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What’s Out There Weekend Boston September 12-13, 2020, Features Free Expert-led Tours of Parks, Gardens, and Open Spaces

Media Contact: Nord Wennerstrom | T: 202.483.0553  | M: 202.255.7076 | E: nord@tclf.org

Part of a nationwide program that reveals the stories of places that are part of our daily lives

Washington, D.C. (August 4, 2020) – The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) announces What’s Out There Weekend Boston, September 12-13, 2020, featuring free, expert-led tours of the city’s parks, gardens, landscapes and open spaces.  These tours enable people to discover the design history of places they may pass every day but don’t necessarily know about. Expert guides provide rich stories, personal anecdotes, and keen observations about each site, landscape architecture, city shaping, and garden design. Boston’s landscape legacy includes myriad parks and plazas, cultural institutions, historic sites and neighborhoods, and the world-renowned Emerald Necklace. The tours will reveal the long history and intricate cultural heritage behind this "City on a Hill." TCLF will produce a print guidebook What’s Out There Weekend Boston about all of the tour sites that is available for purchase and free as a downloadable PDF.  TCLF has previously published the What’s Out There Cultural Landscapes Guide to Boston in partnership with the National Park Service.

NOTE: All events will be subject to local guidelines on gatherings, including social distancing, wearing face coverings, and stay-at-home orders. Attendance is limited, not only to maximize the safety of those attending but to promote an intimate learning experience. If this event needs to be postponed to comply with local ordinances, registrants will be notified directly.

TOUR SCHEDULE – All tours are free, but attendance is limited and registration is required.

SATURDAY, September 12

  • Harvard University + John F. Kennedy Memorial Park | led by Scott Fulford (Boston Architectural College), Chris Reed (Stoss Landscape Urbanism), Laura Solano (Michael Van Valkenburg Associates), and Jennifer Jones (formerly of IBI Placemaking) - 9:00 - 11:00 AM 
  • Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tour 1) | led by David Barnett (Mount Auburn Cemetery), Bob Uhlig (Halvorson Tighe & Bond Studio) - 9:30 - 11:00 AM  *Attendees may not arrive by public transportation to participate.
  • Mount Auburn Cemetery (Tour 2) | led by (Mount Auburn Cemetery), Iris Lin (Halvorson Tighe & Bond Studio) - 9:30 - 11:00 AM *Attendees may not arrive by public transportation to participate.
  • Norman B. Leventhal Park  (Tour 1) | led by Cynthia Smith (Halvorson Tighe & Bond Studio)-10:00-11:00 AM 
  • Norman B. Leventhal Park (Tour 2) | led by Charles Kozlowski (Halvorson Tighe & Bond Studio)-10:00-11:00 AM
  • Boston Common + Boston Public Garden + Commonwealth Avenue Mall | led by Friends of the Public Garden - 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Paul Revere Mall | led by Kyle Zick (Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture) - 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • Jamaica Pond | led by Gretchen Grozier (The Jamaica Plain Historical Society) - 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Wharf District Parks | led by Sean Sanger (Copley Wolff Design Group) - 12:30-1:30 PM
  • City Hall Plaza + Quincy Market + Marketplace Center (Tour 1) | led by Kate Tooke (Sasaki) and Marion Pressley (Pressley Associates) - 1:00 - 3:00 PM
  • City Hall Plaza + Quincy Market + Marketplace Center (Tour 2) | led by Mauricio Gomez (Sasaki) and María Bellalta (Boston Architectural College) - 1:00-3:00 PM
  • Christian Science Plaza | led by John Amodeo and James Kros (IBI Placemaking) - 2:00 - 3:00 PM
  • Charles River Esplanade| led by Karl Haglund (Department of Conservation and Recreation, Commonwealth of Massachusetts) - 2:00 - 4:00 PM

SUNDAY September 13

  • East Boston Harbor Walk (featuring LoPresti Park, Lewis Street Dock and Piers Park) | led by Gene Bolinger, Brandon Kunkel (Weston & Sampson), Marion Pressley (Pressley Associates) and Amy Whitesides (Stoss Landscape Urbanism) - 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Mary Ellen Welch Greenway and Bremen Park | led by Alison Richardson (Brown, Richardson + Rowe) - 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
  • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital + Mayor Thomas M. Menino Park | led by Sean Sanger (Copley Wolff Design Group) and Cheri Ruane (Weston & Sampson) - 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
  • Franklin Park | led by John Kett (Reed Hilderbrand) - 1:15 - 3:15 PM
  • Olmsted Park + The Riverway | led by Hugh Mattison - 2:00 - 4:00 PM
  • Moakley Park | led by Amy Whitesides - 4:00-5:00 PM

What’s Out There Weekend Boston dovetails with TCLF’s web-based What’s Out There, the nation’s most comprehensive searchable database of historic designed landscapes. The database currently features more than 2,000 sites, 11,000 images, and 1,100 designer profiles. What’s Out There is optimized for iPhones and similar handheld devices, and includes What’s Nearby, a GPS-enabled feature that locates all landscapes within a given distance, customizable by mileage or walking time. 

What’s Out There Weekend Boston is made possible by Presenting Sponsors Bartlett Tree Experts, LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects, Sasaki, Stoss, and Victor Stanley; Educational Partners, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Boston Architectural College, Boston Parks and Recreation, and the Boston Society of Landscape Architects; and additional Supporting Sponsors.

About The Cultural Landscape Foundation

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1998 with a mission of “connecting people to places.” TCLF educates and engages the public to make our shared landscape heritage more visible, identify its value, and empower its stewards. Through its website, publishing, lectures and other events, TCLF broadens support and understanding for cultural landscapes. TCLF is also home to the Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize.