I’m still waiting to become a New England Revolution die-hard. They won’t get me until they move into the city; the team is on record as wanting such a move, but in almost two decades, nothing beyond some shuffling of papers has happened.
That hasn’t stopped me (and many others) from dreaming about what a beautiful urban soccer stadium could do for our city. Boston would instantly - mark my words, from day one - become one of the most passionate fan bases in North America. The Revolution would be a cultural happening in the city, and matches would be events. Boston is a soccer town waiting to be unleashed.
Author’s note: I’ve written about the Revolution before, taking some time to consider their branding and visual identity, and their place in the landscape of American soccer. This article can be considered a companion to those previous pieces. I’ve never before broached the topic of where they should play, because I’m no expert on the myriad issues facing the idea of a new stadium for the Revs. But I love to dream, and I love to connect ideas; what follows is a rumination much more than a recommendation. Is what I lay out here probable? No. Is it valuable to consider? Maybe; I know I enjoyed thinking about it while writing. And man, would I love it if it came true.
Revolution fans - who have stuck with the team as they play out in lonely Foxboro, Massachusetts - know this. They pine for a home of their own. Various neighborhoods, towns, parcels and plans have been dissected by fans who hold out hope for a move into (or nearer) the city; there isn’t much to go on besides the occasional interview of a semi-interested public official, or a Revolution name-check in an article centered on other development. Casino initiatives, urban redevelopment - heck, even the Olympics - have been seen as possible catalysts for a Revolution stadium. Fans have undertaken a lot of tea-leaf reading, a lot of Google-map parsing, and a lot of hoping against hope - but no solid leads have ever materialized. Part of the problem lies in the team’s ownership and current situation, which appears, in many respects, far less than ambitious; part lies in just how parochial Boston is and how difficult it is to do anything big near the urban core.
I live in the city’s South End, and I walk all over the place - one of the Boston’s joys is that it’s not so big that you can’t learn just about every neighborhood intimately. For years, I’ve been passing one particular spot that reaches out, grabs me by the lapels, and all but screams the “Seven Nation Army” riff in my face. I want to throw it out there as a place that would make one kick-ass location for a Revolution stadium - and, potentially, a resource the entire city could enjoy.
For your consideration, Revolution, I suggest: the current site of The William E. Carter Playground.
Carter Playground’s athletic fields, looking northeast towards the Back Bay. (image credit: Wikipedia)
Where is it? In Boston proper, at the corner of Columbus Avenue and Camden Street, bordered by Boston’s South End and Roxbury Crossing neighborhoods, and Northeastern University’s urban campus.
What’s there currently? A collection of ragged public athletic fields, decent tennis courts, aging playground equipment, somewhat abandoned infrastructure (like crumbling cement bleachers and rusty chain-link fences), and parking lots.
a panoramic view of Carter Playground and athletic fields. (click the image to enlarge)
aging bleachers and the Prudential Center (facing northeast)
the fields, and housing across Columbus Ave. (facing south)
old playground equipment, surface parking, train tracks, and Northeastern University (facing northwest)
What borders it? On the Columbus Ave. side, apartment and student housing. On the Camden St. side, a winding park featuring a community path, and the William E. Carter School (Boston’s smallest public school). On the side opposite Columbus Ave., parking lots and a corridor of train tracks (which serve both the local Orange Line subway and the regional MBTA commuter rail). On the side opposite Camden St., a Northeastern University-affiliated building (SquashBusters - a place for youth to learn racquet sports) and a large parking garage.
And beyond the immediate borders? To the east (beyond Camden St.), it’s a short two-block stroll down the community path to Massachusetts Avenue (one of Boston’s main thoroughfares) and the Mass Ave. subway stop on the Orange Line.
the community path leading to Massachusetts Avenue
The blocks east of Mass Ave, are filled with bars and restaurants in Boston’s thriving South End neighborhood. To the south and west, the Roxbury Crossing neighborhood surrounds the parcel; this area just is awakening from years of economic hardship. To the west, it’s only three blocks to Ruggles Station, another Orange Line subway station, and one that also doubles as a large bus and commuter rail hub. To the north, Boston’s Northeastern University lies just across the train tracks, which opens into the city’s vibrant Fenway and Kenmore neighborhoods (including quick access to another subway line, the Green Line).
A crowdsourced map showing “consensus” Boston neighborhoods. Carter Playground appears at the nexus of several. (credit: Bostonography.com)
In general, the location lies at the exact crossroads of several prominent Boston neighborhoods, copious public transportation, and plenty of Boston culture.
Are there any intangibles that make the location perfect? Definitely.
• This spot is at the precise intersection of many important Boston neighborhoods - the Fenway, the Back Bay, the South End, Roxbury, and even Mission Hill. One could argue that, both geographically and demographically, it’s located directly at the city’s center.
• To further that point: this location is exactly on the border between prosperity and gentrification (the neighborhoods to the north and east) and potential recovery (those on the south and west). This is Boston’s cultural frontier - exactly the kind of place where links between success and growth should be formed. A project in this spot has the potential to knit together areas that are thriving (the South End, Fenway, and the University district) with areas that are just starting to come back (like Roxbury and Mission Hill). A popular stadium here would be like a outstretched hand from the parts of the city on good footing to those looking to get back on their feet.
