BSLA / AWARD OF EXCELLENCE CROSBY | SCHLESSINGER | SMALLRIDGE
Farnham and Connolly State Park Canton , Massachusetts
Photo | Charles Mayer
The former Canton Airport is a 338-acre site , developed in 1930 , closed in the 1950s , and then used for a variety of industrial purposes . Located within the Fowl Meadow portion of the Fowl Meadow and Ponkapoag Bog Area of Critical Environmental concern , the site is stunningly beautiful with a full range of wetland plant communities such as alluvial red maple swamps , wet meadows and open water floodplain marshes .
The Farnham and Connolly State Park connects people to this natural resource , educates the public about the natural environment and provides for recreational enjoyment , all increasing stewardship . The initial project challenge included integration of a design for a public park with remediation of a large and contaminated site . Site analysis included the collection and analysis of information related to the history of the site , environmental conditions and site contamination , flood plain and wetlands , opportunities to connect to the regional trail system and ecological data including flora and fauna .
The 14 acre core-park responds to the various layers of the site ’ s history . Hangar areas are delineated with locally sourced Mica Shist seating walls and a pavilion inspired by the vintage aircraft that once occupied this site references airport history while providing an outlook for dramatic views . Informational signage tells the stories of local heroes Farnham and Connolly , aviatrix Dotty Shaw , The Massachusetts Air Terminal and Arena , and Dr . Bollinger of Harvard and Otto Koppen of MIT and their groundbreaking invention of the Helioplane .
Trail plantings are designed to reflect the site ecologies through which they pass , and the trails developed here are a key component to the regional trail network , linking the Neponset River and Blue Hill Reservation Trails to the north with the Warner and Moose Hill Trails to the south .
118 BSLA