A standing-room crowd at City Hall last week largely supported the Boston Landmarks Commission’s recommendation to designate the Charles River Esplanade as a Boston landmark, but nearly half of those who attended the public hearing requested an amendment to approve construction of a permanent fence around Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields.
According to the study report that the Landmarks Commission presented at the May 26 meeting, the linear park that extends along the Charles River meets the criteria for landmark designation found in Chapter 772 of the Acts of 1975, amended, because it has brought about significant historical, social, cultural, architectural and aesthetic improvements to the city, the commonwealth and New England region. To this point, the Esplanade was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Charles River Basin Historic District in 1978, which led the creation of the Metropolitan Park System in the 1890s and is the work of three historically significant American landscape architects – Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., Charles Eliot and Arthur Shurcliff.
State Rep. Marty Walz said she supported the landmark designation with great enthusiasm. She also asked the Landmarks Commission to consider extending the boundaries of the landmark area to include the granite seawall along the Charlesbank, parkland in the area of Arlington, Berkeley and Clarendon streets that may be created as part of the tunnel reconstruction project by the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), and a parcel of DCR-owned parkland that now serves as a parking lot for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and that may be returned to green space in the future.
The study area now “includes the parkland that extends from the upstream edge of the Craigie Drawbridge to the downstream edge of the Boston University Bridge,” and doesn’t include parkways under the jurisdiction of DCR, according to the Landmarks Commission report.
City Council President Mike Ross also endorsed landmark designation for the Esplanade, adding that a petition circulated by Beacon Hill resident Linda Cox in support of the status change garnered 850 signatures - including those of Ross and eight other Boston city councilors - although only 10 signatures were needed for consideration by the Landmarks Commissions.
DCR, which previously proposed the removal of hundreds of trees and pavement of the area around the Hatch Shell as part of permanent repairs to the Storrow Drive Tunnel, opposed the landmark designation.
In a May 26 letter to Boston Landmarks Commission Chairman Susan Pranger, DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. said the DCR, as the state agency responsible for stewardship of the Esplanade, believes that the site is already afforded the “highest level of parkland protection under the Massachusetts Constitution.” He added that the Massachusetts Historical Commission carefully preserves the historic character of the Esplanade, which is already protected parkland because of its inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Furthermore, Sullivan wrote, the Esplanade couldn’t accurately be called a landmark, since it isn’t a single property.
Meanwhile, representatives for the nonprofits Red Sox Foundation and Hill House were among those who said they would support the landmark designation on the condition that the Landmark Commission amend its report to allow for the construction of a permanent ornamental fence to replace a temporary chain-link fence that now encloses Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields.
In response, Jeffry Pond of the Landmarks Commission said, “Our decision will not be based on whether or not there is a fence. We understand things change. Our job is to make it work for everybody.”
Susan Pranger then called for the formation a subcommittee to evaluate whether language used in the report for the Esplanade’s landmark designation would preclude construction of the fence, and to review the boundaries of the study area.

At a meeting sponsored by the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) last week, a controversial proposal to build a permanent fence around the Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields on the Charles River Esplanade was presented to the public for the first time.
DCR has allocated approximately $190,000 from the $4.8 million budgeted for repairs to Storrow Drive to build a permanent 6-foot ornamental steel fence to replace a temporary chain-link fence that now surrounds the baseball and soccer fields. Dedicated on June 10, 2006, the Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields honor the memory of Edward “Teddy” Ebersol, the 14-year-old son of broadcasting giant Dick Ebersol, who was killed in a plane crash in Montrose County, Colo., in 2004.
According to Nick Gove, acting regional director of DCR’s Urban Parks North Region, the goals for the proposed permanent fence are: to ensure the public safety of ballplayers and bicyclists and pedestrians on the adjacent Esplanade path; to limit public access to the fields from dusk to dawn; to facilitate operations and maintenance of the site; and to enhance the visitor experience and the aesthetic nature of the area. The new fencing would be placed behind the tree line, set back between 16 and 24 feet from the location of the existing fence. The fields would be accessible from nine gates, instead of the five gates that currently provide entry to the site.
In early April, the fence proposal received unanimous approval from the Friends of Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields, a collaborative composed of nominated representatives from three local nonprofits- Hill House, the Esplanade Association and the Red Sox Foundation- that contributed nearly $2 million in private donations to the construction of the fields and continues to spend $100,000 annually on their maintenance.
Soon afterwards, however, Jeryl Oristaglio, president of the Esplanade Association, countered that while the organization’s representative to the Friends group had voted in favor of the proposal, he cast his ballot on his own behalf and hadn’t consulted with the Esplanade Association board before he voted. Instead, Oristaglio said, “The Esplanade Association is not supporting the… fence proposal because our research indicates there are other field management strategies that are being used by other historic parks that we believe should be reviewed by the DCR and the Friends.”
At the May 27 meeting, Oristaglio said the Esplanade Association hadn’t entirely ruled out the proposed fence, but she suggested the temporary fence should remain in place for another athletic season, to allow ample opportunity to review site plans and additional information for its replacement.
“We are committed to preserving the fields and safeguarding children,” Oristaglio said. “If at the end of the discussion, a 6-foot fence is chosen to be the best alternative, then we would support it.”
Meg Vaillancourt, president of the Friends group and executive director of the Red Sox Foundation, pointed to the immediate need for a permanent fence to preserve the fields that were once rendered nearly unusable because they had fallen into such a state of disrepair.
“We predict what will happen to this wonderful gift to the commonwealth is that they will be destroyed as quickly as they were before,” Vaillancourt said.
Meanwhile, David Beardsley, executive director of Hill House, said the organization felt strongly that a fence was necessary for public safety.
“It’s very easy for children to wander off the path or into the river if there’s not a fence there to stop them,” Beardsley said.
State Rep. Marty Walz said she was working with stakeholders to find a solution that ensures public safety, field maintenance, and public access to the park. She said she welcomes comments from her constituents on the issue at 617-722-2070 or via e-mail at marty.walz@state.ma.us.

