LYNN — The $750,000 transformation of a downtown vacant lot into a new community park is nearly complete.
It’s been approximately six months since construction started on the new Frederick Douglass Park, named for the abolitionist leader who lived in Lynn in the 1800s.
Located at the corner of Exchange and Union streets in the heart of the city’s arts and cultural district, the park will include lots of grass, a performance stage, pathways, and perimeter seating and benches.
The site, which abuts the Lynn Museum and Historical Society and LynnArts buildings, formerly housed the city’s weekly farmers market, which was relocated to allow for the park’s construction.
“It’s obviously a small park, but we were trying to tie it into the (park) next door at the museum, but make it so that it could be used for concerts,” said Eric Loth, managing director of Minco Corp., the North Andover-based firm that owns the lot and is redeveloping the North Harbor site on the Lynnway into 331 market-rate apartments and commercial space.
“I think most of the time people would go sit there and read the newspaper. In the past, they’ve had the farmers market there. We wanted to leave it so that could still be used there, but we still wanted there to be a performance aspect.”
Construction on the park is essentially complete, said Loth, explaining that they are still waiting for their water and electricity connection. The “tricky part” has been determining where both will come from, if not from the site itself, he said.
Once that is fleshed out, Loth said the development team plans to hold a ceremony with city officials to celebrate the new 8,100 square-foot park, which will be turned over to the city.
Minco Corp. became owner of the lot through a land swap agreement with the state that was connected to their waterfront development on the North Harbor site, which is expected to be completed by March 2022.
Loth said his firm worked closely with the city and state to determine what kind of park was envisioned for the Central Square lot.
“We wanted to make sure that it fit into the arts and cultural district,” said James Cowdell, Economic Development & Industrial Corporation of Lynn (EDIC/Lynn) executive director. “There’s a stage where performances can happen. Once we get back to normal and COVID is in the rearview mirror, we can have performances right there in the middle of the square.”
The park will be a “beautiful addition to the downtown,” said Cowdell, noting that it was 100 percent paid for with private funds from the development team, which made it a “home run” for the city.
State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) introduced legislation that, following its passage in the State House last year, ensured that the park would be named for Douglass. He also advocated for a statue of the abolitionist leader, which will be displayed prominently in the park.
Crighton said he felt the park’s name and statue would be a fitting tribute to Douglass, who was thrown off the Eastern Railroad train in 1841, not too far from where the new park is located, for refusing to sit in the colored section.
He credited a local group of residents, particularly Wendy Joseph, who pushed for the monument; EDIC/Lynn and the city’s Community Development Department for providing financial support; and Nahant sculptor Reno “Ray” Pisano, who built and donated the statue, which depicts a young Douglass and his time in Lynn.
“It was a perfect addition to the park,” said Crighton.
