Industry Day and RFI information
The Visitor Experience Plan – A Vision for the Future
Every day the Navy Yard Partners: the National Parks of Boston, USS Constitution Museum, USS Constitution, and Naval History & Heritage Command Detachment Boston, interpret history, run programs, and host events. A year and a half ago the collaborative began working on a plan to better serve the community by re-imagining the visitor experience. The Partners engaged Sasaki Associates, a global design firm based in Waltham, Massachusetts, to guide them through the complex planning process of this endeavor.
RECENT PUBLIC MEETING
Thank you to everyone that attended the public meeting on September 26 at the USS Constitution Museum,
Defining a New Direction for the Charlestown Navy Yard
hosted by National Parks of Boston and the USS Constitution Museum
Ropewalk Community Space Discussions
The NPB and Boston Society of Architects (BSA) engaged three
Boston architectural firms: EYP, The Design Lab, and Charles
Rose Architects to participate in a day long design workshop on
September 20, 2019 with representatives from the National Park
Service, City of Boston, Ropewalk developers and the Charlestown
community.
Transforming “The Navy Yard”
The Charlestown Navy Yard has proudly served the nation for nearly two hundred years. Here, naval personnel and thousands of civilian workers built, repaired, and supplied warships from the majestic vessels of the nineteenth century to the powerful steel navy that sailed from Boston to defend freedom. Home to USS Constitution since 1897, the Navy Yard now welcomes nearly a million visitors each year.
Today, the Navy Yard is poised to serve a vital community function: as a connector to our heritage and a contributor to contemporary life and learning. The Visitor Experience Plan unveils a forward-looking vision for the Navy Yard. The result of a thorough and consensus-driven process, it is part plan and part provocation. It sees the Navy Yard for the amazing resource that it is and for what it might become. The Visitor Experience Plan strives to project the boundless optimism, ambition, and innovation that has defined the Navy Yard; the home of America’s Ship of State. Join us in transforming the Navy Yard!
Highlights from the plan:
Gateway
- An engaging museum experience: exhibits, galleries, film, hands-on activities, and more
- Future home of the award-winning USS Constitution Museum with expanded galleries
- Engage all ages in the stories of “Old Ironsides”, maritime heritage, and naval service
- Orientation to USS Constitution, the Navy Yard, and Freedom Trail
- Access to historic ships, connections to Harbor Walk, and Bunker Hill
- Outdoor waterfront space for special events, food, and retail venues
Great Lawn
- Enlarge the Commandant’s Lawn allowing for community events, concerts, and private functions
- Encourage fitness through the use of tennis/basketball courts and exercise stations
- Create an enhanced east/west walking connection along 2nd Avenue
- Re-establish Victory Gardens for community activities and engagement
Great Stories
- Interpret great stories from the Navy Yard’s 218-year history and beyond
- Move USS Cassin Young into Dry Dock 1 as an interpretive exhibit on ship repair
- Develop Building 10 as an interpretive transition between USS Constitution (War of 1812) and USS Cassin Young (World War II)
Waterfront
- Activate Pier 1 with programs, food, festivals, special year-round activities, and opportunities to enjoy views of the city and harbor
- Enhance Pier 1 to accommodate visiting ships and floating food/activity barges
- Construct a steel, ghosted structure in place of Building 109 to provide shade and house events and programming
- Increase boat access and develop Freedom Trail tours that connect Boston Harbor to the shoreside sites and stories
Stewardship
The Navy Yard’s layered landscape reflects centuries of naval heritage – buildings, machinery, shipyard infrastructure, and landscape features. The preservation and enhancement of these resources is critical to the CNY experience.
The Navy Yard Partners
Questions?
Christina Briggs
Senior Planner
Boston National Historical Park
christina_briggs@nps.gov
Sarah Watkins
Senior Vice President & CXO
USS Constitution Museum
swatkins@usscm.org
617.426.1812 ext126
