An exciting, new public space is opening in Boston's Seaport – Harbor Way. Upon its completion in 2024, this one third of a mile pedestrian promenade will change the way Seaport connects to Boston Harbor by creating a vital pedestrian link between Summer Street and the waterfront. A collaboration between WS Development, leading landscape architect James Corner Field Operations, and Pentagram, a world-renown design consultancy, Harbor Way's design is inspired by a hybrid of New England's coastal geology, forest landscapes, and traditional wooden boardwalks.
The Rocks at Harbor Way
Do you know how much a glacial erratic weighs?
Harbor Way’s first phase, a new green space named The Rocks at Harbor Way, offers a memorable open space experience for the whole city to enjoy. The Rocks at Harbor Way was named after the 250,000+ pounds of locally sourced boulders, also known as glacial erratics that can now be found in the heart of Harbor Way.
Have you ever heard a tree sing?
A new audio installation at The Rocks at Harbor Way, created in partnership with PlantWave, transforms ordinary trees into master musicians. Using carefully placed electrodes, PlantWave measures the electrical variations of leaves and translates that data into sound. The Singing Trees come to life at The Rocks at Harbor Way through four distinct listening pockets situated around the park, and will host concerts sponsored by Delta Air Lines, ongoing musical programming and coming soon – its very own Spotify playlist.
Glacial Erratics
These boulders have an interesting backstory. The Rocks consist of over 250,000 pounds of glacial erratics otherwise known as rocks that ice once carried across vast stretches of land. Ranging in size from teeny tiny to truly epic, erratics can help scientists understand the paths of prehistoric glaciers.
The Singing Trees
Playing songs in the key of tree. The Singing Trees powered by PlantWave come to life in a performance unlike any other. Listen to biorhythms of several Sugar Maples - and a few Sassafras backup singers - are translated in to music.
The Community Table
A 22-foot-long table that creates an informal gathering place where neighborhood residents and office workers can relax, meet for a cup of coffee or work in the sun on a summer day.
Maple Trees
Harbor Way will feature 20+ Maple Trees and some will sing and some will be tapped for maple syrup someday.
The Stone Stack
The Stone Stack is a compliment to The Rocks. Made of large natural stone blocks, the Stack invites interaction to climb, explore, or simply sit and watch the city go by.
Maple Trees
Barbara waters the Maple Trees that will soon sing with the power of PlantWave.
Harbor Way Boardwalk
Two members of Turner Construction plan out the installation of the herringbone wooden boardwalk in Harbor Way.
Singing Trees by PlantWave
Joe Patitucci, CEO of PlantWave programs our Maple and Sassafras trees to sing. Stop by The Rocks and press play to listen for yourself.
111 Harbor Way
Home to Amazon employees in 2022 as well as new restaurant and retail in the neighborhood.
The Rocks at Harbor Way
A 47,000 pound boulder carefully gets delivered to the park.
Harbor Way Boardwalk
Joe one of the carpenters, precisely measures the angled planks for the boardwalk.
Harbor Way Granite
A mason worker of Brightview lays 5"inch granite pavers that will sit alongside the wooden boardwalk.
Paseo
Construction workers are collaborating on plans for inside the Paseo of 111 Harbor Way
Harbor Way
Chris W. a Journeyman Carpenter and team built the frame of the boardwalk.
Sustainability at Harbor Way
Harbor Way captures 50,000 gallons of stormwater that used to end up in Boston Harbor. That's 1,200 bathtubs full.
The Community Table
A 22-foot-long table that creates an informal gathering place for all.
One Boston Wharf
Annie is operating an excavator, digging on the L5 site in preparation for the slurry wall.
400 Summer Street
A steel beam is being craned onto the 400 Summer Street site to erect the structural frame of the Foundation Medicine.
What’s Coming Next for Harbor Way
2021: The Rocks
Harbor Way’s first phase, a new green space named The Rocks at Harbor Way, will be unveiled in October 2021, offering a memorable open space experience for the whole city to enjoy.
2022: 111 Harbor Way
Designed by Gensler This 413,000 square feet of office space will be home to Amazon. The building once completed will also host 60,000 square feet of neighborhood retail uses as well as multiple works of public art.
2023: Summer Steps
The Summer Steps will connect Harbor Way to Summer Street and the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center with a grand new stair and pedestrian boardwalk which will be complete in 2023.
2023: 400 Summer Street
Designed by Morris Adjmi This 580,000 square feet of laboratory and office space will be home to Foundation Medicine. The 625,000- square foot building once completed will also host 30,000 square feet of neighborhood retail uses.
2024: One Boston Wharf
Designed by Henning Larson This 17-story, 707,000 square foot, mixed-use building, and future home to Amazon’s office will be the city’s largest net-zero carbon office.
2024: Harbor Way
Upon its completion in 2024, this one third of a mile pedestrian promenade will change the way Seaport connects to Boston Harbor by creating a vital pedestrian link between Summer Street and the waterfront.
Featured Press
10.06.2021
How to humanize a $22 billion neighborhood built from scratch
Seaport is quickly becoming the ideal place to live and work for Bostonians. With 20 city blocks of mixed-use development, your business has a future in Seaport – and the future looks bright.