Arlington Station on the MBTA Green Line reopened last week, following a $22.7 million rehabilitation project that brings the 88-year-old facility into full compliance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) for the first time.
“This newly renovated station is a symbol of our commitment to providing top-shelf customer service to every T rider on our network of buses, subways and trolleys,” state Transportation Secretary James Aloisi said at the June 1 ribbon-cutting ceremony. “The MBTA has made significant investments to improve accessibility for all.”
With the latest rehabilitation, the station that opened in November of 1921 and underwent its first renovation in 1967 is now outfitted with three brand new elevators, new head-houses and stairways, brand new columns and new electrical signage throughout the facility. Additional improvements include a new egress at the Arlington Street Church on Boylston Street, as well as raised platforms to accommodate low-floor Green Line vehicles.
MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas credited contributions and support from the community for moving the project forward.
“This is a historical event for all of us,” Grabauskas said. “Together we have provided access to our transportation network to all individuals while maintaining the historical landscape of the area. Thank you to the staff of the Arlington Street Church, and the community for your support and cooperation.”
Mayor Thomas M. Menino described the rehabilitated station as a testament to the MBTA’s dedication to the city.
“The MBTA provides a critical service to the City of Boston because many of our residents rely on it as their sole method of transportation,” Menino said. “It is important that public transportation remain a viable option available for every person in our city and the renovations to ensure full accessibility at Arlington Street Station are a great example of the MBTA’s commitment to Boston and all of its people.”
Boston City Council President Michael Ross said, “I appreciate the investment of infrastructure in this part of Boston, particularly given the fact that the accessibility community will now be able to access the historic neighborhood around the Arlington Station.”
Meanwhile, Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) Community Organizer, Karen Schneiderman said the station renovations were long overdue
“The opening of the accessible new Arlington Street T stop shouldn't be such a big deal, but it is.,” Schneiderman said. “Why? No matter where riders go in the city, no matter where they travel, people with disabilities must have exactly the same right to the same access as everyone else. People can have all sorts of opinions about the use of space, the number of riders and money, but we all have the right to ride the T. It's that simple.”

While they might appear nondescript and uninviting, the public alleys that run through the Back Bay have helped define the character of the neighborhood since its creation from landfill in the late 19th century.
“They really are a vital organ, and their provision and retention into the present day have allowed street facades to remain preserved,” said William Young, senior preservation planner for the City of Boston Environment Department, who will lead his latest tour of the Back Bay alleys next week. “The alleys are now, as in the 19th century, the most intensively used part of the district, yet they are seldom visited by non-residents and merchants who might live elsewhere.”
Often cited as a model of urban planning, the Back Bay was designed with an alley system in place to help absorb the traffic by allowing wagons to make off-street deliveries to service entrances in the rear of buildings. “This freed the streets from all delivery and removal wagons… except for coal deliveries, which remained on the streets,” Young said. Since the neighborhood remained largely residential until the turn of the 20th century, these deliveries consisted largely of meat, bread, ice and other household goods.
Besides helping to relieve neighborhood traffic, the alleyways allowed residents to transform large setbacks in front of some buildings, commonly used to accommodate street deliveries, into urban gardens. Rear gardens also became more commonplace over time as paved courtyards and drying yards for laundry gave way to “greener” uses of the alleys.
“One factor in this development is that the greater size of a Back Bay home, as opposed to a Beacon Hill home, allows it to be divided into front and rear units,” Young said. “Many [units] have no view of the street and their windows are entirely in the rear, so their residents appreciate how the green character of the alleys has evolved.”
With the growth of retail in the neighborhood, the uses of the alleys again shifted as they became common routes for delivery trucks to retail stores.
“The rear yards are now dominated by residential or commercial considerations,” Young said, adding that recreational space and parking are now among the most common residential concerns.
The alleys came under the jurisdiction of the Back Bay Architectural Commission (BBAC) in 1981, and with the city’s adoption of the Article 32 Groundwater Conservation Overlay District three years ago, many paved areas were replaced with more attractive brick courtyards.
