Hey, there! Log in / Register
It was a massive public-works project that didn't get all the large amenities its builders promised
By adamg on Fri, 02/18/2011 - 7:53am
No, not the Big Dig and the Greenway. The dam at the mouth of the Charles River. Eric Papetti draws the parallel between that Big Dig of the turn of the century (the 20th century, that is), with today's big turn-of-the-century project. He quotes from Karl Haglund's Inventing the Charles River:
As a public open space, however, many people declared the basin a failure. "It is, indeed, a wondrous picture - of still life. The breathing space is there, plenty of it, the broad sheet of almost currentless water is there, but the people - where are they? They are not there." ... Although the lower Charles was a "scenic and sanitary triumph, it failed to live up to expectations as a water park." ... For a number of Bostonians, the water park was a great disappointment.
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
It's worth noting the current
It's worth noting the current incarnation of basin with the Esplanade and whatnot didn't come until much later. The basin evolved to attract users. Something which hasn't happened with the world's most expensive median strip.
Huh? to your last sentence.
Huh? to your last sentence. You just said it took time for the basin to evolve.
That's the whole point
The Basin took decades to become what it is now. I think the Hatch Shell was the single most important factor in bringing people to the Esplanade.
Funny, I was just walking
Funny, I was just walking along the Cambridge-side and thinking about the Charles river dam, and how it's a shame that this area is primarily now a highway, but at least you can walk there.