Long-Planned Park Named For Neighborhood Activist Could Be Done This Summer

The Boston Parks and Recreation Commission met on March 26, and the proceedings yielded some positive news for South Enders.

According to a story in the South End News, commissioners heard a progress report regarding the Frieda Garcia Children’s Park, which had faced an uncertain future following the collapse of the Columbus Center Project in 2010, but now could be completed as early as this summer. 

The park has been in the works since 2004, and this latest design was unveiled last year after the project’s future hung in the balance for many months.

The space is named for longtime South End community activist, Frieda Garcia, who has a lengthy history of service in the neighborhood, including 20 years as executive director of United South End Settlement. Garcia was also formerly a board member of United Way and a founding member of the Alianza Hispana.

According to a Boston Globe article from Sept., 2011, Garcia said she was honored to have the park named after her and said the design looks “quite beautiful.”

Rob Adams, of Halvorson Design Partnership, and John Durnan, a property director for Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, the parent company of John Hancock Financial Services, spoke at the meeting, and said the park is designed for children aged five through 12, and will feature two play areas with rubber ground covering below.

The park will be located at Clarendon and Stanhope Streets, across the street from the Back Bay/South End MBTA station, according to the South End News.

A “brown bag” area will also be created, where residents can enjoy some down time on several benches. While dogs will not be allowed in the children’s park, there will be two adjacent areas covered with gravel and featuring refuse-bag dispensers for the convenience of dog walkers.

The site where the park is set to be created is owned by John Hancock at present, but ownership will be transferred to the City of Boston once the project is finished.

A “Friends of Frieda Garcia Park” group has already been established, and will be responsible for maintaining the park once it is completed.

According to the report, the group already has $1 million in funds for the operation of the park, provided by John Hancock and other area businesses.

Other Notes

Restoration of fountains in Blackstone and Franklin Parks is set to begin this fall, beginning with the Blackstone fountain. The more intensive repairs needed at Franklin Park will follow, according to the South End News.