Back Bay Fens
Encyclopedia
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
land and urban wild
Urban wild
An urban wild is a remnant of a natural ecosystem found in the midst of an otherwise highly developed urban area.-Utility:Urban wilds, particularly those of several acres or more, are often intact ecological systems that can provide essential ecosystem functions such as the filtering of urban...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
to serve as a link in the Emerald Necklace
Emerald Necklace
The Emerald Necklace consists of an chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. It gets its name from the way the planned chain appears to hang from the "neck" of the Boston peninsula, although it was never fully constructed.-Overview:The Necklace...
park system, the Fens gives its name to the Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway-Kenmore
Fenway–Kenmore is an official neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. While it is considered one neighborhood for administrative purposes, it is composed of numerous distinct sections and in casual conversation are almost always referred to as "Fenway," "Kenmore Square," or "Kenmore."...
neighborhood, and thereby to Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
, home of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
.
History
The Back Bay Fens is a large picturesque park that forms part of Boston's Emerald Necklace. It is essentially an ancient spot of saltwaterSeawater
Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
marshland that has been surrounded by dry land, disconnected from the tides of the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and landscaped
Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
into a park with fresh water
Fresh Water
Fresh Water is the debut album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison McCallum, released in 1972. Rare for an Australian artist at the time, it came in a gatefold sleeve...
within. The park is also known as the Fens or the Fenway. The latter term can also refer to the surrounding neighborhood.
When Boston was settled in the early 17th century the Shawmut Peninsula
Shawmut Peninsula
Shawmut Peninsula is the promontory of land on which Boston, Massachusetts was built. The peninsula, originally a mere in area, more than doubled in size due to land reclamation efforts, a feature of the history of Boston throughout the 19th century....
on which it was built was connected to Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
by a spit of sandy ground called "The Neck
Boston Neck
The Boston Neck or Roxbury Neck was an isthmus, a narrow strip of land connecting the then-peninsular city of Boston to the mainland city of Roxbury . The surrounding area was gradually filled in as the city of Boston expanded in population. -History:The Boston Neck was originally about wide at...
." The adjacent area of marshland to the west was a tidal flat of the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
. The area became malodorous with time as it became tainted with sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
from the growing settlement.
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
projects was begun in 1820 and continued for the rest of the century. The filling of present-day Back Bay was completed by 1882. Filling reached Kenmore Square in 1890 and finished in the Fens in 1900. These projects more than doubled the size of the Shawmut Peninsula.
Olmsted’s challenge was to restore the spot of marsh which was preserved into an ecologically
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
healthy place that could also be enjoyed as a recreation area. Combining his renowned landscaping talents with state-of-the-art sanitary engineering
Sanitary engineering
Sanitary engineering is the application of engineering methods to improve sanitation of human communities, primarily by providing the removal and disposal of human waste, and in addition to the supply of safe potable water. Initially in the mid 19th century, the discipline concentrated on the...
, he turned a foul-smelling tidal creek and swamp into "scenery of a winding, brackish creek, within wooded banks; gaining interest from the meandering course of the water."
Olmsted designed the Fens to be flushed by the tides twice daily. However, in 1910 a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
was constructed at Craigie's Bridge, closing the Charles River estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
to the ocean tides and forming a body of freshwater above the dam. Thus, the Fens became a freshwater lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
regularly accepting storm water from the Charles River Basin.
Soon after, noted landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff
Arthur Asahel Shurcliff
Arthur Asahel Shurcliff was a noted American landscape architect. Born Arthur Asahel Shurtleff he changed his last name in 1930 in order, he said, to conform to the "ancient spelling of the family name." After over 30 years of success as a practicing landscape architect and town planner, in 1928...
, a protégé of Olmsted, added new features such as the Kelleher Rose Garden and employed the more formal landscape style popular in the 1920s and 1930s. An athletic field was also added.
In 1941, at the outbreak of United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
involvement in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, citizens planted a Victory Garden
Victory garden
Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Germany during World War I and World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply...
within the Fens. While these were common in their era, the one in the Fens is now the last continually operating Victory Garden in existence and today is a much-valued community garden of flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s and vegetables.