Jurys Boston Hotel changed its name to The Back Bay Hotel yesterday as part of a rebranding campaign, according to a spokesperson for The Doyle Collection, a select group of urban hotels based out of Dublin, Ireland.
“The Back Bay Hotel’s new name is a celebration of our roots becoming firmly planted in the Back Bay neighborhood, the evolving tastes of our guests, and a vote of confidence in the Boston business community,” 
hotel general manager Stephen Johnston said. “We are proud to have struck a chord with our guests, who enjoy the blend of classic details, Irish Boston heritage and modern interpretation, all in harmony with the Back Bay’s charm.”

The hotel, located at 350 Stuart St., opened in June 2004 after a major conversion from the Boston Police Headquarters building. It is now home to 225 guest rooms, five meeting rooms, the Stanhope Grille restaurant and Cuffs, An Irish Bar, and was recently rated the best of 74 Boston hotels by TripAdvisor.com.
Today, The Back Bay Hotel offers simple, understated luxury and complimentary amenities, from plush robes and bottled water to high-speed Internet access and al fresco dining along Berkeley Street. The waterfall feature and Irish modern art are guest favorites, second only to the property’s reputation for extraordinary service and “practical pleasures,” according to a spokesperson for The Doyle Collection.
The Doyle Collection, formerly known as the Jurys Doyle Hotel Group, is a privately-held hotel group managing 11 luxury hotels, spanning six major urban centers in the US, Ireland and the UK, representing 2,300 rooms and approximately 1,400 employees. With an intensive Euro 200 million capital investment program, The Doyle Collection is now rehabilitating and rebranding its properties.
“Each of the hotels in The Doyle Collection has a different character, but all have a common aim – to provide our guests with a modern interpretation of extraordinary hospitality and expert service that only a hotelier with decades of experience can consistently deliver,” said Bill Walshe, CEO of The Doyle Collection.

Recycling does matter

Councilor Michael Ross’ meeting last Wednesday night about making the Back Bay “green” is an idea whose time is now.
Everyone is becoming more environmentally active.
It can be pointed out that the very style of our housing with common sidewalls makes Back Bay an environmental leader, as opposed to many of the wealthier suburbs with freestanding structures.
Not only is recycling and saving energy good for our planet; it makes good money sense.
Dr. Burt Jaffe, a speaker at this meeting and a resident of Trinity Place, noted that the owners of the building have saved the cost of the new pumps and electrical lights within the first year.
Ross’s plan to proactively have businesses and residents on just a two-block area in Back Bay become active recyclers is bold.
In this completely volunteer effort, the businesses and residents may choose whether or not to participate, but if they do, then everyone will be that much further ahead.
Ross’ push is just one local example of being green.
This weekend, Mayor Menino will have city workers at collection centers on hand to take hazardous waste, such as paints, old computers and other electronics.
Also, the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay (NABB) has started a green committee that needs volunteers.
Recycling is the way of the future.
Today, we face a world that is changing so drastically as our climate fluctuates and space in the landfills cease to exist. Tomorrow may not be so certain if we don’t realize that we cannot waste 55 percent of our energy and add 20 percent of the CO2 to the atmosphere.