Master Plan Completed 2021
60 acre park
The Herter Center, a mid-century modern building that originally served as the home of the Institute of Contemporary Art. The building is currently vacant, but is being eyed as a new high school rowing center.
In collaboration with landscape architect and prime consultant Halvorson | Tighe & Bond Studio, Oudens Ello served as the architectural team member for the master plan of Christian A. Herter Park, a roughly 60-acre parcel along the Charles River Basin in the Allston-Brighton neighborhoods of Boston. Herter Park, managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), is one of the most heavily used and diversely programmed public corridors along the Charles River. It is enjoyed by a wide range of users, but currently suffers from deferred maintenance, accessibility challenges, poor drainage and the existence of existing structures that are either underutilized, or insufficient in accommodating their current uses. The DCR’s master plan goals included improved public access, circulation and way finding, implementation of new stormwater management practices and identification of potential programs and uses for the Park’s signature facilities.
OEA’s primary focus was on the evaluation and adaptive reuse of the Park’s several structures, including the Herter Center, a currently vacant, but architecturally significant mid-century modern gem originally built in 1960 as a new home for the Institute of Contemporary Art. The master plan process included several public meetings at which the Herter Center’s potential uses were deliberated. Ultimately the design team, DCR and community at large coalesced around the idea to convert the two-story Herter Center into a flexible facility that will function as a new high school rowing center while also offering multi-purpose events space as well as support spaces for the Herter Park Amphitheater’s seasonal operations nearby. As part of the planning effort, OEA proposed options for new boat storage structures positioned near the Herter Center proper to accommodate high school rowing’s larger racing shells. Additional existing structures planning included recommendations to upgrade lifeguard facilities at Herter Park’s Artesani Playground.
