Commonwealth Avenue Mall — Attraction in Boston

I discovered this Mall by accident when I observed the Mall covered by snow 🌨️ with all of the Christmas lights. It was very scenic! I visited Boston again and while I drove past I noticed all of the statues with the Christmas lights still up. I had a chance to walk the Mall from one end to the other. With the style of the buildings along Commonwealth Avenue, the Mall adds to the neighborhood. Reading the websites of the government of Boston and The Friends of the Public Gardens, the 32 acre Mall was developed between 1858 to the 1870s. Authur Gilman was the designer and he drew his influences from Parisian boulevards and the green squares 🟩 of London. Gravel was brought from Needham by train 🚂🚃 with arrivals reaching every 45 minutes. Two new 🆕 house 🏠 lots were being developed every day. Gilman used a grid pattern for the design of the streets. The Mall links 🔗 the Public Gardens to the Back Bay Fends. The Mall is referred to as the central axis of the Back Bay and Winston Churchill said of the Mall "the grandest boulevard in North America" according to the Friends of the Public Gardens website. The statues were not part of the original design or plans. I am interested in history and they inspired me to research each person who has a statue modeled after them. The types of shady 🌲 trees that are along the Mall and listed on the Boston government website are sweetgum, green ash, maple 🍁, linden, zelkova, Japanese pagoda and elm. The Mall was an enjoyable walk even in the winter 🥶. People were walking their dogs, jogging 👟, sightseeing and taking photos. I want to visit again in the...

The Mall is not a shopping center. It is a grassy park between the eastbound and westbound lanes o Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. It runs from Arlington Street at the east end to Charlesgate in the west. Originally lined with American elms on both sides, the tree cover is now a mix of hardwoods. The staruary is fascinating. Between Arlington and Berkley streets is the statue of Alexander Hamilton. Notice the small head. It was replaced many years ago when the original fell off and smashed. In the next block is the statue of John Glover, who commandeered boats for George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Continuing west from Clarendon to Dartmouth, there is a bust of Patrick Andrew Collins, a former mayor of Boston. Also, in the same block, is the memorial to nine fire fighters who died in the 1972 fire at the nearby Vendome building. In the block after Dartmouth is the statue of William Lloyd Garrison, the famous abolitionist. Beyond Exeter Street is the statue of Samuel Eliot Morison, naval historian. Between Fairfield and Gloucester is the Women's Memorial featuring sculptures of Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phyllis Wheatley. Finally, just before Charlesgate is the statue of...

The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is a narrow strip of open green space stretching between the Boston Public Garden and Massachusetts Avenue. It reminded us of the Golden State Park Panhandle in San Francisco.

This mall, was designed in the mid 19th century by Arthur Gilman, who took inspiration from Parisian boulevards and the green squares of London when devising the plans for the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

Here you will find a single straight footpath running the length of the mall, taking in a handful of historic sculptures and monuments and endless rows of tall trees, on both sides, providing shade to walkers and those who rest upon the mall benches.

Monuments that we enjoyed seeing in particular include that of Bostonian Samuel Eliot Morison (1982) casually seated upon a roughly edged granite rock. This made for nice photos with the areas trees which had already begun to turn colour by mid autumn. The contemporary Vendrome Firefighters' Memorial (1972) was also a memorable monument.

In the end, we really enjoyed making our way along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Boston. This is a neat place to visit for green space near Newbury Street. We would include another stop here future...