Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion; building a connection from the Greenway to Boston Harbor

3, May, 2010 Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy

We at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy are thrilled to have our partners at Boston Harbor Island Alliance and the National Park Service breaking ground on the Boston Harbor Islands Pavilion – today from 12-3 PM in the Wharf District Parks, across from Quincy Market.

When it opens next year, the pavilion will help further enliven and activate this part of the Greenway which is already a popular destination as the site of the Greenway Carousel (reopening this Friday, May 7). The pavilion –  a 4,500 square foot open-air public facility, built within a 28,000 square foot landscaped footprint –  will serve as a visitor information facility and will offer ferry tickets, schedules, and answers to general questions about the city of Boston. Innovative interpretive exhibits will promote the islands and help visitors learn about their wonderful natural, cultural and historical features.

The pavilion will also provide the capacity for special events, a small retail function and concessions, and serve as a landside environmental education facility that can accommodate groups of kids and/or adults. We are looking forward to collaborating with National Park Service on many programs and activities.

Beginning this week, the Conservancy horticultural staff will start transplanting trees and shrubs to other spaces in the Wharf District Parks, filling in areas where other plants have failed. Updates on construction will be posted periodically on the Greenway’s Facebook page and this blog.