Charles River Esplanade facts for kids
The Charles River Esplanade is a beautiful park in Boston, Massachusetts. It's located right on the south bank of the Charles River. This park is owned by the state and is a popular spot for many activities.
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What is the Esplanade?
The Esplanade is a long, narrow park. It stretches along the Charles River. A busy road called Storrow Drive runs along its southern side. The park has many cool features. You can find walking paths, statues, and playgrounds here. There are also sports fields and a place called Community Boating. This is where people learn to sail.
A famous outdoor stage, the Hatch Memorial Shell, is also in the park. The Esplanade is part of a bigger state park called the Charles River Reservation. In 2009, it was named a Boston Landmark. This means it's a very important historical and cultural place in Boston.
A Look Back: History of the Esplanade
How the Park Began
The Esplanade first opened in 1910. It was called the Boston Embankment back then. This parkland was created when the 1910 Charles River Dam Bridge was built. Today, the Museum of Science is located near that spot.
When it first opened, some people thought the park needed more. It didn't have many shade trees or places to buy snacks. There weren't many fun things to do, and not many visitors came. The park stretched all the way to Charlesgate. It connected to the Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system. To make it better, more trees were planted. A snack stand was added, and concerts started to be held there.
Growing Bigger and Better
The Esplanade got much larger between 1928 and 1936. The park became wider and longer. These improvements happened thanks to a big gift. Helen Osborne Storrow donated $1 million. She gave the money in memory of her husband, James.
This expansion was designed by Arthur Shurcliff. It added the first lagoon, which is a small lake. Boat landings, open areas, and playgrounds were also built. A special area for music, called the Music Oval, was created. A temporary stage was put there. In the summer of 1929, the famous Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops played their first concert on the Esplanade.
The Hatch Shell and Fun Events
In 1941, the Hatch Memorial Shell was built. This gave the Boston Pops a great stage. Many other artists and performers also use it for popular summer events. Every Fourth of July, about half a million people come to watch the Boston Pops concert and fireworks display.
The Hatch Shell also hosts many free events. These include concerts, movies, and special gatherings. Events like Earth Day celebrations bring hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Boating on the Charles
People started sailing on the Charles River in the 1930s. The boathouse on the Esplanade was built in 1941. In 1946, Community Boating was officially started. It was the first public boating program in the country. For a small fee, thousands of people have learned to sail on the Charles River through this program.
New Roads and Bike Paths
Another big change to the Esplanade happened in 1949. This was when Storrow Drive was built. This new road took up some of the park's land. To make up for this, more park areas were added. These new sections included paths and were also designed by Arthur Shurcliff and his son Sydney.
In the 1960s, the Esplanade connected to other parks upstream. This happened when the Dr. Paul Dudley White Bike Path was built. This path is about 18 miles (29 km) long. It goes all around the river basin on both sides. It's perfect for biking, inline skating, and running.
How to Get to the Esplanade
The Esplanade is separated from Boston neighborhoods by Storrow Drive. This is a busy road with fences. To get into the park, you need to use special bridges. There are eight pedestrian overpasses that connect the park to the rest of the city. There are also two more bridges at the very ends of the park.
Here are the pedestrian bridges, listed from downstream (closer to the ocean) to upstream:
- Leverett Circle bridge (near Martha Road)
- Blossom Street bridge (near Massachusetts General Hospital)
- Frances Appleton Bridge (at Charles Circle, near Longfellow Bridge)
- Arthur Fiedler Bridge (connects to the Hatch Memorial Shell near Arlington Street)
- Dartmouth Street bridge
- Fairfield Street bridge
- Harvard Bridge (at Massachusetts Avenue)
- Silber Way bridge
- Boston University Marsh Chapel bridge
Gallery
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Esplanade, c. 1916
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Postcard depicting Esplanade, c. 1910s-1920s
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Hatch Shell, 2009
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Aerial view of shell on Esplanade
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Esplanade, at Community Boating boathouse and dock, 2010
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Charles River Esplanade, 2013
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Charles River Esplanade, 2013
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The Night Shift Brewing Owl's Nest Beer Garden on the Esplanade in 2018.
- City of Boston, Boston Landmarks Commission Charles River Esplanade Study Report
- Bostonian Society. Photo of Promenaders strolling along the Charles River Embankment in Back Bay, c. 1912
- Library of Congress:
- Historic American Engineering Record. View of pier-cap and pedestal at Pier 13, west side, Boston Embankment and pedestrian stairway in background - Harvard Bridge, Spanning Charles River at Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, 20th century