• This goes beyond neighborhood generalities, too - it gets to the core of what being both a Boston citizen and an American soccer fan should be about. The neighborhoods that this project could connect are filled with those on every conceivable economic, racial and social spectrum - the mix of demographics are exactly those that should unite the American soccer community, and should inspire a unique sense of Boston pride.
• This swath of land is one of the largest pieces of underutilized open space within the fabric of the city’s neighborhoods - and though it’s an active part of the city, it’s certainly not being used to its full potential today. Given how valuable and wonderful it could be, this parcel needs to do more for Boston.
• The location has an incredible infrastructure for welcoming visitors - as mentioned, it’s adjacent to three public train lines (including a handful of subway connections, a regional train line to the suburbs and even easy Amtrak connections). It’s at a convergence of multiple bus lines. It offers easy opportunities for park-and-ride options, and, for those driving all the way in, has a large parking facility already built next door. Direct access to Access to I-90 (for east/west travel) is one mile away; access to I-93 (for north/south travel) is one and a half. And best of all, it’s completely walkable for many, many city residents.
• Bars, restaurants and hangouts are already established and waiting to welcome fans. Here’s the area within one-mile of the proposed site.
within a one-mile radius of Carter Playground
If you know Boston at all, you’ll know that there are approximately 65 billion bars, restaurants and attractions within that circle, including some of the finest pubs you’ll find anywhere in the world. A game-day walk to the stadium from all directions would be electric (much like the atmosphere outside Fenway Park is now).
• An opportunity like this would offer a perfect chance to partner with an ambitious Division 1 university, Northeastern, which has no gridiron football program and, thus, no large athletic facilities of this calibre. NU’s soccer, lacrosse, and other field sports could live here - imagine the recruiting pitch coaches could give! - and thrive. The university could host regional and national NCAA competitions, and partner with the Revs to host amazing events events like big-time soccer friendlies, outdoor hockey(!), and lucrative concerts, as well as things like school graduation ceremonies. Furthermore, that there are students in immediate vicinity - not just in the area (though there are plenty in Boston), but literally right next door on the Northeastern campus - only stokes opportunities for built-in passion. This would be a huge win for Northeastern as it seeks to build on momentum and differentiate itself in the hyper-competitive Boston higer-ed scene. (And hey, if Husky football ever returned…)
• The area’s infrastructure is already getting some much-needed love. Ruggles Station is currently being upgraded to better serve commuter rail riders; and Northeastern already plans a beautiful science and engineering complex on the other side of the parking garage, to the parcel’s immediate west (where there is now surface parking). These upgrades will happen regardless of what’s next for the Carter site, but they sure would go hand-in-hand with a beautiful new facility.
• Amazing history is on the side of this project. Within a few feet of this exact spot, Boston’s athletic legacy was born. Various incarnations of the hallowed South End Grounds - which played host to Boston’s first baseball teams (including birthing the club that still plays, over 130 years later, as the Atlanta Braves) - were built on this location in the late 1800s. Cy Young pitched here. The most fondly-remembered version of the Grounds featured an unmistakable peaked-roof grandstand, which could and should be referenced in a new stadium’s design.
the South End Grounds, circa 1890 (photo credit: Boston Public Library)
the Grounds’ famous second deck (photo credit: Wikipedia)
Also worth mentioning: the Red Sox’ first home, the Huntington Avenue Grounds, was formerly located just across the train tracks from this spot…
the Huntington Avenue Grounds (photo credit: Boston Public Library)
…and Matthews Arena, the oldest indoor multi-athletics stadium in the world - and first home to the Celtics, Bruins, and every notable local college hockey club - still stands next to the site and plays host to Northeastern University’s renowned Huskies hockey team. Heck, even the Whalers got their start here.
Matthews Arena (photo credit: Boston Public Library)
This exact location truly is the cradle of Boston - and New England - sports.
Could a stadium fit? It wouldn’t be easy. But with some creativity, I think so. The key would be partnering with both the MBTA and Northeastern - the former, to secure developmental air rights over the train corridor, and the latter, to serve as a land-use partner, to help with managing, utilizing and scheduling the facility.
acreage necessary for a stadium plot, including over rail corridor
This would provide just enough space - a bit less than 10 acres - to fit a modern (if modest) soccer-specific arena, on the order of 20,000 seats - on the parcel. For instance, here’s New York/Harrison’s 25,000-seat Red Bull Arena (to scale), superimposed on the site:
A tight squeeze, no doubt - but of course, this particular arena is slightly larger than might be practical for the Revs, and of course was not designed or engineered to fit inside the the exact contours of our parcel’s street-scape. For another perspective, here’s Philadelphia/Chester’s 18,500-seat PPL Park, also to scale, on the same land. (I certainly prefer a more enclosed option, but a stadium with the merits of either would be fantastic.)
