Crite Park
More than a Park, Building a Community
Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
The Friends of Crite Park is building a park that honors the contributions of a highly revered South End artist and icon, Allan Rohan Crite. Located at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and West Canton and Appleton Streets, Crite Park will provide a space for respite and nurture a sense of community.
REIMAGINE. The Crite Park Revitalization project took its first steps in 2017. Our instinct was to reimagine the possibilities for this unique plot of land that sits in the midst of a vibrant South End neighborhood. We saw possibilities for shaded spaces, lush plantings, and comfortable nooks to ponder and to mingle.
REDESIGN. We mused, we researched, we acted. And, from our collective energies, Crite Park would be redesigned just as you suggested. You told us that you wanted shade, you wanted a green space, and wanted a space to gather. We listened. You trusted us through your donations and those donations enabled us to hire a visionary landscape architect who has created that special place. So, we acted.
REVIVE. And now, we begin the revival of Crite Park with a blockbuster of events being planned and the realization that Crite Park is going to happen with a flourish. Come join us. Bring your friends, bring your family. Spend time here. Become a part of the energy that is building not just a park but also a community.
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act,
but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.”ANATOLE FRANCE
Our Mission
The Mission of the Friends of Crite Park is:To beautify the space into a visually open, safe, and tranquil environment.To rejuvenate and expand the park for community events and social gatherings supporting our diverse neighborhood culture.To serve as a South End cornerstone and a tribute to a Boston cultural and artistic icon, Allan Rohan Crite.
Our Vision
Our goal is to build a park and sense of community by:Creating a welcoming space that replicates the theme of an outdoor living room, reminiscent of the scenes which Allan Crite observed from his window on Columbus Avenue.Hosting unique events that showcase Allan Crite and other notable South End residents, past and current.Promoting community ownership through membership in the Friends of Crite Park and volunteering to sustain the park and its commitment to the community.
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
About Us
DIRECTORS
The Board and Advisory Council of the Friends of Crite Park are dedicated to transforming the former Allan Rohan Crite Square into a vibrant community gathering place, the new Crite Park. Our talents vary but our energy and commitments are strong and constant. We collaborate freely, we support one another, and we remain undaunted in reaching our goal.
Cheryl Dickinson
FoCP President
While serving as a literacy specialist, I sought ways to improve reading achievement and found that integrating fine art and literacy was one means to do so. Thus, I became acquainted with the beauty and honesty of Allan Crite’s works. I am privileged to lead an exceptional Board in honoring Mr. Crite’s contributions and providing a welcoming and pleasant space for neighbors.
Maryellen Hassell
FoCP Vice President
I moved to the South End in 1993. I have always enjoyed gardening and was pleased to find the neighborhood has many lovely parks. I soon learned that these parks were so beautiful because of the generous support from volunteers who work to keep them as a treasured and welcoming resource in the community. I was happy to join in, serving on Boards of several Park Friends Groups, and truly enjoy giving my time and resources. Allan Rohan Crite, the artist for whom it is named, lived in a building just behind my home. I recall seeing him in the neighborhood and am thrilled to be a part of the team developing the Park in his honor.
Roger Dickinson
FoCP Treasurer
Crite Park is only a half block from our condo on West Canton Street. I’m a retired engineer who led a product development and manufacturing company for 30 years. I volunteer my skills in other similar pursuits around Boston and my role as Treasurer of the Friends of Crite Park is among the most meaningful.
Betsy Hall
After living in Italy and on the South Shore, I moved to the South End in 1995 and almost immediately became involved with the Ellis South End Neighborhood Association. I continue to serve on the Ellis Board which happily and enthusiastically led me to serve on the Board of Crite Park, focusing primarily on communication.
Emeka Iheme
As a 15-year resident of the South End, I am honored to be able to leverage my background in technology and operations to support the vision of Crite Memorial Park. Having previously served on the Board of United South End Settlements, I understand how meaningful and empowering projects like this are to our local community.
