of the amenities of the existing HarborWalk segments and
identifies those missing links needed to fully complete Boston's
HarborWalk. During the fall and winter of 2004 and the Spring of 2005,
a team of three second-year students studying for their Masters at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Urban Studies
and Planning walked the entire length of the HarborWalk. At existing
sites, the team evaluated accessibility, condition, use and safety of
the HarborWalk and its public amenities. In the report, the team
identified exemplary HarborWalk segments, provided suggestions for
those sites needing improvements to encourage the upkeep and
accessibility of the HarborWalk, and suggested steps to get missing
links added to the HarborWalk system.
Overview/Observations
As of 2005, the HarborWalk is approximately 75% complete and offers
many amenities. All portions of the HarborWalk offer a generally good
walking surface and provide amenities such as benches, trash barrels,
lighting, and landscaping. In addition, many HarborWalk segments also
offer other amenities, such as access to playground facilities,
playing fields, free binoculars, swimming, fishing, boating,
restaurants, public restrooms, drinking water, public telephones,
shelter, exhibits and/or interpretative signage, and/or public art.
The HarborWalk is used year-round, with greatest use during the warmer
months. HarborWalk segments located in residential neighborhoods tend
to be used more frequently by local residents; whereas, the HarborWalk
in the downtown area is used more often by tourists and office
workers. Three overarching observations emerged from the evaluation of
the HarborWalk:
First, there is a need for
clear, obvious signage to make the public aware of the available
public access. Many of the sites had no HarborWalk signs at all. At
the sites that did have signs, they were either too few or placed in a
way that did not provide context or direction for visitors. In
addition, there was no signage to direct visitors to the HarborWalk.
The second major observation
is the need for continued maintenance of existing HarborWalk sites.
While many of the privately owned sites were well maintained, many of
the publicly owned sites needed more attention, such as trash pick-up
and bench and walkway repair.
The third observation is the
feeling of trespassing on private property on segments of the
HarborWalk constructed and maintained by private developers. Because
many HarborWalk segments are in front of high-end private condominium
complexes, many owners of these sites (but not all) have used gates,
security personnel, private property signs, and surface changes to
project the feeling of private property and to discourage the public's
right to access the waterfront.
Recommendations
of the MIT Department of
Urban Studies and Planning Students
Signage
The Boston Redevelopment Authority's signage program is an important
component of the HarborWalk. The signage program is a graphic system
developed to direct people to and along the HarborWalk and to nearby
amenities, such as water transit stops or public restrooms, to parks
and open spaces, to cultural venues, and to historic districts. The
HarborWalk signage could be greatly improved through a more
coordinated and consistent strategy for the placement of signs
throughout the HarborWalk system. Signage is lacking in many places
and on those sites where it does exist, it is not always placed
effectively.
HarborWalk signage should be
developed and placed with certain goals in mind. There should be
different types of signs for different contexts, and a consistent
design should be applied throughout the HarborWalk.
The types of signage that
should be developed are:
- Directional:
These signs should be placed along the HarborWalk, indicating
users' current location and providing notice of what other
facilities and destinations can be found in various directions.
Directional signage should also be used to help visitors access
the HarborWalk when not on the Harborwalk per se.
- Interpretive: These
signs should be placed on the HarborWalk indicating historic facts
about the site, or pointing out sites of note along the harbor
view from the site.
- Temporary: Where
HarborWalk is missing, or where there is a break in the pathway,
there should be signs directing the public on the route to take in
order to pick up the next section.
- Situational: A
map showing all the segments of the HarborWalk should be placed at
key locations on the HarborWalk. A "You are here" would
help the visitor know where they are on the HarborWalk while at
the same time show HarborWalk linkages to the neighborhoods around
Boston Harbor.
ADA
Compliance
While many segments of the HarborWalk are compliant with the American
with Disabilities Act (ADA), some older segments are not. Every effort
should be made to bring existing segments of the HarborWalk in
compliance with ADA (e.g., surface treatment, ramps, accessible
binoculars, restrooms, benches); new segments should be constructed to
provide amenities that comply with the ADA requirements.
Maintenance
Although many of the sites visited during this evaluation of the
HarborWalk were well maintained, there were several sites that
required attention that is more regular. Based on our observations,
the privately owned HarborWalk segments were well maintained whereas
the publicly owned HarborWalk segments required more attention. To
ensure adequate maintenance, stewards of the HarborWalk segments
should provide the following:
- Regular trash
pick-up
- Attention to broken
benches
- Attention to cracked
pavement
- Replacement of vandalized
signs and monuments
- Repair of public phones
and binoculars
- Replacement of broken
lights
Private
Feel
Many of the privately owned or maintained HarborWalk
segments are located in front of high-end private condominium
developments. Owners of some of these sites (but not all) have
installed gates, guards, private property signs, and surface changes
to project the feeling of private property and impede the public's
right to access the waterfront. The HarborWalk is meant to activate
the waterfront by providing access and amenities to the public under
the state's Chapter 91 program. In order to achieve these goals, we
recommend the following:
- Increased HarborWalk
signage, including wayfinding types such as a blue line painted on
the ground
- Removal of private
property signs placed near the HarborWalk
- Removal of gates that
prevent 24 hr access to the HarborWalk from the street or from
other sections
Publicity/Marketing
In order to increase the HarborWalk's visibility in the City, several
activities can be launched to allow city residents as well as visitors
to discover Boston's HarborWalk and the many amenities along the
waterfront. Some of the ideas can include:
- Dedicated volunteers that
could be called "harborwatchers" - basically stewards of
certain sections - the "eyes & ears" of the
HarborWalk. The harborwatchers would report to the BRA or directly
to property owners to notify them of problems on the HarborWalk
(e.g., trash barrels overflowing, broken benches, burnt out
lighting fixtures).
- Yearly citywide HarborWalk
day - "Come to the Water's Edge" or some other attention
getting publicity. Could be part of a health/fitness program to
encourage walking and running. Could be an event day, where
various activities happen at sites around the city along the
HarborWalk - free tours, street performers, food vendors, wildlife
walks, or scavenger hunt.
- Make Boston's HarborWalk
more visible in tourist materials - maps, websites, and hotel
lobbies.
- Identify and publicize the
public art that are prominently displayed on the HarborWalk. The
HarborWalk signage could be used to identify HarborWalk segments
that display works of art.
- Increase the coordination
among the various stakeholders (e.g., public agencies, developers,
advocates, property owners) to increase the HarborWalk's
visibility and use to be enjoyed by the public and encourage
government entities that own property to provide public access to
the waterfront.
- Promote the HarborWalk
website by placing the website address on HarborWalk signage and
other interpretive markers.
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