Ten acres is the absolute barest minimum to shoehorn a structure like this into a parcel this size; no extra development around the grounds would be possible. Much like Fenway Park, this stadium would need to be woven into the fabric of the city itself, and rely on built infrastructure to handle “other stuff” like people-moving, game-day services, office space, and the like. It’s not an easy proposition, especially in this day and age. But it’s not strictly impossible, either.
On the design side, a roof encircling the crowd would both help contain noise (for the sake of neighbors) and enhance atmosphere on the pitch. I would hope the architectural approach would be something that paid homage to the city’s long history of famous urban athletic facilities (from the South End Grounds to Fenway Park to the Boston Garden). Ideally we’d get a bit of the timeless red brick Boston style that the surrounding neighborhoods showcase, but I’d also like a few modern touches - something that wasn’t simply an exercise in retro styling. (To be clear: I wouldn’t want something as sleek as Red Bull Arena dropping in to this location; it would look like an alien pod landed in the city. Something that worked with the street-scape, on a scale and with a style that blended into the surroundings, would be perfect.)
Building over the exiting rail right of way would also serve the wonderful function of knitting existing neighborhoods together; instead of needing to find pedestrian bridges and bypasses, one could simply stroll from Kenmore, through Northeastern’s campus, to (or past) the stadium, and on into the South End or Roxbury areas. This has benefits for Boston that go beyond the facility itself - it would help make the city a more livable, beautiful and connected place.
What are some of the challenges? They would be both plentiful and non-trivial.
• The cost to acquire the land and development rights would, of course, be prohibitive; accordingly, getting the Krafts (or whomever owns the team when the time comes) to contribute to the funding would be a huge challenge. In a perfect world, the team’s owners, the city, and Northeastern would work out a mutually beneficial deal.
• You’d need to make sure local neighborhood community groups were on board; there is sure to be more noise, more traffic, and some craziness to deal with (much like Fenway residents co-exist with 35,000 Red Sox fans all summer). There are community-minded approaches that can help win hearts and minds here.
• There’s also the loss of open public space to contend with; even though the current space isn’t beautiful or well-realized, it still belongs to the people. Here’s where the Krafts (or the appropriate party) would need to step up, especially in more impoverished neighboring communities like Roxbury. Helping to make nearby parks even better - including the Jim Rice ballfields and other smaller local playgrounds and community centers - would help. With the right approach, appropriate mitigation (and the opportunity for fantastic contributions to Roxbury in particular) could leave everybody in a better spot.
• In general, there would be challenges forging as many partnerships as the entire project would require. Entities would include neighborhood groups, a university, regional agencies and a host of state and city regulatory bureaus. Not to mention, the new mayor (who may just be a bit of a soccer fan?). If anyone can make this happen, it’s a figure like Bob Kraft.
• Engineering a stadium to be partially built over an existing (and open) stretch of rail tracks can’t be easy. It can be done, but it’s not a cut and dry job. Likewise, fitting a 20,000-seat stadium into 10 or so acres would leave very little leeway for anything but a perfectly executed design.
• Beyond building the stadium itself, there is the task of readying nearby infrastructure to accommodate increased auto and human traffic. This isn’t quite on a Fenway Park scale (either in terms of attendance or game frequency), but it is significant.
• There would be an inevitable loss of tradition to contend with - including less obvious space for tailgating. This could possibly be addressed by designating a tailgating lot at a park-and-ride lot for such purposes, using trains or busses to get people from lots to the games. Like the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins, however, tailgating culture would necessarily be less prominent (and use of local bars, restaurants and parks, more prominent) as the game day shifts from a suburban to an urban experience. I’d be ok with this, but many might not be.
• Gritting out the many years it would take to see a project like this through to completion would be almost too much to bear. Of course, Revs fans have had practice at this.
But just imagine… if the obstacles were surmounted, and perfect Revolution stadium rose in this location, how completely amazing it would be.
• Imagine walking from a local pub in the Back Bay to the stadium on game day with an electric atmosphere all around. Or marching in from a supporter’s bar down the street along with hundreds of Fort members.
• Imagine grabbing a snack on the Common and then jumping on the Green Line for a quick trip over to the park.
• Imagine taking in a Red Sox / Revolution double-header, walking from Fenway, to a nice late lunch, and then over to the stadium. Or maybe a Revs / Bruins double with a quick Orange Line ride in between.
• Imagine taking the Acela train up from Manhattan to Back Bay, hopping off, and walking a a few blocks down a community path to the stadium.
• Imagine parking at any node on the MBTA system - Alewife to the north, Riverside to the west, or Braintree to the south, particularly - and having an easy one- or two-train ride that deposits you feet from the stadium. Anyone in the MBTA commuter rail catchment area could take advantage of train-only travel to and from games.
• Imagine the thrill of 20,000-plus Boston fans, doing what Boston fans do, urging the Revolution forward, with the cityscape looming over their heads.
Boston’s Carter Arena (The Cahtah!) at the Kraft-Northeastern Athletic Complex. Home of the New England Revolution and their mighty fans.
One can dream.