In 1961, a group of East Fenway friends and neighbors gathered to address issues in their neighborhood. They formed a neighborhood association called The Fenway Civic Association (FCA). Volunteers took on projects to clean their streets, beautify their surroundings, and protect their residents from crime. Soon the group also started advocating for improved maintenance of parkland and other elements to ensure a safe, enjoyable neighborhood.
Fenway/Richard D. Parker Victory Gardens
The gardens are now named after Richard D. Parker, one of the original organizers of the garden, who continued to garden there until his death in 1975. Because of his efforts, the Victory Gardens in the Fenway are one of only two remaining victory gardens in the U.S. dating back to World War II. During World War II, much of the food grown was sent to the armed forces, and the remaining portions were rationed. President Roosevelt stated that Americans should grow their own vegetables. The City of Boston set up 49 areas to grow gardens, including plots on Boston CommonBoston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
and Boston Public Garden. The Fenway Victory Gardens were established in 1942. These gardens are a central part of the Fenway community and are well known to gardeners across the country. The gardens provide the residents in the Boston neighborhoods with personal space to grow vegetables or flowers, and are private.
Agassiz Road Duck House
The Agassiz Road Duck House was designed by architect Alexander Longfellow, and built in 1897. It was used exclusively as a public restroom facility, and was closed after a damaging fire in 1986. The Duck House is sited within a prominent landscape in the Back Bay Fens adjacent to the Agassiz Road bridge—the only building along that roadway. Agassiz Road is a significant pedestrian link between the East and West Fenway neighborhoods though it provides only one-way vehicular circulation. Much of the building that we see today is original; however, the roof design was simplified when it was reconstructed following the 1986 fire. While the Duck House itself is not a Boston Landmark, its rustic style and relationship to the park makes it an important contributing feature to the Back Bay Fens. Recently, the City of Boston has been reviewing possible ways to revive the Duck House with such ideas as a bicycle rental shop or cafe.Fire Alarm Office
Dedicated on December 27, 1925, the Fire Alarm Office is located at 59 The Fenway, near the intersection of Westland Avenue and Hemenway Street. It is a neoclassical limestone building in the shape of a villa, with large ornate bronze entry doors to one side.An inscription on the front façade of the building reads:
ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF BOSTON TO FORTIFY AND EXTEND THE PRINCIPLE OF ORGANIZED RESISTANCE TO THE SCOURGE OF FIRE, CONSECRATED AND DEDICATED TO THE SERVICE THROUGH WHICH THIS PRINCIPLE IS SO NOBLY PERPETUATED.
All fire alarm circuits along with radio and telephone communications for the Boston Fire Department are controlled from this site. The building has an independent generator to provide electrical power in the event of power disruptions.
Westland Gate
In 1905 the formal entrance to Olmsted's park was switched to the end of Westland Avenue where the Westland GateWestland Gate
Westland Gate is a pair of fountains that borders the Back Bay Fens at the end of Westland Avenue in Boston, MA.-History:...
marks a somewhat grand portal to the park.
Katharine Lee Bates 'America the Beautiful' monument
The Katharine Lee BatesKatharine Lee Bates
Katharine Lee Bates was an American songwriter. She is remembered as the author of the words to the anthem "America the Beautiful". She popularized "Mrs. Santa Claus" through her poem Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride .-Life and career:Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts, the daughter of a...
monument is a freestanding granite tablet inset with a bronze plaque on Agassiz Road overlooking the Muddy River and Stony Brook gatehouse. The plaque gives brief information on Bates and includes the lyrics of "America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....
", which she wrote at the turn of the 20th century.
John Boyle O'Reilly Memorial
Close to the Westland Gate is the John Boyle O'ReillyJohn Boyle O'Reilly
John Boyle O'Reilly was an Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer. As a youth in Ireland, he was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, or Fenians, for which he was transported to Western Australia...