“The brick courtyards allow water to be captured by groundwater retention tanks that filter the runoff back to the foundation pilings,” Young said. “The necessity of providing groundwater recharge has been very beneficial visually.”
William Young, senior preservation planner for the City of Boston Environment Department will lead a tour of Back Bay alleys beginning at The Gibson House Museum, 137 Beacon St., on Tuesday, June 16, at 5:30 p.m. (A rain date has yet to be determined). The event is free for Gibson House Museum members and $10 for non-members, but space is limited. R.S.V.P. to 617-267-6338 or via e-mail at info@thegibsonhouse.org.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) to create new energy-efficient lighting for the winter holiday tree display on Boston Common, adding that it will work with interested donors to help underwrite the cost of the annual exhibit.
Last year, a group of interested citizens and neighbors joined the Parks Department to form the Boston Common Lights Project Committee, with the goal of implementing new and innovative measures for the annual holiday tree program in the current era of energy conservation and new technologies. The project was a success, as the committee met its goal of securing a designer to help fabricate new and exciting enhancements to the holiday lighting, including the introduction of LED lights on the official Christmas tree and buildings, and new lighting at the Parkman Bandstand and Frog Pond. Several private donors provided funding to make these enhancements a reality.
The Parks Department lit 70 trees during recent holiday seasons using incandescent lights - approximately 60 trees with white lights and the 10 remaining trees with a subtle combination of red, green and white lights. The city also lights Parkman Bandstand, the Visitors Information Center, and the Deer Park Maintenance Facility on Boylston Street.
The Frog Pond Foundation, operators of the skating facility, lights 11 trees in white lights around the perimeter of the Frog Pond.
Although the city must reduce the scale of its lighting in 2009, the Boston Common Lights Project will strive to continue to make improvements within the display area.
The Boston Common Lights Project Committee is now seeking lighting proposals with creative new ideas to enliven the park during the holiday season using the latest energy saving technology.
The committee will accept proposals for specific targets (i.e., Frog Pond, Parkman Bandstand, Visitors Center, MBTA head-houses, memorials, trees or pathways) or a complete lighting plan. Any comprehensive plan should allow for incremental implementation as budgets allow.
The proposed installations may be permanent and adaptable to different circumstances. For instance, a lighting arrangement could have a central holiday theme while simultaneously adopting colors associated with the Red Sox, Celtics, a theater production, etc.
Proposals should include the following: new detailed lighting design; what will be lit (trees, buildings, pathways, etc.); lighting technology (LED, incandescent, etc.); colors; elements (strings of light, hanging objects, etc.); budget – including budget for each component (include two tier budgets); installation and removal plan (vendors, time-frame, etc.); long range lighting plan; highlight innovative thinking regarding design and budgets; and designers’ contact information, including designers’ name(s) company name, addresses (mail and e-mail) and telephone numbers.
A map of Boston Common, including locations of trees and structures, is available by calling 617-961-3025.
All proposals must be received by Friday, June 19, at 5 p.m. for consideration. Proposals won’t be returned to sender. Please e-mail proposals to suzanne.taylor@cityofboston.gov, mail or hand deliver proposals to: Boston Common Lights Project, Boston Parks and Recreation Department,1010 Massachusetts Ave., Third Floor, Boston, MA 02118.
Proposals will be reviewed via committee and winner(s) will be announced on July 15. The committee and Boston Parks and Recreation Department have the right to choose more than one proposal and select components to use for the 2009-2010 lighting. Designs not selected will be saved and considered for future use when fundraising efforts and/or the budget increases.
Designers will be recognized by name in public relations and marketing materials. In addition, designers will also receive an official lighting certificate signed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and chairpersons and four reserved area tickets to the city’s official lighting celebration. Neither designers nor their firms will be compensated financially.
For more information, call 617-961-3039.