Sepia image of a gymnasium structure and lawn on the edge of a river.

The Charlesbank

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Sepia image of a gymnasium structure and lawn on the edge of a river.

Open from June 11 through October 26, 2025

This special exhibit explores the Charlesbank, the first section of the Boston Esplanade to become parkland. Gradually filled in during the late-nineteenth century, in the 1880s landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. designed a trailblazing park here. The landscaped grounds became an integral site for Bostonians’ active and passive recreation and an outlet for West Enders.