Fundraising Campaign for Coppens Square Park, Dorchester MA
Fundraising Campaign for Coppens Square Park on Meetinghouse Hill in DorchesterPlease contribute to the long-deferred renovation and rejuvenation of
Coppens Square Park and its historic fountain! The Friends of Coppens Square supports the renovation of Coppens Square Park and the restoration of a majestic fountain commemorating the initiation of the clean, public water system in Boston beginning in 1835. The Friends are a grassroots group of Meetinghouse Hill residents committed to the care of this open space and activities therein. The restoration of the gateway park to this diverse Dorchester neighborhood invites community involvement and open access to a wide range of social and community activities by providing an attractive and safe venue. A fundraising campaign is underway to secure the $1.3 million projected cost for the park's rejuvenation. The Friends are working closely with the surrounding neighborhoods, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund and the Urban Culture Institute. Coppens Square Park, a City of Boston public park, is located centrally in the Meetinghouse Hill neighborhood of Dorchester. The goal of the park redesign is to create a vibrant public gathering place for the community. CBA Landscape Architects developed a new design for Coppens Square following an invitational competition that resulted in the firm's selection. The square and its historic fountain need long-deferred maintenance and landscape improvements. The original Lyman fountain, designed and fabricated by M.D. Jones of Boston in 1885, was dismantled in the late 1950s and replaced with the current, much smaller model. The basin remained in place and is too large. The fountain has been inactive for over 40 years. FUNDRAISING UPDATE In March 2019, a $100,000 Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant was obtained to finalize planning the renovations of Coppens Square Park. The design will make the project shovel ready, will provide a foundation for further fundraising and will put us in the City’s capital budget track. The Friends of Coppens Square Park are delighted to be able to support the Boston Parks and Recreation Department and other agencies to continue a long-deferred redesign and creative placemaking initiative. Decades of disinvestment and lack of funding for maintenance are anticipated to be reversed in a newly forged, innovative public-private partnership. We are excited about the prospect of developing a lively and active meeting place that celebrates our culturally and ethnically diverse community. We are grateful for the leadership of Christine Poff and her CPA team and thank our District 3 Councilor Frank Baker, Council President Andrea Campbell as well as Councilors Anissa Essaibi-George and Matt O’Malley for unwavering support. PRESS Daniel Sheehan. "Coppens Square rehab ‘reveal’ is set for meeting next Tuesday." Dorchester Reporter, August 13, 2020. Edward M. Cook. "Resident-led Group Hopes to Restore Historic Fountain on Bowdoin Street." Dorchester Reporter, January 25, 2017. Edward M. Cook. "Looking Up Longfellow Street: 'Let’s get the fountain water flowing on Meetinghouse Hill'." Dorchester Reporter, February 6, 2014. |
A NEW VISION FOR COPPENS SQUARE CBA Landscape Architects developed a new design for Coppens Square that activates the currently underused park through an easily accessible, new central plaza surrounding the fountain, where activities can take place. Download the Coppens Square Park Redesign Brief or the Conceptual Design. In 2017, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Urban Studies and Planning prepared a neighborhood analysis that documents the severe lack of greenspace in the area (see p. 39). Download Connecting Bowdoin Geneva: A Plan for Community and Commerce, MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2017. (PDF, 82 MB) In a series of public forums hosted by FOCS the community participated in the conceptual design development of a revived Coppens Square park and fountain. PUBLIC MEETING CALENDAR Monday, November 21, 2016, 6:30 p.m. Introduction to Coppens Square Project with CBA Landscape Architects First Parish Dorchester’s Meetinghouse Hall, 10 Parish St, Dorchester MA Monday, January 30, 2017, 6:30 p.m. Discussion of Design Options with CBA Landscape Architects First Parish Dorchester’s Meetinghouse Hall, 10 Parish St, Dorchester MA Download the Meeting Flyer Download the flyer in Spanish, Haitian, Portuguese, Cape Verdean Creole, and Vietnamese translations. Wednesday, February 22, 2017, 6:30 p.m. Decide the Location of the Object––CBA Landscape Architects Bowdoin Community Health Center, 230 Bowdoin St, Dorchester MA Thursday, March 2, 2017, 6:00 p.m. Schematic Plan & Cost Estimate Presentation––CBA Landscape Architects First Parish Dorchester’s Meetinghouse Hall, 10 Parish St, Dorchester MA Monday, January 28, 2019, 6:00 p.m. Our Beloved Fountain: Making Water Features Sustainable Placemaking Network, BSA Space, 290 Congress Street, Boston, MA More information here. Tuesday, August 18, 2020, 4-5 p.m. Conceptual Design Briefing––CBA Landscape Architects Online meeting via Zoom due to COVID-19. Additional information and registration here. Upcoming Meetings Friends of Coppens Square board meetings are scheduled regularly and open to the public. To participate in a meeting please email Ed Cook. TO MAKE A DONATION OR TO GET INVOLVED Please contact the Friends of Coppens Square Inc., a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit organization, to make a contribution in cash or otherwise. We are also seeking volunteers to get involved and to assist with fundraising. Please email Ed Cook, President of the Friends of Coppens Square, or Christina Lanzl at the Urban Culture Institute. |