Public Garden upgrades close Arlington Street entrance, areas around child fountains

Local News

The closures will impact the Arlington Street entrance, the George Washington statue, and the children’s fountains through spring 2024.

A heavily-trafficked area of the Public Garden will be closed to pedestrians for several months while officials revitalize and repair the section around the Arlington Street entrance, according to a press release.

Starting Wednesday, construction will begin around the entrance, the George Washington statue, and the children’s fountains — the latter being the main reason for the upgrades, according to Friends of the Public Garden, an advocacy group for the country’s oldest botanical gardens.

Liz Vizza, the group’s president, said the project has been a long time coming. If you’ve ever walked through the gardens, chances are you’ve seen the “Boy and Bird” and “Small Child” fountains out of order. 

“This project is something that has been asking to be done for a very long time,” said Vizza, who added that the restoration is in part to celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary. “You see these beautiful child fountains that aren’t working and haven’t been working for decades.”

What’s getting restored? The project will involve excavating the area around the two child fountains to make them more accessible and allow visitors to get closer to the fountains. Making the park “a more welcoming place” was the most important goal of this project, Vizza said.

The upgrades also include a new water circulation system, a redesign around the fountains that includes a repavement of the pathways, and more benches and lighting. The fountains will be temporarily removed and put in conservation storage while deconstruction is done. 

Vizza said the area will likely be closed off to the public through June 2024, though that could change given Boston weather. The group will post updates about construction completion on social media.