Dan Irvin
My wife Jessica Theophile and I moved to Chandler Street in 2021. We love the South End and are excited to be a part of this wonderful community. When we stumbled on the sign announcing plans for Crite Park, we reached out immediately to help. I spent most of my career helping government agencies and non-profits raise funding in capital markets, including the funding for the Central Artery tunnel project in the late 1990s. More recently, I founded a hydropower company and a fund to invest in infrastructure. Jessica also has a background in finance and works for Wellington Capital Management.
Arber Skendaj
Arber is a corporate attorney in the tech industry. Fortunate to call Boston his home for the past 10 years, Arber is committed to active service in his community. In addition to being a board member of the historic Saint Botolph Neighborhood Association, Arber is also a President and board member of the Albanian-American Bar Association, a professional and social organization that encourages civic engagement within the Boston legal community.
Andrew Richardson
As a new South End resident living steps from the park on Columbus Ave, Andrew is passionate about this project and the impact it will have on our community. Professionally, Andrew started the Boston Office of Brighton Jones, where he serves as clients’ Personal CFO. Andrew is originally from the North Shore of Massachusetts and can be found at local South End restaurants and walking the Southwest Corridor. Andrew will be helping with fundraising, gardening, and seeing this project through to the finish!
ADVISORY COUNCIL
The Advisory Council includes civic leaders who share insights and varied skills that are instrumental to the success of the Crite Park project. Whether it involves a legal issue, community outreach, fundraising, marketing, landscaping, art, lobbying, or government issues, the Advisory Council is only an email away. The influence of the Advisory Council cannot be underestimated, and the Board is most thankful for the support of Council members.
Gary Bailey
Gary Bailey is the Assistant Dean for Community Engagement and Social Justice in the College of Social Sciences, Policy and Practice (CSSPP) at Simmons University. He holds the rank of a Professor of Practice at Simmons University School of Social Work and has a secondary appointment at the Simmons University School of Nursing and Health Sciences.Professor Bailey consults with local, state, and international organizations and holds leadership posts in each. Gary provides guidance in a variety of areas including but not limited to: LGBTQ youth, AIDS issues, women’s advancement, educational financing, and health and housing issues for low-income populations. As a South End resident Gary serves on the Boards of the Friends of Harriet Tubman Park, the Friends of Titus Sparrow Park, the South End Library and chairs the Church Council of the historic Union United Methodist Church Leadership Team. Gary has linked the Crite Park Board with a diverse community who will enrich the persona of the new Crite Park.
Tracey Bolotnick
Tracey is an attorney with a practice specializing in serving nonprofit organizations, and she is the General Counsel of the Edward P. Evans Foundation, which supports cancer research and educational projects. She has worked with a number of South End-based groups such as United South End Settlements and Friends of Harriet Tubman Park, and she sits on the boards of the Friends of the South End Library and Mass Audubon. Tracey has lived in the South End for 16 years and is raising her two children here.
Steven Cohen
Steven Cohen, of The Steven Cohen Team, is a top realtor in Boston who has intimate knowledge of the Boston neighborhood and especially the South End. Steven realizes the impact that the revitalized park will have on the South End community. Steven has been most helpful in addressing marketing and other related questions from the Crite Park Board.
Linda Esposito
Linda Esposito is a horticulturist and master gardener who lives a few houses away from Crite Park. As the owner of La Vie en Rose Gardens, Linda works throughout Boston and maintains the nearby Childe Hassam Park. Linda’s extensive knowledge of trees and plantings will be fundamental to maintaining Crite Park. Linda will train and support the Crite Park gardeners.
Council President Ed Flynn
Councilman Ed Flynn serves as the Boston City Council President. He represents District #2, which includes Crite Park. He has served over 25 years in the Navy and worked in the Department of Labor under President Bill Clinton. Flynn’s active support for Crite Park is helping the project move forward.