Memorial. This memorial, sculpted in 1894 by Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French
Daniel Chester French was an American sculptor. His best-known work is the sculpture of a seated Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.-Life and career:...
memorializes the Irish poet and editor of the Catholic newspaper The Pilot. In the front of the memorial sits the bust of O'Reilly while the backside depicts a statue of Erin
Erin
Erin is a Hiberno-English derivative of the Irish word "Éirinn". ....
weaving a wreath of laurel and oak for her sons Poetry and Patriotism with Celtic calligraphy as a backdrop.
John Endecott Monument
Across from the Forsyth Dental Institute and Museum of Fine Arts on Forsyth Way, originally called the Huntington Avenue Entrance to the Back Bay Fens, this is a large red granite monument and white granite statue of John EndecottJohn Endecott
John Endecott was an English colonial magistrate, soldier and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During all of his years in the colony but one, he held some form of civil, judicial, or military high office...
. The statue is a standing portrayal of John Endecott dressed in early colonial attire, consisting of a jacket with a wide, square collar, knee breeches, buckle shoes, and a long cape. He holds his hat down at his side in his right hand. The sculpture rests on a square base that extends from a large granite wall with the inscription "JOHN ENDECOTT 1588-1665". A low granite bench surrounds the base of the wall.
According to inscriptions on one side of the monument, it was designed by Architect Ralph Weld Gray, and the statue was sculpted by Carl Paul Jennewein in 1936. The rear of the monument features a large inscription, "Bequest George Augustus Peabody Esquire of Danvers, Massachusetts". The main inscription features the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the quote "STRONG, VALIANT JOHN WILT THOU MARCH ON, AND TAKE UP STATION FIRST, CHRIST CAL'D HATH THEE, HIS SOLDIER BE, AND FAIL NOT OF THY TRUST -EDWARD JOHNSON 1654".
Athletic Field (Joseph Lee Playground, Kobe Field, Clemente Field, Jim Bradley Courts)
As part of Arthur Shurcliff's alterations to the Back Bay Fens an athletic track and field was constructed in 1923. Two massive cast stone bleachers were completed in 1926 followed shortly in 1928 by a field house designed by William D. Austin. The original field house was demolished in the 1980s, due to neglect, and replaced with a simple Gothic styled storage structure. The athletic track and field was later dedicated as the Joseph Lee Playground. At some point two baseball diamonds were added. One of them is dedicated to baseball player and humanitarian Roberto ClementeRoberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
. The other was dedicated to neighborhood residents Brian and David Cobe in 1984 with a bronze plaque inset into a Roxbury puddingstone boulder adjacent to the diamond. Sometime in the 1970s two basketball courts were also added alongside the playground and dedicated in honor of Jim Bradley. In 2010, as part of a public-private partnership between the City of Boston and Emanuel College, the field was extensively renovated to collegiate standards, which necessitated the demolition of one of the stone bleachers.
Roberto Clemente Monument
This monument was dedicated in 1973 to the late baseball player and humanitarian Roberto ClementeRoberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente Walker was a Puerto Rican Major League Baseball right fielder. He was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico, the youngest of seven children. Clemente played his entire 18-year baseball career with the Pittsburgh Pirates . He was awarded the National League's Most Valuable Player Award in...
. It is a 5 feet (1.5 m) stone marker inset with a large bronze relief of Clemente and a short inscription in Spanish & English, "Roberto Clemente: His three loves; Puerto Rico, baseball, and children". The adjacent baseball diamond, which is part of the athletic field, is also dedicated in his honor.
Japanese temple bell
The bronze bell was cast in 1675 by Tanaka Gonzaemon under the supervision of Suzuki Magoemon, and dedicated to BishamonBishamon
Bishamon is the Japanese name for Vaiśravaṇa, a Buddhist deity.Bishamon or Bishamonten may also refer to:* Bishamon Station, a railway station in Aomori, Japan- Characters :...
, a Buddhist god of children and good luck. The bell was contributed to the Japanese war effort in 1940 but ended up on a scrap heap in Yokosuku. Sailors from the USS Boston (CA-69)
USS Boston (CA-69)
USS Boston , a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was launched 26 August 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Company's, Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Mass.; sponsored by Mrs. Maurice J. Tobin, wife of the Mayor of...
salvaged the bell after World War II, and offered it to the city of Boston in 1945. In 1953, Japanese officials presented the bell to Boston as a symbol of peace.
