Emerald Necklace Totally Explained

Everything about Emerald Necklace totally explained

The Emerald Necklace consists of an 1,100-acre chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. The Emerald Necklace includes:

Boston Common
Boston Public Garden
Commonwealth Avenue Mall
Back Bay Fens
The Fenway
The Riverway
Olmsted Park
Jamaica Pond
The Jamaicaway
Arnold Arboretum
The Arborway
Franklin Park

The parks are almost contiguous with one another and are irregularly-shaped according to whatever land was available at the time of each park area's foundation. From Boston Common to Franklin Park it's approximately seven miles by foot or bicycle through the parks. Several components of the Emerald Necklace pre-date the plan to unite them. Some links of the Emerald Necklace not only offer an opportunity for recreation in a wooded environment, but are also ecologically-important urban wilds that provide nesting places for migratory birds and improve the air quality of the city.

History

This linear system of parks and parkways was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to connect the Boston Common (dating from the colonial period) and Public Garden (1837) to the great country estate known as Franklin Park.
The project began around 1878 with the effort to clean up and control the marshy area which became the Back Bay and the Fens. In 1880, Olmsted proposed that the Muddy River, which flowed from Jamaica Pond into the Fens, be included in the park plan. The current was dredged into a winding stream and directed into the Charles River. The corridor encompassing the river became a linear park. Olmsted's vision of a linear park of walking paths along a gentle stream connecting numerous small lakes was complete by the turn of the century.

Shape

See Diagram

As implied by the name "Emerald Necklace," these parks don't proceed in a straight line but rather form a sort of "L" shape. The Emerald Necklace begins near Boston's Downtown Crossing, proceeds along the Boston/Brookline border, then curves back into Jamaica Plain. At the south border of Arnold Arboretum, at the point most distant from its beginning, the Emerald Necklace is in Roslindale.
Olmstead's original plan called for a "U" shaped necklace which terminated at Boston Harbor. This final link, The Dorchesterway, was never realized.

Jurisdiction

Arnold Arboretum is leased to and managed by Harvard University.

The west banks of Olmsted Park and the Riverway are under the jurisdiction of Brookline.

The rest of the Emerald Necklace is maintained by the City of Boston and the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Recent improvement

Over the past decade, almost $60 million in capital expenditures for parks and waterway improvements have been made in the Emerald Necklace by the City of Boston and the Town of Brookline. These efforts have included improved pathways, plantings and signage, bridge repairs, and the restoration of boardwalks and buildings. In some areas (especially Franklin Park) these efforts have only begun to address the over 50 years of neglect the Emerald Necklace has suffered.

The Conservancy

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy was established in 1996 to support and build upon public sector initiatives. A not-for-profit organization, the Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a public-private partnership composed of community, business government and institutional representatives, residential neighbors, representatives of Necklace-related associations and interested citizens.

Other areas

There are a few other green areas in the vicinity of the Emerald Necklace that are never considered a part of it but are worth mentioning:

Charles River Esplanade isn't contiguous with the rest of the Necklace but isn't far from Commonwealth Ave and is a scenic greenspace.

Forest Hills Cemetery fills in much of the area of Forest Hills between Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park and is a beautifully-landscaped and waterscaped 275-acre attraction in its own right. It is adjacent to several other large cemeteries.

In recent years, the Massachusetts Audubon Society established the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary on the grounds of the former Boston State Hospital in Mattapan. American Legion Highway separates the santuary from Forest Hills Cemetery.

Larz Anderson Park is a wooded, landscaped, and waterscaped 64-acre parkland that extends into Brookline from the vicinity of Jamaica Pond. It was donated to the public in 1948.

VFW Parkway and West Roxbury Parkway extend from one corner of the Arboretum towards Dedham and Brookline respectively. They are bordered by cemeteries, river banks, and other green spaces.

Columbus Road in Dorchester, once intended to be the final link in the Emerald Necklace, has recently undergone improvements under the guidance of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Sites along the Necklace

Along or near the Emerald Necklace one can find:

Hatch Shell

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Fenway Park

Massachusetts College of Art

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

Massachusetts State House

Northeastern University

Saint Clement's Eucharistic Shrine

Simmons College

Suffolk University

Symphony Hall

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Wheelock College ==

Further Information

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