Charles River

:For the UK monkey importation facility that was run by Charles River, see Shamrock Farm.

Today's design of the Charles River

Today's Charles River basin between Boston and Cambridge is almost entirely a work of human aesthetics and design, and forms one of the finest planned landscapes in the United States. Its design was the vision of noted landscape architect Charles Eliot who, with his associates Guy Lowell and Arthur Shurcliff, descended from the direct tradition of Frederick Law Olmsted. This designed landscape now includes over 20 parks and natural areas along 19 miles of shoreline, from the New Dam at the Charlestown Bridge to the dam near Watertown Square.

Related Topics:
Landscape architect - Charles Eliot - Guy Lowell - Arthur Shurcliff - Frederick Law Olmsted

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Eliot first envisioned today's river design in the 1890s, but major construction began only after his death in 1910 with the damming of the river's mouth at today's Museum of Science, an effort led by James Jackson Storrow. This new dam stabilized the water level from Boston to Watertown, eliminating the existing mud flats, and creating the river we now see. Upon Storrow's death 1930, his widow donated funds to create a park along the Esplanade. However, in the 1950s a highway (Storrow Drive) was built instead, and the Esplanade park was built from the highway out into the river.

Related Topics:
James Jackson Storrow - Storrow Drive

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