Boston Common Overhaul

I was at park street this morning, the fountain, the new grass and granite curb leading up to and framing the state house look great. The tables with umbrellas are a great softening touch that make it very enjoyable. When the T finishes with the elevator (which they were doing welding outside so i imagine shortly), the place will be great.

Truly a great outdoor space. Very pleased with it all around.
 
I love the common but the last time I was down there I noticed alot more drug addicts and bums hanging out.
 
choo said:
I was at park street this morning, the fountain, the new grass and granite curb leading up to and framing the state house look great. The tables with umbrellas are a great softening touch that make it very enjoyable. When the T finishes with the elevator (which they were doing welding outside so i imagine shortly), the place will be great.

Truly a great outdoor space. Very pleased with it all around.
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A breath of fresh positive commenting!
 
TheRifleman said:
I love the common but the last time I was down there I noticed alot more drug addicts and bums hanging out.
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The seem to stick to the pathway paralleling Park Street, not the rehabbed path.

They're the trashiest of all trash, too. They shit and piss themselves, swear their heads off really loudly over nothing, and raise their hands at their trashy women threatening to punch them.
 
BostonUrbEx said:
The seem to stick to the pathway paralleling Park Street, not the rehabbed path.

They're the trashiest of all trash, too. They shit and piss themselves, swear their heads off really loudly over nothing, and raise their hands at their trashy women threatening to punch them.
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They're always fighting and screaming at each other too.
 
cozzyd said:
So? The Common isn't just for rich people.
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The derelicts on the Common are a special breed which in a saner world would be cared for in Asylums.

I happen to love the new plaza. It's much cleaner and pleasant with the tables and the occasional piano sonata. The Brewer Fountain helps drown out the traffic noise, cools down the entire area, and most importantly has significantly dispersed the legions of pigeons. I really wish the entire Tremont Street side could be redone and perhaps a fountain plaza be located similarly at Boylston Street Station.
 
found5dollar said:
I didn't know where to put this, but this thread seemed as good as any.

Did you know that after then built the Charles Brigham extension on the State House they were planning on tearing down the Bullfinch designed facade? Thank god they didn't.

I was researching the Sacred Cod of Massachusetts for the wiki article i am writing ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Cod_of_Massachusetts ) and stumbled across this article from February 22, 1895.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...31&dq=sacred+cod+of+massachusetts+today&hl=en

It states :
"The annex is to be connected with the old state house by an arch across Mount Vernon street, and it is extremely probable that the entire old front will soon be torn down and replaced with a much larger modern fire proof front modeled on the lines of the original Bullfinch front."

Crazy no? Never knew this almost happened.
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Found$ -- to build the two wings on either side of Bulfinch they tore down John Hancock's House -- quite possibly the finest Colonial Period house in the US still standing as of the Civil War

Hancock_House.jpg


of course earlier Sam Adams led the destruction of Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson's House

Foster_Hutchinson_house_FleetSt_Boston.png


Still standing as late as 1920 though in a damaged conditon the Province House was finally torn down in 1922 -- today only the stairs to the garden remain on Province St.

Province_House1.jpg


PS: even the Old State House was nearly sold to Chicago or demolished in 1881 because of a planned real estate development
 
choo said:
I was at park street this morning, the fountain, the new grass and granite curb leading up to and framing the state house look great. The tables with umbrellas are a great softening touch that make it very enjoyable. When the T finishes with the elevator (which they were doing welding outside so i imagine shortly), the place will be great.

Truly a great outdoor space. Very pleased with it all around.
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was there on Wedsday looked great!
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So they've Bryant Park-ified it.

I've always hated that tree ruining the vista from the fountain toward the State House facade.
 
Reminds me of how much fountains can completely elevate a space. It's a shame Boston doesn't have many more.
 
Tombstoner said:
Reminds me of how much fountains can completely elevate a space. It's a shame Boston doesn't have many more.
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I think my favorite may be the fish fountain at City Square Park in Charlestown. That really is a fabulous park, but for some reason it seems empty most times I drive by.
 
czsz said:
I've always hated that tree ruining the vista from the fountain toward the State House facade.
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It's funny, I was kinda thinking the same thing. I would never push to take it down, but if it were gone the view would be great.
 
^ Isnt it like one of the last elms that survived dutch elm disease or something? I remember there being a very good reason to not chop it down.
 
This really does look great. The Common is living up to its potential -- at least in parts.
 
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