Statler Park is a quarter acre park, situated in a triangle of land remaining from the criss-crossing of Columbus Avenue, Stuart Street, and Church Street in the Back Bay area of Boston. An historical marker installed at the recently renovated site, states:
"The History of Statler Park
The Statler Park site once fronted on Boston Harbor Bay's shoreline, close to where the British landed and embarked for the Battle of Lexington in 1775. This area was filled in between 1857 and 1882 to form what is now known as Boston's Back Bay Neighborhood.
Statler Park was given to the City of boston as a gift, in 1927, by Ellsworth M. Statler, who built both The Statler Hotel and the adjoining Statler Office Building on land previously occupied by The Boston & Providence Railroad and The Selwyn Theatre.
In 1930, Mr. Statler donated the bronze sculpture that adorns the ornamental water fountain in the Park. The Fountain Figure was treated by artist Ulysses Ricci, circa 1912.
Since 1976, The D.L. Saunders Companies & The Boston Park Plaza Hotel, LLC, as a family, has owned and operated the former Statler - Hilton Hotel and Statler Office Building, since renamed The Boston Park Plaza Hotel and The Park Plaza Office Building. In 1976, the Donald and Roger Saunders Family began a thirty-plus year Park Partnership with the City of Boston for the maintenance and care of Statler Park."
The focal point of the park is the impressive sculpture by Ulysses Anthony Ricci, which has now been restored to its original glory as a fully functional fountain.
Not surprisingly, the fountain is included in the Smithsonian Art Inventory, which describes it as follows:
"Bronze, art deco fountain in the shape of a Roman tripod brazier. Woman in classical robes stands in the middle of the upper bowl holding a cup from which water originally flowed. Large bowl is decorated with signs of the zodiac in relief. Lip edge is decorated with egg and dart molding. The legs are decorated with semi-draped male figures above grotesque decorations and terminate in lions' paws. Basin at foot of fountain, now a planter.
Gift of the Hotel Statler Company, Inc. Was presented to the city in 1930 as part of a beautification project for the Park. Originally, water flowed from the cup the figure holds, into the raised bowl, and then into the basin. Fountain is no longer operable. A bronze dedication plaque originally on base is now missing.
Figure: bronze; Plinth & pool perimeter: granite; Pool liner: concrete.
Sculpture: approx. H. 15 ft. x Diam. 4 1/2 ft.; Base: approx. H. 3 ft. x Diam. 3 ft." (
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Due to the historic nature of the park and its amenities, the park was recently restored and received a 2012 Preservation Achievement Award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. The following describes the restoration effort:
"Statler Park
Restoration of a Park, Landscape,
or Natural Area
Owner of Plaza:
City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department
Owner of Roads:
City of Boston Public Works Department
Project Team:
Halvorson Design Partnership
D’Allessandro Corporation
Daedalus, Inc.
APS–Architectural Paving and Stone, Inc.
Rika Smith McNally & Associates
Freeport Fountains
D.L. Saunders Companies & The Boston Park Plaza Hotel
Motor Mart Garage
In June of 2011, the twelve-year quest to renovate Statler Park came to an end and a precious urban space in downtown Boston was revitalized. The renovation of historic Statler Park was a wide-ranging project encompassing not only the main green of the park, but also the adjacent roadways, crosswalks, and traffic island. The park now has a reconfigured lawn area with new benches, plants, and irrigation, as well as a central brick paved plaza with new benches and circular irrigated planting beds. New streetlights, tree planters, and bicycle racks line the freshly paved concrete sidewalks.
Statler Park’s centerpiece, a bronze fountain sculpture created in 1930 by American artist Ulysses Ricci, also underwent a restoration which included new plumbing and lighting, a restored fountain base, and perimeter basin wall. The expansion of a traffic island at Arlington Street, Stuart Street and Columbus Avenue foster a safer pedestrian area, and the installation of free Wi-Fi and handicap accessible crosswalks make a welcoming environment for the public." (
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