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Blackstone and Franklin Squares are public parks located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
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| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2009) |
Blackstone and Franklin Squares are public parks located in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
The two squares are separated by Washington Street and bounded on the north by Brookline Street, to the east by St George Street, to the south by Newton Street, and to the west by Shawmut Avenue. An iron fence surrounds the perimeter of each square, with entrances at each of the corners. There is also an entrance to Blackstone Square at the intersection of Pembroke Street and Shawmut Avenue and a fifth entrance to Franklin Square along Newton Street.
Blackstone Square encompasses 2.44 acres (0.99 ha) and Franklin Square spans 2.48 acres (1.00 ha). Both are maintained under Land and Water Conservation Fund of the National Park Service [1]
The squares operate under Article 97 of the Massachusetts State Constitution, which states:
... The people shall have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive and unnecessary noise, and the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic qualities of their environment; and the protection of the people in their right to the conservation, development and utilization of the agricultural, mineral, forest, water, air and other natural resources is hereby declared to be a public purpose.
In the furtherance of the foregoing powers, the general court shall have the power to provide for the taking, upon payment of just compensation therefor, or for the acquisition by purchase or otherwise, of lands and easements or such other interests therein as may be deemed necessary to accomplish these purposes.
Lands and easements taken or acquired for such purposes shall not be used for other purposes or otherwise disposed of except by laws enacted by a two thirds vote, taken by yeas and nays, of each branch of the general court. The general court shall have the power to enact legislation necessary or expedient to protect such rights. [2]
Blackstone and Franklin Square can be reached by the MBTA Silver Line routes SL4 and SL5, and bus routes #8 and #10. [3]
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Charles Bulfinch, who created the plan for the South End, originally intended the two squares to be one, calling it Columbia Square. [4] Franklin Square opened in 1849 and Blackstone Square subsequently opened in 1855.
The St. James Hotel, now the Franklin Square House Apartments, served as the exterior backdrop of the popular 1980's NBC hospital drama series, St. Elsewhere . [5]
In 1979, after years of neglect, local resident Brian Davidson began an effort to clean up the squares. He personally picked up trash and after several years the city of Boston began a revitalization project that included new fences, fountains, benches, and trees.[ citation needed ]
A variety of trees are planted in and around the parks. Surrounding the exterior perimeter of the park are Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum). Inside the park and lining the walkways are Silver Linden (Tilia tomentosa). There is a large White Oak (Quercus alba) in Franklin Square as well.
There are two identical fountains, one in each square, located centrally at the intersection of the walkways. At the base of each fountain are four stylized fish surrounding an ornate pedestal that holds a large bowl in the shape of a seashell.
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) as part of the MBTA subway system. The line runs south and east underground from Alewife station in North Cambridge through Somerville and Cambridge, surfacing to cross the Longfellow Bridge then returning to tunnels under Downtown Boston. It continues underground through South Boston, splitting into two branches on the surface at JFK/UMass station. The Ashmont branch runs southwest through Dorchester to Ashmont station, where the connecting light rail Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line continues to Mattapan station. The Braintree branch runs southwest through Quincy and Braintree to Braintree station.
The South End is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is bordered by Back Bay, Chinatown, and Roxbury. It is distinguished from other neighborhoods by its Victorian style houses and the many parks in and around the area. The South End is the largest intact Victorian row house district in the country, as it is made up of over 300 acres. Eleven residential parks are contained within the South End. In 1973, the South End was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Much of the South End was originally marshlands in Boston's South Bay. After being filled in, construction of the neighborhood began in 1849.
The Silver Line is a system of bus routes in Boston and Chelsea, Massachusetts, operated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It is operated as part of the MBTA bus system, but branded as bus rapid transit (BRT) as part of the MBTA subway system. Six routes are operated as part of two disconnected corridors. As of 2019, weekday ridership on the Silver Line was 39,000.
Copley Square, named for painter John Singleton Copley, is a public square in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, bounded by Boylston Street, Clarendon Street, St. James Avenue, and Dartmouth Street. Prior to 1883 it was known as Art Square due to its many cultural institutions, some of which remain today. It was proposed as a Boston Landmark.
South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station—is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan International Airport. Located at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Summer Street in Dewey Square, Boston, Massachusetts, the historic station building was constructed in 1899 to replace the downtown terminals of several railroads. Today, it serves as a major intermodal domestic transportation hub, with service to the Greater Boston region and the Midwestern and Northeastern United States. It is used by thousands of commuter rail and intercity rail passengers daily. Connections to the rapid transit Red Line and bus rapid transit Silver Line are made through the adjacent subway station.