Kelleher Rose Garden
A passion for public rose gardens swept the country in the early 20th century. In 1930, landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff added a circular formal rose garden and fountain opposite the Museum of Fine Arts where the general public as well as rose enthusiasts could learn about rose culture and enjoy the flowers. The garden was expanded in 1933 when the rectangular section was built. At the south end of the rectangular portion of the garden is a statue that is a copy of the famous El Desconsol which was a gift to the City of Boston by Barcelona, Spain. In 1975, the garden was named the James P. Kelleher Rose Garden to honor the Boston Parks and Recreation Department’s Superintendent of Horticulture. By the late 20th century, The Kelleher Rose Garden was in decline and needed a complete restoration. In 2001, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, in cooperation with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, convened landscape architects, horticultural specialists, and rosarians to develop a master plan for its renewal. Paths and planting beds were recut according to the original plans; the soil was rejuvenated and new turf laid. An irrigation system was installed and new signs were placed to help visitors learn from the garden. The restoration was completed in 2008. Plans for 2011 include restoring the original ornamental fountain to service after several decades of disuse and replacing missing statuary in the form of ornamental cherubs.George Robert White Fund Memorial - Veterans Memorial Park
Created by the George Robert White Fund in 1948, this is a grouping of three war memorials arranged around a circle, adjacent to the Keller Rose Garden, the Agassiz Bridge, and a concert grove that overlooks two gatehouses across the Muddy River.This World War II memorial features a granite monument designed by architect Tito Cascieri. It is composed of a plinth stage and lectern backed by a semi-circular wall, with names set in bronze tablets. A large bronze statue of an angel sculpted by John F. Paramino sits atop the memorial, along with an obelisk capped with bronze stars. It is the oldest and largest of the three memorials on the site, with the Korean and Vietnam war memorials flanking it. The lectern has a plaque, added during the 1990s, rededicating the entire memorial as Veterans Memorial Park and honoring Sergeant Charles Andrew MacGillivary
Charles Andrew MacGillivary
Charles Andrew MacGillivary was a Medal of Honor recipient, born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada...
, a World War II Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who enlisted in Boston.
The Korean War Memorial is a small installation, compared to the World War II memorial nearby. This memorial has a stone plaza area, with a map of the country of Korea embedded in it. Flanking the map are two stone slabs for use as benches. The memorial is a squarish monument that has three columns with names engraved in them. On top is the word, "Korea" and the years, "1950-1953."
The Vietnam War Memorial is a small installation, compared to the World War II memorial nearby. This memorial has a stone plaza area, with a map of the country of Vietnam embedded in it. Flanking the map are two stone slabs for use as benches. The memorial is a squarish monument that has three columns with names engraved in them. On top is the word, "Vietnam" and the years, "1962-1975."
Robert Burns statue (relocated)
The granite plinth of the Robert BurnsRobert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
statue is still visible on the bridle path
Bridle path
A bridle path is a thoroughfare originally made for horses, but which these days serves a wide range of interests, including hikers, walkers and cyclists as well as equestrians. The laws relating to permissions vary from country to country...
behind Boston Fire Alarm Office and adjacent to Agassiz Road. In 1910 The Burns Memorial Association of Boston held a competition to make a statue. The winner of the competition was artist Henry Hudson Kitson
Henry Hudson Kitson
Sir Henry Hudson Kitson, often known as H. H. Kitson, American sculptor, born in Huddersfield, England on April 9, 1865 and died at Tyringham, Massachusetts, on June 26, 1947...
, who completed the statue in 1919. In 1920, Governor Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
dedicated his statue. The piece was moved from the Fenway to Winthrop Square (Otis and Devonshire Streets) in the summer of 1975. There are no current plans for returning the statue to the Fenway, according to the Boston Art Commission. Several streets surrounding the Back Bay Fens (Peterborough, Kilmarnock, Queensbury) were given names of Scottish cities and towns present in Burn's literary works. The statue was meant to correspond with that nomenclature as an honor.
