Boston Common to undergo $1.5 million facelift

The Boston Common will get a facelift this summer after efforts to revamp the park into a “Parisian piazza” started this month.

The $1.5 million renovation will focus on restoring the plaza surrounding the newly refurbished Brewer Fountain near Tremont Street and the Liberty Mall, the grassy expanse leading toward the State House.

“It’s going to have a profound impact on the area,” said Elizabeth Vizza, executive director of Friends of the Public Garden, the non-profit organization that oversees the park and is in charge of organizing the renovations.

“It’s a major cross through that thousands of commuters, tourists and state workers walk past every day,” she said.

The privately funded project plans will add about 10 percent more greenery to the area surrounding the fountains, including the addition of sod and trees looking toward the State House, as well as installing a sprinkler system to keep the scenery healthy, Vizza said.

The piazza will have free Wi-fi, a food cart, an eating area with tables, chairs and umbrellas as well as checkerboards to rent out.

The option to eat a gourmet lunch while listening to a musician play on an outdoor piano would draw in people to a space that has gone unused for many years, Vizza said.

One of the more unique additions planned for the piazza is a reading room. A corner of the piazza will be transformed into a reading room with tables and umbrellas, about 400 books and a periodical stand to let people relax and read while they eat.

“Right now it’s mainly a place people pass through, but we’re trying to get people to spend time and relax in the Boston Common,” Vizza said.

The idea for the project was sparked after the Brewer Fountain, a gift to the city by Gardner Brewer in 1868, was restored a year and a half ago for $640,000, Vizza said.

The fountain had been in disrepair for a decade prior to the restoration.

“These new upgrades will bring much-needed vitality back to this area and provide all of the amenities our residents and visitors deserve in this historic location,” said Mayor Thomas Menino in a press release.

The Friends of the Public Garden are in negotiations with the Clover Food Truck, a gourmet, organic fast food stand operated by a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to set up a truck in the plaza.

They are also working with the food company to have them oversee the area and clean up the trash and keep the tables and chairs in order, Vizza said.

“To keep the fountain pristine we are also building an annual endowment with fountain management,” she said.

Boston University students said they agreed that the renovation would convince them to venture off campus more often.

“My roommate and I always go to the Common to take photos,” said Talinya Ghoodian, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. “It would be really awesome to have a relaxing lunch with a piano playing in the background.”

“The food truck will probably make it more of a tourist attraction too.” said CAS sophomore  Kat Sorensen.

Pending weather conditions, the construction is scheduled to begin in late March and should be finished by early August, Vizza said.