, ,_;;\ &~cf '// . EMERALD {~ECKLACE MASTER PLAN - Prepared For Department of Environmental Management - OLMSTE~ HISTORIC " LANDSCAPE - PRESERVATION PROGRAM · - Prepated By -. WALMSLEY I PRESSLEY JOINT VENTURE • , ..• /1 • • / • ~ I • I .. ( c - - . F.XF.ctn1VF. SUMMARY This report presents :I Master Plan (or the restoration and long Environmental Manacement, with the 1011 of crntinl lonl­ ran.:c management of lhe four parks that constitute the Muddy lerm rehabilitation frameworks 10 laMle III rutare planninl. River chain of parks of the Emcnld Necklilce - Jamaica Pond, management, maintenance and presefYItion x'toft on these Olmsted Park. the Riverway. and the Back Day Fens, designed imporlant pieces of our herilale. by Frederick law Olmsted. Sr .• and his associates Charles Eliot, John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. • in Ihe The Emenld Necklace Muter I'tan is a balanced. period from 1171 to 119S. comprehensive and technically detailed puk advocac:y document thlt sets forth specific and realistic: loils that are to As the premier example of a 19th century linear park system be realized in phases Ofti' the Relr 10 Ionl-term. The Emerald desi!" baed Oft • watereotfne and set,," by parkways, the Necklace M3!ler PlI_ weiChs conletllponry uses, existine Emerakl Necklace. now enteriftl its second century. has . physical condition, .1Id lhe armnt maintenance and enormottS historical silnirtaftee. It was lhe mosllmbilious mlftaeement capabilities of its ownen, Ipinst lhe hislorical combination of landscape architect_reo metropolitan Irea inlenl of the park system in order to (ormulate I realislic plannina Ind enaineeri"1 thl' Olmsted ever completed in any of strategy for restoration. the cities in which he worked. It was one of Ihe larlnt public . works ever .neler.ake.. by .he City of Boslon and the Town of This report is orpnized in foal' parts. The ••c ••,.. •• '01' the . Brookline. Now, over a hulldred yet" tater, the Emerald PI •• summlrizes infonnltiott. compiled darinethe Inyentory N~klace parks system, lionS with other Olmsted parks in and Analysis staSes of the work. His •.,., coven ...aterial on Massachnetts altd else_here Ire showina silns of their ace. In Olmsled Ind the E.nenJd Necklace which puts lhe Boston and 1914, M3SSXhusens became the fint state in Ihe nation to Brookline project in the contexl of his life work Ind initiate a Pf'OIram to preser.e the historic: urban parks desilned Ichievements. ..,.k.t C ....tlon doc.ments the principal by Olmsted and his contemponries, Ind 10 restore the teglcy findines or the site ift~ntory Ind exislins conditions. for the future. That initiative, the OI.stf4 Hlst.rlc L•• 4snpe C.. le.' .... " Usn records the results Ind conchnions or a PI'~,~ ..... tl •• h!l.I'••. is administel'ed by the Depal'fmenl or User Survey and Community Needs Analysis. E.lsti_1 III Mana.:e ...e.t ••4 M.i.'e••• ce describ~s Ih~ iS5ur5 r"i5rd h~ Itu! Facilities; and Manalement Ind Maintenance. flrr"c~1 m"nal~menl !itruclure and mainfenance praclice5. • \V.tuco."~ recommendations include stabilizing The Muler 'I•• sets forth a vision for the Ememld N~ckla ce abuuinl slopes lhal dnin info water bodies; iacreasinl for recoverin. OImsted's ori,inal concept or a uniried syslem or water depths and no..,; reducins pollu.to. Ind linked parks by: reinstatinl water-edp plantinp. This pi.... does not provide detailed scopes (or lhe proposed watercourse • Reconnectin. the watercourse; improvements. However. it recosnizes tM' such • Mililltinl the adverse impact or physical barriers or. improvements are essentill to the successrul completion beller. eventuall, elimiNtinll them; or the historic landscape resfOf'ltion inif"'i.e. • Removinl-break" in the parks· circulation and (.nction; . • I ••~ ....I Oml•• Io. proposals emphasize res.orinl the • Jmprovinl and diwenifyinl park landscapes; historic links between parks; improvinl .ccess; • Reloicatin, or reorienti". inconlruous recr~ational dirrerentiltins between rotIles for (aster ..avinl Klivilies; bicycles lAd joslen Ind ones ror pedestri.ns; and • Coordinalini consistent manalement practices; and creal inS and maintaininsa rulty r.netio,," system or • 'IICreasinllnd enhanc;nl reaular mainlenance. walks. cyclinllnd joginl Pllhs, Ind drives. The rationate luidinl both system-wide and individual park • SUllestions (or 'a .. k.. a" . which were OI'itinally park proposah is derived from four perspectives: history. physical drives. rocus on overcomins the blrrien Ie ped~strian conditions. conlemponry uses. and manalemenl Dnd access to and between the parks created b, heavy maintenance. By balancin.these (our points of view. th~ values commuter trafric; eapiorinl ways of miticllinlthe of Irutesl importance 10 -=-:h seame •• or the system are efrect or vehicular trarfic; and recrulinS the parkways' clariried and laken inlo IICCOWnt in decision makinl. Genera'. as scenic qualilies. well as specific system-wide recommendations fo'tow. Irouped under siJl headinp: Waterco.ne; Internal Circulation; • LI ••K.