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From YouTube: North Square Reconstruction Project Groundbreaking
Description
Change is coming to one of Boston's oldest cobblestoned squares. Mayor Walsh joins developers and local students to break ground on a project revitalizing North Square in the North End. The square, a spot adjacent to the Paul Revere House and visited by millions on the Freedom Trail, will get a much needed accessibility and usability update that will enhance its identity to tourists, residents and businesses alike.
A
Good
morning
everybody
and
welcome
to
North
Square,
my
name
is
Maria
Lanza
and
I
proudly
serve
as
Mayor
Walsh's
neighborhood
liaison
to
the
north
on
today
is
an
exciting
day
for
the
North
End
and
for
not
square
in
particular,
I'm
sure.
All
of
you
trep
used
your
way
up
the
cobblestones
and
realized
it
was
less
than
ideal.
So
this
reconstruction
is
really
an
exciting
project
for
the
neighborhood
and
for
the
city,
I'd,
first
like
to
introduce
chief
Chris
Osgood,
who
is
the
chief
of
streets
for
the
city
of
Boston.
Thank
you
for
coming.
Thank.
B
C
C
B
That
was
absolutely
fantastic.
Thank
you!
So
much
Elliot
school
st.
John
school,
that's
a
beautiful
voice.
It's
great
way
to
start
the
day
again,
we
are
here
to
celebrate
the
groundbreaking
of
North
Square
over
the
last
three
years.
This
neighborhood
has
really
come
together
to
design
a
beautiful
new
Street
and
new
park
a
street
and
park
that
will
really
celebrate
history.
That
will
improve
accessibility.
That
will
enhance
the
public
realm
over
the
next
12
months.
We'll
be
taking
your
great
design
from
the
drawing
board
to
the
street.
B
We
will
be
rebuilding
the
sidewalks
around
this
square
and
making
sure
that
they're
better
for
every
single
Freedom
Trail
visitor
every
single
resident
who's
was
walking
along
these
blocks.
We're
gonna
be
investing
in
some
of
these
great
features
like
the
cobblestones
and
the
nautical
railing
that
you
see
around
here
to
make
sure
that
we're
really
celebrating
and
highlighting
some
of
the
great
features
of
this
park.
We're
gonna,
be
raising
Moon
Street
behind
you
by
the
church
and
improving
the
indebt
general
pedestrian
accessibility.
B
To
make
sure
this
entire
Park
and
Plaza
and
streets
are
accessible
to
everybody
around
here,
we'll
be
adding
streetlights
to
make
sure
that
this
area
is
more
inviting
at
night
and
adding
some
new
plantings
and
some
new
public
art
to
the
entire
park.
All
of
this
is
going
to
really
again
make
sure
that
we
are
celebrating
history,
inviting
everybody
to
this
space
and
anchoring
this
neighborhood
in
this
area
with
a
park
that
is
loved
by
all.
This
would
not
be
possible.
B
This
two
million
dollar
investment
would
not
be
possible
without
the
emphasis
has
been
put
on
this
by
our
mayor.
The
mayor
has
made
it
very
clear
that
he
wants
to
make
sure
that
we're
investing
in
those
places
that
make
our
neighborhoods
great,
that
bring
public
art
to
our
streets
and
then
bring
all
of
us
in
this
city
together.
So
it
is
my
honor
to
introduce
our
first
speaker
of
the
day.
Our
mayor
mayor,
Martin,
J,
Walsh,.
D
D
You
guys
were
awesome.
Thank
you
very
much.
I
love,
seeing
that
I
also
want
to
thank
the
elected
officials
that
are
here.
This
has
been
a
collaboration
with
all
of
us
working
together,
I
want
to
start
with
city
councilor,
salimah,
Tina,
Thank,
You
self,
for
your
great
work.
Sal's
been
working
this
process
from
the
very
beginning,
City
Council,
nice,
rossabi,
Jorge
I,
want
to
thank
you
councilor
as
well
save
represent
Aaron.
D
Let
go
it's,
who
else
actually
works
as
well
with
on
the
state
side
of
this
Thank
You
Aaron,
for
your
continued
support
here
and
making
sure
this
happens
in
state
senator
bond
Cory.
Thank
you.
Joe
as
well
feel
feel
great
work
here.
There's
a
bunch
of
people
are
going
to
speak
here
in
a
little
while.
Thank
you
very
much.
You
know
Nina's
going
to
talk.
Apart
of
your
association,
look
forward
to
hearing
Nina
Suzanne
Taylor
from
the
Freedom
Trail
Association
Thank,
You,
Captain,
James
Latino,
thank
you,
Sacred
Heart
Church
and
st.
D
John's
School
and
the
Elliott.
Thank
you
very
much
and
we're
excited
about
what
we're
doing
here
today.
I
was
having
a
conversation
actually
last
weekend
with
Lorraine
pass,
can
tele
and
we're
talking
about
who
grew
up
in
this
neighborhood
and
her
dad
actually
was.
