News from the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy:
Ride a 220’ Zipline on The Greenway This Season!
This summer, North End / Waterfront families and visitors can #RideTheZ over the Greenway
on a zipline at Parcel 12 (P12), the space between the Armenian Heritage Park and the North End Parks. Public art, tetherball courts, and Adirondack chairs will also be part of P12’s summer attractions.
The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy has announced the coming installation of ‘The Z’, a seasonal zipline open through Fall 2017. Steps from Faneuil Hall and spanning 220 feet, the zipline will carry riders over The Greenway from near the Armenian Heritage Park to the entrance of The Greenway’s North End Parks. With two parallel cords, two riders will be able to ride alongside each other – or race! From the top of the 30-foot tower, riders will have a unique view of downtown Boston, the waterfront and The Greenway corridor (including the Greenway Carousel).
The Z is the centerpiece of a temporarily activated Greenway park parcel, the development of which remains in a joint State/City planning phase. Officially called “Parcel 12” (P12), this part of The Greenway connects the North End Parks to Armenian Heritage Park and the Greenway Carousel. Until the future use of P12 is determined, the non-profit Conservancy looks for temporary ways to bring engaging experiences. P12 has hosted photo exhibitions and public art installations including Matthew Hoffman’s artwork MAY THIS NEVER END (2016).
In addition to The Z, P12 will be a place for visitors to observe public art and experience a game of tetherball. A temporary site-specific installation will be installed in June by Jennifer Bonner of MALL, one of the winners of the Design Biennial Boston 2017; visitors who come to The Z will have a great view of a piece, which will be just north of The Z landing zone. The park will also have 2-3 tetherball courts and some of the park’s iconic red Adirondack chairs on-site for those who enjoy spending most of their time on the ground. The zipline, art, and tetherballs all fit the Playful Perspectives public art theme for the 2017 season.
The Z will offer visitors a new perspective on Boston and The Greenway. The zipline, art, and tetherball games add to our nearby Carousel and fountains as terrific, all-ages, family-friendly attractions. – Keelin Purcell, Associate Director of Programs for the Greenway Conservancy.
The Z comes after the success of a pop-up zipline The Greenway hosted in Dewey Square Park over Presidents Day weekend in February; the pop-up zipline, ZipBoston, attracted over 6,000 riders in just three days. The Z will be operated by NY Carousel Entertainment, the proud operators of the Greenway Carousel at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Grove. The Z, which will sit between Clinton and North streets, will be open for rides daily from 11am until at least 7pm; rides will cost $8 for a single ticket, and $15 for a pair. The Z will open in early June after final permitting and inspections are completed. Follow @HelloGreenway on Twitter (#GreenwayZip #RideTheZ #GreenwayPlay) for further information.
“The zipline–like our efforts with public art and the coming Trillium beer garden–are innovative additions that bring new audiences to enjoy The Greenway,” said Jesse Brackenbury, Executive Director of the Greenway Conservancy. “Our partnerships with private operators and private funders make this innovation possible.”
Ticket sales from The Z will support the non-profit Greenway Conservancy in their work to maintain, improve, and program Boston’s premier contemporary public park. The Conservancy continues to work on generating income through various activities as Greenway stakeholders look to agree upon a funding plan by the end of June. The Conservancy has increased earned income each of the past seven years, and is looking to surpass last year’s record of $956,687 in earned income. Sales at The Z will augment The Greenway’s other main sources for earned income: location fees from Mobile Eats food truck vendors, ticket sales at the Greenway Carousel at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Grove, contracted care for adjacent properties, and event fees. For more information on the Conservancy’s earned income sources and success, please see this blog post from earlier this year.
