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BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY M3(6lO> .:.PU3UCLIBRARY 6QV3*KKJ1DOCUMENTSDEPARTMENT 7^ APR 2 6 2000 Back Bay/Beacon Hill Open Space Plan 2000 RenewingtheLegacy ... FulfillingtheVision City of Boston & Parks Recreation Department H ThomasM. Menino JustineM. Lift Mayor CommissionerofParks&Recreation Tosubmitcomments,pleasecallAldoGhirinat635-4505x6515,fax635-3256or [email protected] TheNeighborhoods BackBay-BeaconHill TheSetting TheCharlesRiverBasin provideswater-relatedrecreational History opportunitiesandaquatichabitat. FishladdersattheCharlesRiver Geology,Soils,andTopography Damallowsomeanadromous speciestoreachfreshwaterbreeding LikeCentralBoston,humans areas,mostnotablyAtlanticherring. haveextensivelymodifiedtheBack TheBasinisalsoanimportant BayandBeaconHill. TheBackBay, feedingandrestingareafor ofcourse,getsitsnamefromits winteringwaterfowl. originalexistenceasabroad,shallow tidalmarshwithintheCharlesRiver BeaconHilltakesitsname estuary. Today,theentiretyofthe fromthesentrylighterectedonits neighborhoodsitsupon15to30feet peaktowarnsettlersofthe ofartificialfill,depositedoverthree MassachusettsBayColonyincaseof centuries. Muchofthefillmaterial athreatfromIndiansorforeign camefromtheoriginalBeaconHill. invaders. Thesouthslopeasitexists ThepresentdayMassachusetts todaybegantoemergeinthe1790s StatehousesitsatopBeaconHillat withthebuildingofthepresentState anelevationofapproximately93 House. Startingatthistime,thehill feet. Priortohumanintervention, wasreshapedandtheoldbeacon however,BeaconHillactually takendown. consistedofthreepeaks,allinexcess of100feet,withthehighestover140 Cuttingandfillingallowed feet. Thisledtheearliestsettlersto thedevelopmentofLouisburg calltheareaTrimount,later SquareandMt.VernonStreetfor modifiedtoTremont. Although substantialhouselots. Thenorth widelydescribedasadrumlin,the slopehadthreesectionsbythelatter originalBeaconHilldidnothavethe 1700s: statelyhousesaround correctshapenorwascomprisedof BowdoinSquare,anAfrican- thecorrectmaterial,glacialtill,tobe AmericancommunitybetweenJoy soclassified. Thehillismore andPhilipsstreetsanda"redlight" actuallydescribedasaremnantend districtneartheCharlesRiver. The morainewithsignificantlayersof northslopechangedduelargelyto stratifiedsandandgravelwhichwas constructionoftheMassachusetts mostlikelyderivedpriorto,and GeneralHospitalcomplexandof subsequentlymodifiedby,themost tenementandapartmentbuildingsin recentglacialevent. the1800s. WaterResources,Vegetation,and TheBackBayoriginally FisheriesandWildlife referredtoatidalbodyofwateron OpenSpacePlan Pagel TheNeighborhoods BackBay-BeaconHill thewesternedgeoftheShawmut continuingdesigncontrols. The Peninsulawhichstretchedfrom Common,PublicGardenand BrooklinetotheCommon. Adam, CommonwealthAvenueMallare finishedin1821toharnessindustrial designatedCityofBoston waterpower,ranalongwhatisnow Landmarks. Inaddition,the BeaconStreet,fromCharlesStreetto CommonandGardenareNational present-dayKenmoreSquare. HistoricLandmarks(thehighesttier Stagnantwaterandseweragesoon oflistingintheNationalHistoric ledtodemandstofillthearea. RegisterofHistoricPlaces.) LandfillbeganatthePublicGarden andextendedwest. Fromthe1850s DEMOGRAPHICS/HOUSING tothe1890s,theentireareawas filledbeyondKenmoreSquareand Theaveragehouseholdsizeis northtothepresentlocationof relativelysmall,1.6persons. Group StorrowDrive. quartersaccommodate12%ofthe area'spopulationduetoanumberof Parisianboulevardswerethe collegestudentsandsomelodging inspirationforthelinearplanofthe housetenants. Thisfigure,however, BackBaywithitsstatelytree-lined hasdiminishedfrom17%in1990 spineofCommonwealthAvenue. duetotherecentsurgeinproperty Bycontrast,anEnglishmodelwith values. Themedianageof35.8is squaresinfluencedthelayoutof higherthanthecity-widemedianof BeaconHillandtheSouthEnd. The 32.7years. BackBaydevelopedquicklywith fashionabletownhousesreflecting Therelativeaffluenceofthe theaffluenceofitsresidences. Deed BackBayandBeaconHill restrictionscreatedconsistencyfor neighborhoodsisreflectedinan buildingheights,setbacksand averageannualhouseholdincomeof masonryconstruction. $109,047,comparedto$56,110forthe cityatlarge. Anotherindicemore Intherealmofmorerecent indirectlysupportsthearea's history,developmentofthe affluence: 75%ofBackBayand Massachusettsturnpike,the BeaconHillresidentshaveacollege PrudentialCenterandCopleyPlace degree,whileonly30%ofcity havecreatedarelativelynewmajor residentsasawholehaveachieved commercialandhotelcomplex. thiseducationalstatus. Afinal Also,inthepastdecade,retail indicatorofthearea'srelative activityhasbeenupgraded affluenceisthat76%ofthehousing substantiallyonNewburyStreet. stockintheBackBayandonBeacon BothBeaconHillandBackBayare Hillisvaluedatmorethan$500,000. nowunderhistoricdistrict Forthecityasawhole,thisfigureis designationswhichprovide 2%. OpenSpacePlan Page2