Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park

The Waterfront Park connects Boston's greenspace to its harbor.

NPS Photo/Witham

Quick Facts

Location:

Boston, Massachusetts

Significance:

Waterfront, public park

MANAGED BY:

City of Boston Parks and Recreation

In 1974, the City of Boston dedicated public funds to create a waterfront park on the Boston Harbor in the North End as part of larger efforts to clean up Boston Harbor and restore greenspace and access to the waterfront. The four-and-a-half-acre Waterfront Park sits on filled land, about 10 feet above sea level. The City selected Sasaki Associates to design the new park which opened in time for the bicentennial of America’s founding in July 1976.¹

In October 1979, the City of Boston renamed the Waterfront Park to Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park following the installation of a Christopher Columbus statue. Following five different instances of vandalism since 2004, the City of Boston removed the statue in June 2020.² The Boston Art Commission did not reinstate the statute, receiving comments by concerned citizens “that this statue glorifies racism and justifies the ongoing abuse of Indigenous peoples.”³ Instead, the Knights of Columbus “offered to incorporate the statue into their new development,” where “the statue will live permanently in their development at 41 Margin Street.”⁴ The Boston Art Commission continues to be engaged in conversations about how to incorporate Indigenous public art around the City, and it seeks new alternatives for artwork in the Waterfront Park.⁵

The Waterfront Park extends Boston’s downtown greenspace to the harbor, situated next to Long Wharf and near Faneuil Hall.

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Footnotes

1. Friends of the Christopher Columbus Park, “About Columbus Park,” Accessed August 28, 2024, About Columbus Park | FOCCP.
2. Office of Arts and Culture, “Christopher Columbus Statue,” Accessed August 28, 2024, Christopher Columbus Statue | Boston.gov.
3. Office of Arts and Culture, “Christopher Columbus Statue.”
4. Office of Arts and Culture, “Christopher Columbus Statue.”
5. Office of Arts and Culture, “Christopher Columbus Statue.”; Office of Arts and Culture, “An opportunity for change,” Accessed August 28, 2024, An opportunity for change | Boston.gov.