Frieda Garcia
Frieda, a native of the Dominican Republic, grew up in New York City and graduated from The New School of Social Research. Since moving to Boston in 1965 she has been a tireless activist and community leader.Frieda Garcia is the former president of United South End Settlements (USES), the founding director of La Alianza Hispana, past chairperson of the Board of The Committee for Public Housing, and the Board of the Boston Foundation, member of the Local Initiative Support Corporation, trustee emerita of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Community Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Within the South End, Ms. Garcia is the longstanding Chair of the Friends of the Harriet Tubman Park in the South End. Frieda’s leadership and contributions will carry on forever through the children who play at the Frieda Garcia Park on Clarendon and Stanhope Streets and for all those who enter the new Crite Park. Frieda has spent many hours consulting with the Crite Park Board and engaging her network of colleagues to expand promote the development of Crite Park.
Ryan Gosser
After living on Clarendon Street for over a decade, I recently moved to Maine where I now own and serve as host of the Lady Mary Inn though the South End still holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve served on the Crite Park Board for three years and am honored to continue my service to the park project.
Stephanie Iheme
Stephanie has lived in the South End community for ten years. She is a customer engagement leader in health technology and contributes to the Crite Park Board's donor and community relations efforts through newsletter support.
Brandon Nelson
After spending countless hours with my daughter at parks and playgrounds in the neighborhood, I am excited for the opportunity to give back to the South End community and help bring Crite Park to life for many others to enjoy. Through my work in real estate development, I am familiar with taking projects from concept to reality and look forward to working with this team to revitalize Crite Park.
Meghan Dichiara
I have enjoyed the many public parks and quiet places in the South End since moving here in 2008. I serve on the boards of the Ellis Neighborhood Association and Titus Sparrow Park. Before becoming a stay-at-home parent, I worked in litigation consulting. I look forward to supporting and participating in the creation of Crite Park.
SPECIAL MENTION
In addition to the Crite Park Board and Advisory Council, there are others whose impact will have led to the success of the Crite Park project. We give special mention to them.
Jackie Cox-Crite
After a career in corporate finance, Jackie now serves on local and national community arts boards. For the past 23 years, Jackie has been involved in co-founding the Allan Rohan Crite Research Institute and Library (ARCRIL). The institute is building archives that present the art and life of Allan Rohan Crite, Jackie’s late husband.
Monique Hall, RLA
Landscape Architect
Monique Hall is a Landscape Architect and Associate at BSC Group. Based on neighborhood feedback, her vision is to create a new pocket park that supports community activities and pays homage to the life and work of Allan Rohan Crite, an African American artist living in a black middle-class neighborhood. The new park takes shape as a series of outdoor living rooms – which is intended to be both an extension as well as an examination of everyday life. In this way, the park design parallels Crite’s work as an urban biographer, seeking to portray everyday experiences in his community. Framed by a lush setting of overhead canopy trees and artfully cut pergola screens, the multi-use design allows for informal gatherings at a variety of seating areas, while also accommodating programmed events in the central open space. In addition, the landscape planting areas provide a sense of enclosure from the busy streets and pedestrian sidewalks while maintaining clear lines of sight to the surrounding activities in the neighborhood.
Para Jayasinghe
City Engineer
Boston Public Works Department
Para Jayasinghe is the City Engineer for Boston’s Public Works Department. Para’s expertise and commitment to the Crite Park project are enabling the park to build better, faster, and with cost savings. Mr. Jayasinghe clearly stands by the efforts of the Friends of Crite Park and has organized a team of City colleagues to move this project forward.
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
Allan Rohan Crite
Allan Rohan Crite (1910-2007) was a prolific artist whose eye for detail captured the pulse of the African-American community living in Boston’s South End nearly a century ago. Through pencil sketches, lithographs, brush-and-ink drawings, and oil paintings, Mr. Crite’s depictions of everyday life provide a visual history of urban people in an ordinary light: Children playing street games, neighbors chatting on porch stoops, and people coming and going to work and to school; persons enjoying the usual pleasures of life with its mixtures of both sorrow and joys. His extensive work also included ecclesiastical pieces often set amidst the backdrop of Boston’s skyline or even on city subways.Although he was admitted to Yale School of Art, he chose to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston after receiving a degree from Harvard. Dubbed the Dean of African-Artists in New England, Allan Crite wrote several books and received numerous accolades and awards for his work which can be viewed in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian, Washington, DC, the Boston Atheneum, the Boston Public Library, the Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, and many other galleries throughout the world.In his obituary, The Boston Globe called Mr. Crite "the granddaddy of the Boston art scene," hailing him as "a master of his craft and a treasure of his community." Mr. Crite was a proudly unique figure. His being black in a largely white art world was only part of that uniqueness. "I am a storyteller of the drama of man. This is my small contribution - to tell the African- American experience - in a local sense, of the neighborhood, and, in a larger sense, of its part in the total human experience."
