Seven years after first reaching out to COGdesign, The Trustees have begun construction on long-awaited improvements to a popular South End pocket park that had struggled with dense shade and limited planting opportunities.

Tucked between the Mel King Academy and Haley House soup kitchen, Dartmouth Green is a well-used but challenging site owned and stewarded by The Trustees.
Serving a diverse mix of nearby residents, workers, and visitors, the renewed park aims to restore pride, beauty, and comfort while ensuring it remains accessible to all. Site grading and landscape work will continue through the fall, with new plantings scheduled for spring.

COG partnered with landscape designers Farah Dakkakk and Lanie Cohen to develop the concept design. During COVID-era online engagement sessions in spring 2021, Farah and Lanie worked closely with neighbors to craft a plan featuring two distinct seating areas on the park’s sloped terrain, a plant amphitheater, and additional trees and plantings. Farah continued to work with residents this past spring to visualize how thoughtful layering of color, texture, and form would bring new vitality to the site. Native plants will anchor the design, reinforcing The Trustees’ commitment to ecological stewardship. Stormwater management strategies were also prioritized to address the site’s impervious surfaces and history of plant stress.

Reflecting on the engagement process, Farah noted, “People spoke candidly about the challenges they face, but what struck me most was their optimism and their commitment to caring for this space together. Their vision shaped every part of the design.”

Supported by $180,000 from Boston’s Community Preservation Act, the renovation will introduce new seating, provide improved safety through a relocated entrance gate and introduce dense plantings, while preserving beloved features such as the Frank Hamm–designed bench and Little Free Library. With its refreshed layout, the park will be able to host small-scale programming, from seed-saving workshops to concerts.

COG looks forward to sharing construction updates in the months ahead and celebrating the opening of this community-driven public space next spring.