LoPresti Park

Weston & Sampson was selected by the Boston Parks and Recreation Department (BPRD) to design a contemporary park linking East Boston’s Maverick Gardens neighborhood back to the water and strengthening pedestrian connections to the surrounding community.

LoPresti Park is an intensely-used neighborhood park and playground frequented by residents arriving on foot or by bike. Improvements at LoPresti Park include active recreational amenities, such as new basketball courts, a children’s playground, splash pad, fitness equipment, an open lawn, and a synthetic turf playing field lit for night use. Additional programming includes seating, ping-pong, and a kayak launch with direct access to the harbor. The park’s new main entry plaza rests directly across from Maverick Gardens housing development and frames sweeping views of the city. As a waterfront park, climate resilience and sea level rise were central to the design strategy. Elements of the park were raised to be protected from rising tides and to withstand and recover quickly from storm inundation.