For painting citations, click here
SUNLIGHT AND SHADOW
Allan Rohan Crite, a self-described artist-reporter, chronicled the seemingly insignificant moments of daily life in his Boston community throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. His paintings of playing children, church-going families, and friendly neighbors offer a glimpse into the lives of ordinary African Americans. In Sunlight and Shadow, three generations of neighbors gather in Madison Park in Boston’s South End to spend a pleasant afternoon beneath the shady trees.
SCHOOL’S OUT
With his vibrant painting of urban life, Allan Rohan Crite provides a wholesome portrait of a community. On a sunny afternoon after the last bell, mostly African American girls, neatly dressed, spill out of the fenced yard of a city school. Most stroll with friends, some break into a run, a few quarrel, and a handful walk with their mothers.
PARADE ON HAMMOND STREET
The parade on Hammond Street, executed from memory in June 1935, was inspired by a parade the artist witnessed near his residence in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Painted in predominantly warm, vibrant colors, this urban genre scene focuses on the neighborhood’s extensive African-American community, with residents dressed in their best attire gathered to watch a festive, locally organized parade before Sunday church services.
DOUGLASS SQUARE
Oil on canvas board, 1934. 610x457 mm; 24x18 inches. Signed, initialed, and dated "April 1934" in oil, lower left recto. Signed, titled, and inscribed with the artist's address in oil, verso.
Provenance: the artist, Boston; Grace Horne Galleries, Boston, with the gallery label on the verso; private Maryland collection.
To view a comprehensive display of Allan Crite’s works, see the 2020 exhibition held at the St. Botolph’s Club. The display was co-curated by Jean Gibran a long-time South End resident. See the video tour on YouTube
In his own words...In 1979, the artist Alan Rohan Crite explained his preference for the kind of everyday neighborhood scene like Douglass Square. He said, “I was living here in the South End with a lot of black people around me. I was painting them as I saw them as human beings, just ordinary human beings, having ordinary lives. In the twenties and thirties, the image of black people was distorted, to put it mildly. We had a “Jazz Negro” entertainer or a traumatic figure out of the ghetto or a social problem. But the ordinary human being who goes to the store, comes home, washes dishes, all the homely things—he just wasn’t registering. I felt it important for me to present that life of black people as part of the Christian dignity of man.”
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
Crite Park Events
Crite Park events are about honoring Allan Crite and other notable
Southenders, enjoying family and friends, and just having fun.Once the park is built the Friends of Crite Park will be planning events with
the support of volunteers and businesses.Come join us! We will keep you posted.
Some examples of events are…
Community Picnics
Days set aside each year for neighbors to gather
Saturdays in the Park
Exploring Crite’s works
Storytelling at Twilight
Reminiscences about Allan Crite, and other South End notables
For painting citations, click here.
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
The Crite Park Story
In the Beginning
Some years ago, the park site was a huge open road area that automobiles coming from Massachusetts Avenue would use to veer right onto Appleton Street in order to avoid the red lights on Columbus. This traffic pattern created a safety hazard and affected the tranquility of the neighborhood. Childe Hassam portrayed the site in his painting, “Rainy Day, Boston”.
Rainy Day, Boston (1885) - Toledo Museum of Art
Childe Hassam Painting of the Crite Park location (looking Eastward)
Crite Park Today
In 1986, the City of Boston erected the current Allan Rohan Crite Square to solve the traffic problem. Over the years the park has become overgrown, is a magnet for trash, and is ready for a redesign.