The
state
was
the
City
Council
here
and
she
was
talking
about
the
changes
of
the
naval
in
the
North
End,
but
she
was
talking
about
how,
regardless
out,
how
much
the
North
End
changes.
D
Sometimes
it
does
remain
the
same,
and
today
is
one
of
those
days
in
this
project
was
one
of
those
projects
of
I've
changed,
but
remaining
the
same,
because
we
ought
we
honor
our
cultural
traditions
while
creating
a
better
Boston
for
the
next
generation.
These
young
people
here
the
North
End,
is
one
of
the
most
remarkable
and
historic
communities
in
America.
Today
we
I
don't
want
to
say
we
begin.
My
notes
say
we
begin
a
new
chapter.
D
I,
don't
think
we
bring
in
a
new
chapter,
but
since
this
process
started
back
in
2014,
the
top
priority
for
everybody
has
been
safety,
making
sure
that
our
residents
and
visitors
can
come
and
relax
make
sure
we
have
amenities,
so
young
people
can
play
and
kids
can
play,
make
sure
they
have
a
greener
space
or
cooler
space,
and
that's
certainly
something
that's
important
for
our
city.
There's
2.5
million
dollar
renovation
is
going
to
do
that.
You
can
see
it
up
there
on
the
board.
D
It's
going
to
create
a
more
enjoyable
space
for
people
of
all
ages
and
all
abilities.
It's
going
to
support
our
local
businesses
and
create
even
more
opportunities
for
investments
for
our
restaurants
and
for
our
stores
and
when
tourists
come
to
our
city.
They're
gonna
stop
and
really
take
a
look
here
and
see
exactly
how
the
country
really
started
right.
You
could
have
started
right
here
in
this
particular
neighborhood.
The
north
end
is
also
special,
because
it's
so
many
people
call
it
home.
D
This
community
has
always
been
engaged
and
active
and
passionate
about
making
this
neighborhood
thrive.
I
want
to
thank
everyone
who
helped
lend
their
voice
to
this
project,
to
make
sure
that
we
every
this
project
successful
and
that
that
everyone
has
a
voice
is
all
and
thank
you,
I
want
ain't,
the
community-
that's
here,
not
everyone
here,
works
for
the
city
or
the
state
or
a
contractor,
there's
a
lot
of
residents
here
too.
D
So
thank
you
to
the
residences
for
what
you
do
and
now
in
this
great
city,
in
this
great
neighborhood,
our
public
spaces
can't
be
just
functionable.
They
have
to
be
a
place
of
who
we
are
and
identify
who
we
are
that's
important.
Why
we're
talking
about
citywide,
making
public
art
a
key
component
in
public
works
projects
like
this
one,
so
this
is
something
that
we're
doing
throughout
the
entire
city.
I
want
to
thank
Anne,
Hirsch
and
Jeremy
and
Jer.
D
These
are
the
artists
who
helped
honor
us
in
in
the
history
in
the
future
of
the
North
End
to
the
sculpture.
So
thank
you
for
your
great
work.
This
project
shows
us
how
effective
we
are
when
we
work
together.
This
is
truly
a
partnership
between
all
of
us,
so
I
want
to.
Thank
everybody
who
had
anything
to
do
with
this
project
today
in
this
entire
project
we've
been
doing
since
2014.
Thank
you
for
your
support
and
again
to
the
elected
officials.
D
Thank
them
for
their
their
consistent
support
here
in
the
neighborhood
and
I
know
that
there's
some
businesses
listening
I
know
that
at
times
there's
some
concerns
about
traffic
and
construction,
but
unfortunately
just
be
with
us,
because
when
it's
all
done,
you're
going
to
be
like
this
is
unbelievable.
So
thank
you.
B
Thank
you
so
much
mayor
and
again,
thank
you
for
your
leadership
on
this.
As,
as
the
mayor
said,
the
design
for
this
Park
is
great
because
it
involves
so
many
of
you
and
your
voices
in
really
creating
something
which
is
going
to
be
special,
we're
so
thankful
for
every
neighborhood
resident
who
came
out,
who
voiced
an
opinion
who
shared
a
thought
about
how
to
make
this
space
great
and
all
the
partners
who
really
lent
their
time
and
their
expertise
to
that.
E
Thank
you
all
mayor,
my
friends,
elected
officials,
colleagues
and
residents
of
the
community
and
the
great
schools
we
have
here
for
those
of
us
who
are
abutters
or
members
of
the
community.
We've
always
known
that
this
was
a
special
place
nor
square
has
endured
through
nearly
400
years
of
change
and
growth.
E
Irish
and
Italian
immigrant
men
waited
here
to
be
selected
for
day
jobs
in
the
mid
19th.
At
the
mid
and
late
19th
century,
an
outdoor
mass
was
celebrated
here
by
Cardinal
Cushing
in
1963,
schoolchildren
are
friends
from
st.
