North End Parks

North End Parks

Framing the prime entry to downtown Boston’s densest historic neighborhood, the North End Parks are part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a series of green spaces built on the lid of Boston’s “Big Dig” project. GGN’s design for these two adjacent parcels restored views and street connections that were severed for decades by the elevated highway. The North End Parks are now the most popular Greenway destination in Boston.

Through local collaboration and public meetings, GGN created the Home and City Crossing concept. This concept recognized that the site had always been a physical and social threshold. The residents’ traditional, lively street culture is celebrated in the parks’ design of furnished terraces, intimate garden spaces, and interactive water features. A large pergola defines the North End neighborhood’s gateway and ‘front porch’ as a place to gather, to stroll, and to be seen.

Details

Location: Boston, MA
Size: 2.8 acres
Client: Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
Completion Date: 2007

Project Team

GGN, Design Landscape Architect
Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge, LA of Record
CMS Collaborative, Fountain Consultant
Ripman Lighting, Consultants
American History Workshop, Historical Consultant