The New Crite Park
Allan Crite considered himself a biographer of the urban experience, and he once wrote that “the street is like the living room of the community.” The design of the park recreates a series of outdoor living rooms as a place where people can meet with others thus creating the fabric of our neighborhood.
*Please note that the art display and flooring in the video have been updated.
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
In The News
The Board and Advisory Council of the Friends of Crite Park are dedicated to transforming the former Allan Rohan Crite Square into a vibrant community gathering place, the new Crite Park. Our talents vary but our energy and commitments are strong and constant. We collaborate freely, we support one another, and we remain undaunted in reaching our goals.
Watch us Grow - Join our Revitalization of the Allan Rohan Crite Square
On Columbus Avenue at West Canton & Appleton Streets in the South End
A rendering of the proposed park.
In the News
Our First Event!
Boston Sun Staff. (2023, June 8) Friends of Crite Park to Hold Father’s Day event. The Boston Sun.
Crite Park has been supported by many including the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Here is Our Story! - Find out neighbors joined together to build Crite Park.
Steven Cohen Team. (2022, Spring). Acknowledging the South End’s Own Allen Crite. South End Stakeholders’ Report, pp.16-17.
Crite Park Earns a Grant from the Henderson Foundation - Through the auspices of the Henderson Foundation, Crite Park can purchase furniture for the six alcoves portraying the theme of outdoor living rooms.
We Ready for the $10,000 Challenge. - The fundraising begins!
Crite Park Earns a CPA Grant! - Excitement builds as Crite Park receives a $250,000 award from the Community Preservation Commission.
The Community Reviews the Designs. - Interest and support build after over 100 neighbors attend the Open House and Zoom meeting to review the renderings.
The Landmarks Commission Considers the Design. - The Commission made insightful recommendations to adjust the design which eventually led to a unanimous decision to endorse the park design.
The Design is Revealed - Monique Hall, landscape architect integrates community input to formulate the vision for the park design
From the Beginning - Jackie Cox-Crite reminisces about Mr. Crite’s presence in the South End. A story follows of how the park revitalization began.
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
There Are Several Ways You Can Help The Park.
To date, $900,000 has been raised in grants and private donations.
Donate
Donations can be made using the PayPal button below
or by sending a Check made out to Friends of Crite Park to
Crite Park
PO Box 170657
Boston, MA 02117
The construction and maintenance of Crite Park depend on
your generosity. Your contributions help us preserve and
enhance this valuable community space.The Friends of Crite Park is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization.
All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for your support!
For assistance, Contact Us.
Major Donors
Crite Park - Reimagine. Redesign. Revive.
©️ 2024 Friends of Crite Park
Citations
Samples from Allan Crite’s work:Parade on Hammond Street, 1935, The Phillips Collection, oil on canvasShawmut Avenue, Boston (1939) Private Collection, oil on CanvasHarriett and Leon, 1941, Boston Athenaeum, oil on canvas,Cambridge, Sunday Morning (1934) Boston Athenaeum , oil on board
Citations
Rotating pieces
Marble Players, 1938, Boston Athenaeum, oil on canvas
The Car Stop, n.d., Boston Athenaeum, oil on canvas
Portland Hospital, 1977, National Center of Afro-American Artists, sketch
The Shower, Ruggles Street, 1935, Boston Athenaeum, oil on canvasStationary pieces with descriptions
Sunlight and Shadow, 1941, Smithsonian, oil on canvas
School’s Out, 1936, Smithsonian, oil on canvas
Parade on Hammond Street, 1935, The Phillips Collection, oil on canvas
Douglass Square, 1934, private collection, oil on boardPainting of Allan Rohan Crite
Ted A. Charron, Allen Rohan Crite, 2010, Courtesy of Ted A. Charron, oil on canvas
CONTACT US
Locate Us: Columbus Avenue at West Canton &
Appleton Streets in the South EndEmail: critepark@gmail.com
FRIENDS OF CRITE PARK MEMBERSHIP
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VOLUNTEER
Volunteer opportunities could include clean-up, fundraising, publicity, posting flyers, helping with events….
Please let us know how you would like to help.
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