Copley Square Construction To Begin Soon

Dear Trinity Church and friends, 

 

Some may recall when Huntington Avenue ran past our West Porch and connected to Boylston Street. Others may only know Copley Square Park as it stands today, a design dating to the 1960s. We write to update our parish family on the City of Boston’s progress redesigning the Square to meet the evolving needs of all who frequent our neighborhood. The City’s dedicated website for the redevelopment may be found here. The site offers a comprehensive overview and timeline of what to expect of the City’s project. 

 

Led by Tim Martin, our Building Committee Chair, and Morgan, as Rector, Trinity has been engaged with the City for the last three years, and the final design reflects that engagement. The new design will not adversely impact Trinity’s property or operations and, when complete, will benefit us and the wider community.

 

For anyone who has not closely followed this news, the City and landscape architect Sasaki began their design process and stakeholder engagement in 2020. As the immediate abutter, we met with the project team in its earliest stages. Among other topics, we successfully advocated for a stage location near Dartmouth Street for Copley events; for expansion of the green space immediately in front of our West Porch; and for aesthetically pleasing interactions between our property and the Square’s redesigned hardscapes. 

 

We have been informed by the City that the active construction period could begin as soon as this Thursday, July 20, and we have now prioritized our buildings’ accessibility while the work is underway. Especially important to us, we expect unimpeded access for emergency vehicles will be maintained, even while we pray such a need never arises. After construction completes, we expect the same rights of access for worship (eg, wedding and funeral coaches) and maintenance that has been in place with the City for more than a century.

 

In the short term, the City will soon mobilize with their contractor, WES. The immediate and visible impact of their mobilization will be construction fencing around the project area. Our fantastic Director of Facilities, Kevin McLaughlin, will coordinate to ensure our day-to-day needs are met. While Kevin and our top-shelf Facilities team will work to limit any impact to our parish life, anyone who has lived through a construction project knows there will be times when our patience will be tested and our grace will be needed. Please stock up on your generosity, as required! 

 

We are grateful for Kevin; our CFO, Rob Hess; and members of the parish who have supported various stages of this process. Should you have any additional questions, please check out the City’s website. If questions about impacts to Trinity remain, please feel free to reply to this message, and we will direct your concern to the person who can best respond. 

 

See you at Church!

Tim Martin, Building Committee Chair 
Kevin McLaughlin, Director of Facilities 
Chris Allen, Senior Warden 
Barbara Dortch-Okara, Junior Warden 
Morgan Allen, Rector