Pear Square study shows promise for a Dorchester History Garden

Some of the ideas included using landscaping and new walkways to center the stature of Edward Everett…

September 2, 2026
Seth Daniel

September 2, 2026
Seth Daniel

Student architects from Sasaki Associates made their final presentation to the Pear Square Collaborative on Aug. 13 in the James Blake House on Boston Street, unveiling their best ideas for a Dorchester History Garden.

The showing came after a summer of study and input, including a June walk-through of the Richardson Park site alongside Columbia Road. Some of the ideas included using landscaping and new walkways to center the stature of Edward Everett – avoiding a costly move of the statue – and also creating space for the goals of the History Garden – highlighting the history and culture of all of the various ethnicities in the neighborhood.

Organizer John McColgan said the presentation by the students serving at Sasaki was “more than I expected. They are brilliant in the field.”

The next step is to develop the concept and bring in all of the stakeholders now that there’s a rough plan on the books. McColgan said they hope to engage the city’s Arts and Culture Department alongside academics and “bring many more people into the conversation.”

Dot ‘History Garden’ is moving toward design plan

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Seth Daniel

News Editor Seth Daniel has been a professional journalist and photographer for more than 30 years, beginning as an apprentice reporter at the Akron Beacon Journal in the 1990s. He arrived in Boston in the mid-1990s and has worked since then as a senior reporter, editor, and photographer for more than a dozen community newspapers in and around Boston. He joined the Dorchester Reporter in 2021 as a writer and photographer, later as news editor. He lives with his family in Four Corners.

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