Boston Common Overhaul

today
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Who maintains the umbrellas and bistro sets? Is it the Parks Dept, or is it a public/private type deal?
 
As much as I love trees in the city, that big ass tree in the lawn directly in front of the State House sure messes up some beautiful photo opps!! Fountain overhaul looks like a job well done!!
 
atlantaden said:
As much as I love trees in the city, that big ass tree in the lawn directly in front of the State House sure messes up some beautiful photo opps!! Fountain overhaul looks like a job well done!!
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Atlanta -- try suggesting taking the tree down to improve a photo op -- you would be better off commending Isreal in Tehran
 
Tree needs to go. Messes up terminated vista. Or, instead, is the wrong termination for the vista. Poor decision to plant there.
 
Is that true? I always wondered what the story was behind that tree. I've hated it and wished it was moved, but if it really predates the statehouse I think I have a new admiration for it. That would be one old tree.
 
I heard some where that it is one of the last elm trees or something. It survived dutch elm disease or something and is now a rare species.
 
^^ That is the story I've heard as well. But I'm pretty sure I've heard it here, so...
 
well it doesn't matter because the elms on the common are finally succumbing to Dutch Elm. They have had to tear down 4 in the past year, so this ones days many be numbered as well.
 
found5dollar said:
well it doesn't matter because the elms on the common are finally succumbing to Dutch Elm. They have had to tear down 4 in the past year, so this ones days many be numbered as well.
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It's not so much about succumbing to Dutch elm, they're old trees, they would have succumbed a long of time ago, had they not been chemically treated. Dutch elm disease is a fungal infection that prevents elms from maturing to full growth. It is quite treatable nowadays and there are new hybrids that are resistant to the infection. Most, if not all, of the new trees on the recently renovated mall are American elms, the official tree of the Commonwealth.
 
briv said:
Is that true? I always wondered what the story was behind that tree. I've hated it and wished it was moved, but if it really predates the statehouse I think I have a new admiration for it. That would be one old tree.
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No chance that the tree predates the State House

the building dates from 1795 -- the tree perhaps mid-late 19th Century when a lot of the Common was redone (e.g. the fountain, most of the paths the subway entrances, the 54th Monument and steps from Beacon St.)
 
I too have wondered why that tree is there and why they let it grow in the middle of this vista in the first place. There must be some reason that it exists. Someone should go to the The Boston Urban Forest Council's "tree stroll" through the common and ask about it for me.
 
BostonObserver said:
Boston is just a pale New York wanna be!
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I disagree. Granted NYC is wonderful in many ways, and a fun place to visit, but Boston is unique in what it was, and what it is. That being a city on a much more human scale. I think Boston has always admired many things NYC has to offer, and has tried to incorporate some of its successful ventures, but I've never thought it was envious of or tried to mirror an image of NYC. Boston, IMO, is quite confident in it's own history, institutions, and culture. Boston doesn't need to be a wanna be to any city. So when you say Boston is a pale NYC wanna be, it's like saying Venice is a pale wanna be to Rome. It sounds unreasonable to compare the two.
 
Regarding the Brewer fountain and the view of the State House, it might be that the tree was planted somewhere in the mid-1800's. Look at this image from ~1905.

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There are three trees in the upper-left hand corner; two on the Common and one up on Beacon Street.

If you look at the image below, you can see the tree which we all agree keeps us from seeing the State House at its best.

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But, an unrelated question arises. The orientation of the Brewer fountain differs between the two photos - and, therefore, between the two years. The images below show the same orientation of the fountain, but to achieve this, I had to move to a completely different location on the Common.

Was the Brewer fountain picked up and moved? It appears so. Was this done when they redid the fountain during the past couple of years? Maybe.

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The fountain looks closer to the State House in the historical photo.
 
1905? You may be off a bit. Might the Brewer have been moved for the construction of Park Street Station and the Subway in 1895-1897?
 
It was indeed moved at some point in the distant past, closer to the street and therefore to the subway line....
 
Corey said:
I too have wondered why that tree is there and why they let it grow in the middle of this vista in the first place. There must be some reason that it exists. Someone should go to the The Boston Urban Forest Council's "tree stroll" through the common and ask about it for me.
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BTW, originally the Common had relatively few trees, as it was used mostly for grazing. The idea of a public park came much later in the 19th C when Beacon Hill was being developed, gardens sold off for in-fill town houses, and farms parceled for new streets.
 
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