John's
come
here
for
for
recess.
Every
day
families
leaving
Sacred
Heart
after
a
funeral
are
joyously
after
a
wedding
and
millions
of
tourists
and
group
tours
have
used
this
Square
every
year,
unlike
Rachel
Revere
square,
which
for
most
of
its
history
was
housing,
lots
and
then
a
large
hotel.
This
has
always
been
an
open
space.
E
It
was
a
working
square,
a
convening
place,
a
place
of
political
activism,
a
place
of
commemoration
and
a
beloved
peace
of
the
North
End's
rich
and
important
history.
We
can
all
agree
that
it's
become
a
bit
forlorn
and
anyone
who's
watched
anyone
crossed
the
street
knows
that
access
is
really
important.
E
We
recently
completed
our
own
access
project
to
make
the
Paul
Revere
house
fully
accessible,
as
well
as
our
inner
courtyard,
so
we're
really
looking
forward
to
the
extension
of
that
access
to
this
square
and
to
the
sidewalks
along
the
Freedom
Trail,
thanks
so
much
to
our
wonderful
mayor
for
appreciating
the
importance
of
upgrading
this
particular
space
and
for
making
it
a
priority
thanks
to
Joe
flurry,
who's
been
so
responsive
to
the
abutters.
About
our
of
course.
Natural
concerns
about
construction
phasing
and
also
impact
on
the
historic
buildings
around
the
square.
E
B
Thank
you
so
much
Nina.
As
Nina
pointed
out.
This
has
been
a
terrific
collaboration
between
the
neighborhood
in
the
city
and
we've
had
a
great
city
team
working
on
this,
as
Nina
mentioned
and
I
want
to
call
out
Joe
flurry
Joe,
who
I
can
there
we
go
jo
flurry
has
been
our
lead
engineer
on
this
project
from
the
very
beginning
is
done.
B
A
terrific
job
working
on
this
we've
been
very
fortunate
to
have
the
great
support
in
Rio
Lanza
of
Karen,
good
fellow
on
the
public
art
component
with
the
art
commission,
support
of
the
Boston
Transportation
Department
and
Commissioner
Gina
fee
and
Daka
we're
lucky
to
be
able
to
partner
with
the
beta
group
on
the
design
and
over
the
next
12
months.
Ciccone
will
be
hard
at
work
on
the
construction
right
here
in
North.
B
Square
I
want
to
introduce,
though,
as
our
final
speaker,
somebody
who's
been
a
close
collaborator
on
this
project
and
a
lot
of
our
public
square
redevelopment
projects
across
the
city,
Hyde
Square
Audubon
circle
to
name
a
few,
and
that
is
the
city's
first
chief
of
Arts
and
Culture.
When
the
mayor
first
became
mayor,
he
created
a
position:
a
cabinet-level
position
of
chief
of
Arts
and
Culture
to
really
elevate
the
role
that
arts
play
in
the
city
and
all
the
projects
that
we
do.
F
Thank
you
so
much
chief
Osgood
Boston
is
a
city
of
people
who
strongly
believe
in
the
transformative
power
of
the
arts
and
thanks
to
Mayor
Walsh's
leadership
in
vision.
That
Boston
cannot
be
an
innovative
city
unless
we
embrace
the
arts
and
incorporate
the
arts
into
everything.
We
do.
We
work
together
with
the
people
of
Boston,
to
articulate
those
goals
in
a
plan
called
Boston
creates,
and
one
of
the
goals
of
that
plan
is
to
incorporate
the
arts
into
everything
we
do
and
to
make
it
a
part
of
civic
life
in
every
neighborhood.
F
This
project
is
an
incredible
example
of
that
proud
of
that
plan
come
to
life.
Coming
to
fruition,
we
found
ready
collaborators
eager
collaborators
in
the
Department
of
Public
Works.
That
makes
me
the
envy
of
my
colleagues
across
the
country.
How
did
you
get
Public
Works
to
work
with
you?
They
raised
their
hand
and
stepped
up
and
said
we
absolutely
need
to
have
the
arts
be
part
of
this
project,
and
this
isn't
the
first
one
they're
going
to
be
many.
Many
more
public
works
projects
that
incorporate
permanent
public
art.
F
It's
Ann,
Hirsch
and
Jeremy
Andra
of
NJ
design
and
I
also
want
to
note
that
Ann
Hirsch
was
also
an
artist
in
residence.
One
of
our
Boston
air
artists
who's
been
in
residence
with
bcy
F,
so
she
really
understands
how
to
incorporate
arts
into
a
community.
I
also
want
to
just
note
that
this
is
the
kind
of
collaboration
that
makes
us
who
can
turn
plans
into
projects
into
reality,
and
so
again
thank
you
for
everyone
for
being
involved
in
this
collaborative
project,
and
we
look
forward
to
many
more
in
the
future.
Thank
you.