INK BLOCK PARK NEW HUB HOT SPOT
Boston’s newest park opened yesterday in probably the city’s most unexpected place: under an Interstate 93 overpass.
Underground at Ink Block, a new 8-acre park sandwiched between the South End and South Boston, celebrated its grand opening with a daylong block party.
“We’ve tried to be that developer who does things a little outside the box,” said Ted Tye, managing partner at National Development, the company responsible for the park.
“A big part of this is creating a good connection between the South End and South Boston,” Tye said, “and there was about eight acres that no one ever wanted to travel through.”
Yesterday’s opening was the culmination of a five-year effort to turn a dingy underpass into a neighborhood destination that included a state-run bid process, the construction of the park, and the enlisting of nearly a dozen street artists from around the world to put the finishing touches on the park.
Tye said the park — like South Boston’s Lawn on D — is geared toward the thousands of young professionals who are flocking to the city.
“Those people need places to play; Boston needs to be a place that retains its young, smart labor force,” Tye said. “What we’re trying to do here is create a place where people will want to continue to come here.”
The park includes a dog park, a basketball court, bike paths and boardwalks for pedestrians. It will also play host to group fitness classes — 70 people turned out for the first class yesterday morning — as well as retail, food and drink vendors.
National Development also developed the nearby Ink Block, which turned the former home of the Boston Herald into hundreds of condos and apartments that sit on top of a Whole Foods Market.