Cathy Baker-Eclipse named Parks Department's Director of the Capital Plan

Cathy has been the acting head of the unit since April of this year. A landscape architect and project manager born and raised outside Baltimore, Cathy graduated with honors from Cornell University.  She became interested in landscape architecture as a way to combine her love of art with improving the environment in tangible ways.  After 10 years of working for award-winning design firms in the Boston area, she joined the Parks Department in 2008.

“Cathy Baker-Eclipse has been a valuable member of the Parks family from day one and this is a natural progression considering her considerable talents,” Commissioner Ryan Woods said. “Her knowledge of landscape architecture, great sense of humor, and professionalism all make Cathy a pleasure to work with and an asset to the City of Boston and the residents that we serve.”

Cathy has worked on a broad range of park types in her career from pocket playgrounds in Chinatown to master plans of 45-acre recreation facilities in Dorchester. She is currently managing projects to protect the waterfront from the effects of sea level rise, neighborhood playground replacements, and multiphase park renovations.

Cathy worked on several parks in the Codman Square neighborhood, including Rev. Loesch Family Park, Roberts Playground, implementation of the Harambee Park Master Plan, and Codman Square Park. She recently oversaw the $15 million comprehensive reconstruction and upgrade of Langone Park and Puopolo Playground that reopened in January on the waterfront in the North End. 

Cathy lives in Roslindale with her husband, Mark, and their daughters, Arden and Willa. For more on her work, check out this 2020 article on Langone Park.