IDEAS FLOATED FOR NAVY YARD
Designs pour in to city
An urban beach, floating swimming pool barges, an outdoor theater, a climbing wall and a maritime science and history park are among suggestions to further activate the Charlestown Navy Yard waterfront.
The Boston Planning & Development Agency is looking for new public uses for the Navy Yard’s Dry Docks 2 and 5, Dry Dock 2 pump house, Pier 5, shipways, docks at Harborview Point, the Harborwalk and adjacent watersheets.
Boston installation artist Peter Agoos has pitched a “Buoyed Up” floating art installation combining marine buoys and live plants — a follow-up to his 2014 climate change-inspired installation in Fort Point.
BOS Urban Architecture would break Dry Dock 2 into the “forum,” a public outdoor theater and seating area; the “tower,” which would have elevators and serve as a screen facing the theater and a climbing wall facing the harbor; the “island,” a green and lush garden; and the “pool,” a shallow water feature in the summer that could be used for ice skating in the winter. In between would be flexible space to host markets, eating and other events.
Owners of the Charlestown Marina envision yearround tented event space, a community/club pool, and open space and park areas on Pier 5. They would add floating docks along the dry dock’s edges to primarily serve historic and commercial vessels.
Nonprofit Boston Harbor Now envisions an urban beach with sand and allweather seating on Pier 3 and a portion of Dry Dock 2, with changing rooms, an outdoor cold-water shower and food/souvenir kiosk. It also suggested adding floating swimming pool barges in the Dry Dock 2 channel.
Charlestown’s Context LLC submitted a Pier 5 proposal for an innovation or maritime research/education center and an amphitheater or event space in a platform building, with retirement housing for former maritime workers on the upper level. Its proposal also calls for condos, an elevator and light tower, small, special-purpose parks on barges, and statues to commemorate the Navy Yard’s former chain forge and rope workers.
DC Beane and Associates Construction Co., which is located in the Navy Yard, suggested placing outdoor gym equipment and/or public art along the Harborwalk and turning the pump house into a small science-centered museum focused on the ecology of the Navy Yard waterfront and climate change, with an indoor waiting area for MBTA ferry passengers. It suggested using Dry Dock 2 for a small watercraft rental company and launch site, boat slips and water taxi docking and turning Pier 5 into an urban beach/lawn and event space with vendors, boat slips and water taxi docks.
The Navy Yard Community Association wants to turn Pier 5 into a harbor maritime history and science park focused on Boston and the Navy Yard. The park would include a maritime science and technology pavilion, jogging track, Navy Yard workers’ memorial, skating pond and wading pool, and assembly space for tai chi, yoga, outdoor films and fishing.
Sea Boston would like to open a paddle sport and historic tour facility at Shipyard Park.