Airport station is a rapid transit station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the MBTA Blue Line and the SL3 branch of the Silver Line. It is located in East Boston under the interchange between Interstate 90 and Massachusetts Route 1A. The station provides one of two mass transit connections to the nearby Logan International Airport, as well as serving local residents in East Boston. Shuttle buses connect the station with the airport terminals and other facilities.
Central station is an Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rapid transit station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It serves the Red Line and has a street-level terminal for the MBTA bus system. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue with Western Avenue, Prospect Street, and Magazine Street at Central Square.
Downtown Crossing station, is a rapid transit station located in the Downtown Crossing retail district in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the junction of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line and Red Line, and is one of four "hub stations" on the MBTA subway system. Downtown Crossing is also a major bus transfer location serving 13 MBTA bus routes, including one Silver Line route.
Boylston station is a light rail station on the MBTA Green Line in downtown Boston, Massachusetts, located on the southeast corner of Boston Common at the intersection of Boylston Street and Tremont Street. A southbound street-level stop for the SL5 route of the bus rapid transit Silver Line is outside fare control. The station has two island platforms; each has one disused track, making them effectively side platforms. Boylston is not accessible for Green Line trains.
Fields Corner station is a rapid transit station on the Ashmont branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Red Line, located in the Fields Corner district of Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts. It serves as a major transfer point for MBTA bus service. The station opened in 1927 and was completely rebuilt from 2004 to 2008, making it fully accessible.
The Franklin Line, also called the Franklin/Foxboro Line, is part of the MBTA Commuter Rail system. It runs from Boston's South Station in a southwesterly direction toward Franklin, Massachusetts, utilizing the Northeast Corridor before splitting off onto the namesake Franklin Branch. Most Franklin Line trains connect to the Providence/Stoughton Line at Readville, though some weekday trains use the Dorchester Branch to access South Station. Most weekday trains, and all weekend trains, bypass Hyde Park.
Chinatown station is a rapid transit station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line, located at the edge of the Chinatown neighborhood in downtown Boston. The station has two offset side platforms, which run under Washington Street from Hayward Place to Lagrange Street. The three entrances are located at the intersection of Washington Street with Essex and Boylston streets. Like all Orange Line stations, both the subway platforms and all bus connections are fully accessible.
Washington Square is a neighborhood in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Park Street is a small but historic road in the center of Boston, Massachusetts. It begins at the top of Beacon Hill, at the intersection of Beacon Street, where it is lined up with the front of the Massachusetts State House. It then spills down the hill toward Tremont Street, with Boston Common to its west.
Franklin/Dean College is an MBTA Commuter Rail station located in Franklin, Massachusetts near Dean College. It serves the Franklin Line, for which it was the terminus from 1966 to 1988. The station has a mid-sized park and ride lot to serve town residents; Forge Park/495 station is intended to serve commuters from other nearby towns. The 1912-built station building still serves as a waiting hall and café, open during morning commute hours on weekdays. Franklin/Dean College station has a single side platform serving the line's single track; it is not accessible.
Readville station is a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail station located in the Readville section of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is served by MBTA Commuter Rail Fairmount Line and Franklin Line. Readville is the outer terminus for most Fairmount service, though some trips continue as Franklin Line trains. The station is located at a multi-level junction, with the Northeast Corridor tracks at ground level and the Dorchester Branch above; Franklin lines use a connecting track with a separate platform. Platforms are available for the Providence/Stoughton Line on the Northeast Corridor tracks, but they are not regularly used. An MBTA maintenance and storage yard and a CSX Transportation freight yard are located near the station.
Shawmut station is a subway station in Boston, Massachusetts. It serves the Ashmont branch of the MBTA's Red Line. It is located on Dayton Street in the Dorchester neighborhood. The station, the only underground station on the Red Line south of Andrew station, sits in a shallow cut-and-cover subway tunnel that runs from Park Street south to Peabody Square where it surfaces at Ashmont station. Shawmut opened along with Ashmont on September 1, 1928, as part of a southward extension of the Cambridge–Dorchester line.
Chester Square is a residential garden square located along Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, between Tremont Street and Shawmut Avenue. The name "Chester" is derived from the original name of the street, which was renamed Massachusetts Avenue on March 1, 1894. Chester Park is also located in the historic South End of Boston.
The South Station Bus Terminal, owned by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is the main gateway for long-distance coach buses in Boston, Massachusetts. It is located at 700 Atlantic Avenue, at the intersection with Beach Street, in the Chinatown/Leather District neighborhoods. The facility is immediately south-southwest of the main MBTA/Amtrak South Station terminal, and is located above the station platforms and tracks.
Brigham Circle is located at the intersection of Tremont Street and Huntington Avenue in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The commercial center of Mission Hill, it forms the southern tip of the Longwood Medical Area.