Radio Operators memorial (relocated)
The plinth to this memorial remains located on Agassiz Road adjacent to the Agassiz Bridge, overlooking the war memorials across from the rose garden. This memorial was dedicated following World War Two. It consisted of a sinking ship with S.O.S in Morse Code around the base. It was to commemorate the radio operators who lost their lives on merchant ships during the Second World War. It was moved in the 1990s to Peddocks IslandPeddocks Island
Peddocks Island is one of the largest islands in Boston Harbor. Since 1996 it has formed part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The island is located at 42° 17' 32.6" North longitude and 70° 56' 21.6" West latitude. The area of the island is . The island is managed by the...
at the request of veteran operators, as Peddocks was where they trained. Peddocks is part of the Boston Harbor National Park and is accessible by water taxi.
Stony Brook Gatehouse & pump station
The Stony Brook GatehouseStony Brook Gatehouse
The Stony Brook Gatehouse in The Fenway is part of Boston's Emerald Necklace, designed in the late 1870s to 1880s by noted American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead. The Fenway portion of the Emerald Necklace surrounds the Muddy River, with three bridges wspanning the river...
was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
. The building features a slate roof with distinctive wooden beams and walls of smooth stones of varying cuts. The red mortar used between the stones is similar to that of many of Richardson's other works. A similar companion building, designed by Richardson protege Edmund Wheelright, sits directly next to this structure. It was added at a later date to contain pump equipment for the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. The Stony Brook Gatehouse has since been decommissioned and in 2010 was converted into the headquarters for the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and a visitors' center by Ann Beha Architects.
Boylston Street 'Richardson', Agassiz Road, Higginson Circle 'Fens' & Brookline Avenue bridges
The FenwayThe Fenway
Fenway, commonly referred to as The Fenway, is a mostly one-way, one- to three-lane parkway that runs along the southern and eastern edges of the Back Bay Fens in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston...
portion of the Emerald Necklace surrounds the Muddy River
Muddy River, Massachusetts
The Muddy River is a series of brooks and ponds that runs through sections of Boston's Emerald Necklace, including along the south boundary of Brookline, Massachusetts...
including four major bridges and four minor bridges.
Olmstead asked architect Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
, with whom he had worked frequently in the past, to design these bridges, as well as a gatehouse for the Stony Brook
Stony Brook
Stony Brook, Stonybrook or Stoney Brook may refer to:In California* Farwell, California, once known as StonybrookIn Massachusetts* Stony Brook , a tributary of the Charles River in Boston...
conduit. Although simpler than most Richardson designs, they still highlight Richardson's love of uncut stone and arching masonry. The bridges were constructed either of local puddingstone from the Parker Hill quarry in Roxbury, or of Richardson's signature rose colored granite from Worcester.
The major bridges:
Bowker Overpass: At the northern head of the lagoon is Commonwealth Avenue
Commonwealth Avenue
Commonwealth Avenue is an avenue which may refer to:in Australia*Commonwealth Avenue, Canberrain the Philippines*Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Cityin Singapore*Commonwealth Avenue, Singaporein the United States...
at the north, and to the immediate west is Bowker Overpass
Bowker Overpass
The Bowker Overpass is a steel beam bridge with a suspended deck carrying Charlesgate Street over Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street, and Interstate 90. It connects Boylston Street to Storrow Drive. It runs parallel to the Muddy River...
(a connector bridge from Storrow Drive
Storrow Drive
Storrow Drive is a major cross town expressway in Boston, Massachusetts, running south and west from Leverett Circle along the Charles River. It is a parkway—it is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not permitted on it...
to Boylston Street).
Boylston Street 'Richardson Bridge'
(as named in early Park Department Reports). Built 1883. This is the largest bridge in the Back Bay Fens. It consists of a single large brick archway clad in Worcester Pink Granite.
Agassiz Road Bridge
Built in 1887, it consists of a series of brick archways clad in Roxbury Puddingstone.
