Mayor Walsh, Harvard president break ground on Smith Field renovation

Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Harvard President Drew Gilpin Faust today broke ground on the William F. Smith Field in Allston. The $6.5 million renovation will include improvements to the playground and sports fields, as well as the construction of walking paths, a splash pond, a street hockey court, and a spacious amphitheater which will allow for various performances throughout the year. Plans also call for increased opportunities to display public art and several street improvements along Western Avenue. The new amphitheater will be named after General George Casey, an Allston native and war hero who died while serving in Vietnam.

"Parks and green spaces are gems in our communities. Whether residents use it for a game of soccer, a quiet place to take a walk or study, or see a performance at the amphitheater, I have no doubt that Smith Field will be treasured by all those in Allston," said Mayor Walsh. "Thank you to President Faust and Harvard for stepping up to make this new, dynamic public space a reality."

The community, the City and Harvard deemed the renovation of Smith Field a high priority during the 2013 Institutional Master Plan (IMP) and community benefits master planning process. As a result, the City of Boston included a significant capital expense approval to fund a Smith Field master planning process and a $3.3 million renovation.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department launched a public master planning process in 2015. That process included a comprehensive series of public meetings to refine the scope, design and cost of the project. The Harvard Public Realm Flex Fund approved $185,000 to expand the scope of the first phase of the project and to fully fund the first phase design.

In March of 2016, the Harvard Public Realm Flex Fund, Harvard's $5.35 million local grant program, approved $1.9 million to fully fund the first phase of construction, which will renovate two-thirds of the park. Harvard University contributed an additional $700,000 to implement a connective pathway network, known as Longfellow Path, around the edges of the park.

"Smith Field is a special place in the heart of an extraordinary community," said Harvard President Drew Faust. "Public parks provide an important reminder of our responsibilities to our environment, to our neighborhoods and to each other. I know that a newly renovated Smith Field will continue to strengthen the ties of campus and community that are so meaningful to both Harvard and to our neighbors in Allston."

"The investment in Smith Field is an investment in our shared future," said Katie Lapp, Harvard's Executive Vice President. "When completed, Smith Field will help us continue to foster a strong sense of community, and will continue to show us what is possible when the city, the community and Harvard collaborate together for the common good."

In 2016, the City of Boston Parks Commission voted to name the new amphitheater for General George Casey, an Allston native and war hero who died while service in Vietnam. General Casey's son George Casey Jr., a retired U.S. Army General who served as the Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq from 2004-2007, and as the 36th Chief of Staff to the U.S. Army 2007-2011, was in attendance for the ceremony, acknowledging his mother Elaine Morton Casey. 

"My thanks to Mayor Walsh and the City of Boston for this wonderful tribute to my husband, George, to the Casey family and to the men and women who fought so valiantly in Vietnam more than 40 years ago," said General Casey's widow, Elaine Morton Casey.

The 14 acre park was established in the 1890s and is named for William F. Smith, who was killed during World War I. Its location on Western Avenue, across the street from the Harvard Ed Portal and adjacent to the Continuum Building at Barry's Corner, has long been an important cornerstone of the community.

The project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2018.