White Stadium

Featured Project

White Stadium

Featured Project

Boston can renovate White Stadium as a high-quality, fully-public high school stadium—without the many drawbacks of building a professional sports venue in the middle of historic Franklin Park and the surrounding communities.

White Stadium sits in the middle of a historic, nationally recognized park, surrounded by residential neighborhoods, and has no parking while being almost a mile from the nearest train station. Proponents have issued a shifting array of restrictive rules and limitations that would subject residents to excessive regulation within their own neighborhoods, and significant concerns about traffic congestion and community disruption continue to be overlooked. Additionally, a legal challenge questioning the project remains ongoing, with an active lawsuit currently before the court.

  • White Stadium grandstand prior to its destruction in 2025

    Credits:

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • Advocates speak at a press conference at White Stadium in April 2024

    Credits:

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • The Conservancy's public option for White Stadium's redevelopment

    Credits:

    Landing Studio

  • Advocates rally for a publicly accessible White Stadium

    Credits:

    Evan Bradley

  • White Stadium grandstand prior to its destruction in 2025

    Credits:

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • Advocates speak at a press conference at White Stadium in April 2024

    Credits:

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • The Conservancy's public option for White Stadium's redevelopment

    Credits:

    Landing Studio

  • Advocates rally for a publicly accessible White Stadium

    Credits:

    Evan Bradley

HISTORY & IMPACT

More and more people are calling for reconsideration of the proposal to redevelop Franklin Park's White Stadium into a professional sports complex, with Boston Legacy FC now planning to play their inaugural season at Gillette Stadium. Recently, the NAACP Boston Branch called for an immediate halt to the professional soccer stadium plans and expressed support for a more affordable public stadium renovation that would meet the needs of Boston Public Schools students and the community. The Conservancy worked with Landing Studio and Vermeulens to create an updated public stadium alternative, to spark conversation about Franklin Park and White Stadium. While the existing high school stadium on the site has been demolished, construction of the new stadium has still not begun, or been fully bid. The final cost of this project is unknown and will not be shared until the end of 2025. It has been suggested that the final cost of the City’s half of the project could reach upward of $172 million under “worst-case” contingencies. Residents and advocates highlight that there is plenty of time to reconsider plans to build a fully public stadium for Boston Public Schools students and the communities around Franklin Park. The Franklin Park Defenders, a community-led group advocating for an alternative plan to renovate White Stadium as a public high school facility—offering a more environmentally responsible and cost-effective solution for the City—continue to highlight these critical concerns.

  • White Stadium grandstand prior to its destruction in 2025

    Credits:

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • Advocates speak at a press conference at White Stadium in April 2024

    Credits:

    Emerald Necklace Conservancy

  • The Conservancy's public option for White Stadium's redevelopment

    Credits:

    Landing Studio

  • Advocates rally for a publicly accessible White Stadium

    Credits:

    Evan Bradley

History

Franklin Park officially opened in 1885 and became the crown jewel of the Emerald Necklace. Its centerpiece, the “Country Park” (now the Wilderness and Scarboro Pond), was designed to feel almost untouched—an antidote to industrial urban life.

Over time, Franklin Park has become a hub for recreation and culture, adding features like the golf course, athletic fields, and eventually, the Franklin Park Zoo. While parts of Olmsted’s original vision were altered through the 20th century, today restoration is focused on reclaiming the park’s ecological health and historic landscape character.

stay involved

01

Be part of the change and donate to the project.

02

Keep up to date
on the latest and greatest.

03

Reach out with questions, ideas, and compliments.

Explore

Explore

Explore

more projects

more projects

more projects

Land & water
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The world didn't start with Olmsted. For millennia before and in the centuries since Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Emerald Necklace park system for a rapidly industrializing city and metropolitan area, the lands and waters of and around Greater Boston have served as a site of exchange among communities including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy acknowledges the Greater Boston region as their unceded ancestral territories. This acknowledgement is a starting point toward right relations with Indigenous neighbors and their understandings of land stewardship.

Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

Subscribe for Necklace news, community events, and to enliven the parks.

Shattuck Visitor Center

Year-Round

Mon-Fri 9:30am – 5pm

May-October

Sat-Sun 10am – 4pm

Mailing address

+1 (617) 522–2700

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3414988.

Land & water
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The world didn't start with Olmsted. For millennia before and in the centuries since Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Emerald Necklace park system for a rapidly industrializing city and metropolitan area, the lands and waters of and around Greater Boston have served as a site of exchange among communities including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy acknowledges the Greater Boston region as their unceded ancestral territories. This acknowledgement is a starting point toward right relations with Indigenous neighbors and their understandings of land stewardship.

Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

Subscribe for Necklace news, community events, and to enliven the parks.

Shattuck Visitor Center

Year-Round

Mon-Fri 9:30am – 5pm

May-October

Sat-Sun 10am – 4pm

Mailing address

+1 (617) 522–2700

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3414988.

Land & water
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The world didn't start with Olmsted. For millennia before and in the centuries since Frederick Law Olmsted designed the Emerald Necklace park system for a rapidly industrializing city and metropolitan area, the lands and waters of and around Greater Boston have served as a site of exchange among communities including the Massachusett, Pawtucket, Wampanoag and Nipmuc peoples. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy acknowledges the Greater Boston region as their unceded ancestral territories. This acknowledgement is a starting point toward right relations with Indigenous neighbors and their understandings of land stewardship.

Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Nature is for Everyone. ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

Subscribe for Necklace news, community events, and to enliven the parks.

Shattuck Visitor Center

Year-Round

Mon-Fri 9:30am – 5pm

May-October

Sat-Sun 10am – 4pm

Mailing address

+1 (617) 522–2700

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a not-for-profit organization and is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) is 04-3414988.