~ C"IIM"'" proposals are limed It restorinl Parkways; Landscape Composition; Uses. Struclure5 and the richness Ind diversit, of the orilinal plant communities; controlfinl :lInd eradic:uinR inv3~iv(' d~velopinl consistent park re,ulations and polk in: sfltcies; and strenltheninl the p3rk "'3yS' rnrm31 3\'('nu(' rrmnvinR evidence of vandalism and Mc'eel; and fI'3ntin~ on the urban stele of the rn3dw3~·. "'hilr conlinuinsand eJ.pandinc cooperative prOlrams within enhancinl informal plantinp on th~ park side, lhe P3rks. • Recommendations ror Usn, Strwd.rn ••4 Fullilit's are M3ny of these system-wide recomntefldations apply in rocused on encouraliftl multiple uses (which W3S .. p:ilrticular ways to the individ_l Pirkl: feature of the orilial par"); upandinl recreational prosrams (thro_lh restorinl hisloric buildinls and strutlares, and IUlmentinl manalement); and providinl durable and historican, sensitive par" furnishines The plan for Jamaica Pond empflnizes lhe envifOllmentaland (benches. 'rash receptlCles. drin"in, fountains, sign31e, scenic qulilies of the par" with its "rle water body and rormer call boxes. and lilhlS). Toaether these will re-establish eslate landscape. II proposes to telulale the pond-. waler level; the parks' historic ImbieRce. luractin, P3rk users and stabilize ils ba ....S; crate a separale eire.it for cyciists/joSlers increasiftl overall searrit, while address in, the prohlem and pedestrians; mI"e tnfr.c modirlaltions to repi .. lost or noR-ori,inal S1rKCures and/or fealures hy parkland; enhance access 10 the Parkman Memorial area, return mimila,i", them i"to the parks. reJocatinl them, or .... r .. man Drive to par" lISe. alld to improve linhaes belwun evenlually. over the Ionler term. ph3Sinll: them out parks: reinstate historic plantinls throulhcMlt the .-r"; II'OIether. rehabilitate the Bolthouse; restore Pinebank; and Mlstitule other chOlnces that beller pro.ide for contemponry uses in more • M••• IftH ..... M.I.'nllln proposals stress the sympathetic ways to the park's intended chancte~ . developMent of. anirted approach to the mana,ement of the Emerald Nectlxe, coordinalinlthe enerei~ of On the other hand, the masler plans for the two Muddy River the City of BostOft, lhe Town or Brookline. the p3rks recosnize that these parks have very hiCh historic value, Metropolitan District COIIImission (MOC), neighbor in, and that they received extended desiln attenlion Illy the OImsled iMlitutions, and priYlle par" Idyocacy orlaniutioftl; and firm, evidenced by lhe substantial documentatio~. volunteers; clarifyinl boundaries and jurisdiction: • Olln!'!l", Park draws allrntion to the Riverway's extreme vulnerability to changes within and nearby due 10 its narrow di ..ensions. ilnd 10 ., The plan for Olmsted Park is directed to r("wvNing:ls much :IS th(" ulraordinary skins of its desilners in creali_la piclur~5qu~ ., possible of Olmsted's vision of a chain of pictureS(IUe pools :lnd riverside 1:lRdscape in the hart or I densely Jellied area o( ponds alonl I preny brook rIowinlamidst v:nied !K:ene5 of noslon and Brookline. More parlinlarfy, the. plan proposes 10 woodland and meadow. SpKirllClllly. it proposes 10 resolve the remove invasive WlIer-edae yqetatioft .... stlbilize banks; , . J . 10-"--- nd ,.,~ . (.~ seepage throulh Wards Pond's southern bank; repair pond edees; recreate the hlstonc '''''-'- I •. eveRt_lIy-. 1M _'eFNtI'5e reeonsl,wcl elements or lhe WIIlercourse syslem - ponds. falls. .. the area or the presenl Sean Plrltinllol; IUlacsl slrenuous bubblinl brook, Ind lhe Levere« Pond inlet; control pollution; inler-Ilency erforts to satisfactorily resoa.e floodinl. drainale, ItPgnde .ad eXP8nd lhe .,.Ih sys.e.... Ihroulhout the park; pollution and Wller-qualit, problenls; modir, the uistinl control ~hic.llr access; retu,.. RiYerdaIe ParkW3Y. North and Brookline-side pedestrian .,.,h to Kconu.odate separate Soulh. to .,.,It lISe by eliminl'in, commuter trarfic. providing circulation (or cyclists and Mien and pedes.r ....s; improve the limi.ed parkinllnd sepantinl cyclin. and Meing roules from cross-path circulltion (rom the Lontwood MBTA stltion Kross 'hose ror pedestriam; rebtstate historic plantings throughoul the the Chapel Street Bridle to lhe aos .. side; construct a much .,ark utilizirtl Olmsted .,...'ina plans as much as possible; needed easlside slairway II Lon,wood Bridle ",inllhe historic rebuild historic "'MIse, stairs and shellers; re-orienl the Daisy desi~n as a luide; restore the iron pedeslr;'n bridge ov~r the Field