Master Development Strategy: – A Vision for the Future

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 2^nd 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.