Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio participated in The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s “What’s Out There” Weekend in Boston on September 12-13. This free, in-person event featured expert-led tours of some of Boston’s most beloved landscapes, gardens, parks, and cultural institutions. TCLF’s goal is to encourage the public to engage with the outdoor spaces that shape their communities and learn more about the thought and planning that went into the design of some of the world’s most iconic outdoor spaces.
Bob Uhlig and Iris Lin joined executive director, Dave Barnett and Vice President of Cemetery and Visitor Services, Bree Harvey to discuss Mount Auburn Cemetery’s historic landscape, ongoing efforts to protect and enhance the grounds, and implemented projects from the comprehensive master plan developed by Halvorson that have allowed the institution to expand its burial and memorialization options.
Cynthia Smith and Charles Kozlowski led tours of the Norman B. Leventhal Park at Post Office Square, the transformative replacement of a surface-level garage with a welcoming new green oasis in Boston’s busy Financial District. They discussed the history of the project, the influences that shaped Halvorson’s final, award-winning design, and how we’re working with the Friends of Post Office Square to continue improving the park, which has been a favorite gathering spot of business professionals since its opening.
What’s Out There® Weekend is an extension of The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s online What’s Out There database, a comprehensive resource with thousands of projects, images and profiles of designers.
A sampling of parks in which Halvorson has been involved includes:
Mount Auburn Cemetery – Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio has been collaborating with Mount Auburn Cemetery staff to restore and maintain this important landscape since completing the cemetery’s first comprehensive master plan in 1993. Our landscape architects have been responsible for implementing several award-winning improvements, including the design of the new Asa Gray Garden and landscape improvements related to the restoration and addition to historic Bigelow Chapel by William Rawn Associates Architects.
Norman B. Leventhal Park at Post Office Square - Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio has been working with the Friends of Post Office Square to enhance and maintain this popular park since its opened. In the summer of 2019, Halvorson teamed with the Friends of Post Office Square to design a new outdoor terrace that has enabled Sip Cafe to expand their capacity and provides them with a flexible new space to host events.
Boston City Hall Plaza – Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio, in collaboration with HDR, renovated the MBTA Government Center plaza to improve accessibility and circulation around the new headhouse. This award-winning transformation creates a welcoming gathering space offering a variety of seating options, introduces shade trees to define the space, and uses a permeable, structurally stable paving system to capture stormwater.
Charles River Esplanade – In addition to early involvement in the Charles River Basin Master Plan and Esplanade 2020 Vision, which set the stage for future improvements to this important section of the Emerald Necklace. Halvorson has a long history of collaboration, designing the nature-themed Esplanade Playspace, restoring the Lotta Fountain, introducing new signage and wayfinding, improving drainage for the Hatch Shell Lawn, and memorializing Charles Eliot.
Rose Kennedy Greenway – Halvorson | Tighe & Bond collaborated with several firms on the Central Artery master plan that resulted in this beloved park. We were later engaged by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society to develop a series of gardens and open spaces for three of the Greenway parcels.
Christopher Columbus Park – This beloved waterfront park, originally designed by Sasaki, Dawson & DeMay, has long drawn residents and tourists to its expansive lawn overlooking the Boston Harbor. In 1999, Halvorson renovated the park to reorganize circulation, improve accessibility, expand the lawn space, and open up views of the water.
Boston Public Garden – Halvorson is working with the Friends of the Public Garden to restore and redesign a pair of fountains—"Boy and Bird” by Bashka Paeff and “Small Child” by Mary E. Moore—located near the George Washington statue. The fountains, which both feature bronze sculptures on granite bases placed in bricked basins, are being redesigned to increase their visibility and provide new seating opportunities.
Franklin Park – Halvorson developed the first comprehensive long-range master plan for this historic Olmsted park, which set the stage for a variety of improvements to restore and improve this beloved green space over the past 30 years. Currently Franklin Park is undergoing a new comprehensive master plan (by Reed Hilderbrand in collaboration with Agency Landscape + Planning and MASS Design Group).