Higginson Circle 'Fens Bridge'
(intersection of Avenue Louis Pasteur and The Fenway, it was originally called The Fens Bridge in early Park Department Reports).
Constructed Feb 20—November 17, 1891. It is made of masonry and Roxbury Puddingstone and has a 15 feet (4.6 m) span and a 96 feet (29.3 m) width. According to City Document 11 1892, the original cost in unadjusted dollars was $27,699.34.
Brookline Avenue Bridge
Constructed in 1899, demolished 1954-56, to be recreated in 2011-13 as part of a river restoration project. The Brookline Avenue Bridge was completely demolished when the Muddy River was placed in a culvert at the intersection of Park Drive, Boylston Street, and Brookline Avenue in the 1950s. This bridge will be recreated as part of daylighting and river restoration projects by the Army Corps of Engineers.
The bridges not named for roads they carried were named for prominent local figures' families at the time of construction of the Back Bay Fens: Henry Lee Higginson
Henry Lee Higginson
Henry Lee Higginson was a noted American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.-Family and Early Life:...
, founder of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
, and Louis Agassiz
Louis Agassiz
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz was a Swiss paleontologist, glaciologist, geologist and a prominent innovator in the study of the Earth's natural history. He grew up in Switzerland and became a professor of natural history at University of Neuchâtel...
, a prominent scientist at Harvard
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
, whose daughter Ida married Higginson.
The minor bridges:
Bridle-Path Bridge
Begun August 1893, completed August 13, 1894. It was demolished in 1954-56 for a large roadway reconfiguration. This stone arch bridge ran on a curve from Park Drive (née Audubon Road) to a bridle path running parallel to The Riverway. It will not be reconstructed as part of the Muddy River Restoration Project by the Army Corps of Engineers.
Huntington Avenue Entrance Bridge
This pedestrian bridge runs from Forsyth Way into the Back Bay Fens by the Japanese Bell. It was originally a wooden structure built in 1923 as part of Arthur Shurcliff's reconfiguration of the Back Bay Fens. It was rebuilt as a reinforced concrete bridge with granite cladding, in the 1980s.
Museum Road Bridge
This pedestrian bridge runs from Museum into the Back Bay Fens to a path adjacent to the lagoon across from the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts may refer to:* Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, United States** Museum of Fine Arts , which is near the museum* Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, United States...
. It was originally a wooden structure built in 1923 as part of Arthur Shurcliff's reconfiguration of the Back Bay Fens. It was rebuilt as a reinforced concrete bridge with granite cladding, in the 1980s.
Tremont Street Entrance Bridge
The Tremont Street Entrance to the Back Bay Fens was renamed Evans Way Park after Evans, who donated an entire wing to the neighboring Museum of Fine Arts. The bridge at this location was a wooden structure built in 1923 as part of Arthur Shurcliff's reconfiguration of the Back Bay Fens. It was destroyed by arson in 1964 during a student riot. The abutments remain and there have been many unsuccessful attempts at reconstructing the bridge since. It is expected that at some point following the Muddy River Restoration Project's completion, this bridge will be reconstructed.
Contemporary use
As the Fens park is within an area of Boston that includes such sites as Northeastern University, Boston ConservatoryBoston Conservatory
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
, Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known primarily as a school for jazz, rock and popular music, it also offers college-level courses in a wide range of contemporary and historic styles, including hip...
, the Boston Latin School
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
, the Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, attracting over one million visitors a year. It contains over 450,000 works of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas...
, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is an undergraduate and graduate college located in Boston, Massachusetts, dedicated to the visual arts. It is affiliated with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in partnership with Tufts University...
, Simmons College
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, and the numerous other institutions that comprise the Longwood Medical Area
Longwood Medical and Academic Area
The Longwood Medical and Academic Area is a medical campus in Boston....
, it is a valued and much-frequented green area within the city.
The Fenway Civic Association works with public agencies to enhance and improve this parkland, reduce vehicular traffic, and protect precious urban resources.
The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is headquartered in the park and operates a year round visitor center. Their mission is to restore and maintain the Emerald Necklace Park System through public and private partnerships.