Thomas W. Danehy Park is a park in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. Its eastern entrance is at 99 Sherman Street. It is bounded on the north by the MBTA Fitchburg Line and to the west by Fresh Pond Mall. The lands in northwest Cambridge had previously been a brickyard and, from 1952, a city dumping ground. The landfill closed in the early 1970s, at which point the city of Cambridge allowed the

MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...

to use the land as a staging area during construction of the Red Line in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The MBTA also dumped soil excavated from tunnels on the site. After a redevelopment effort that cost $11 million, the 50-acre (20 ha) expanse opened to the public in 1990, containing athletic fields, paths, and a wetland area. The park was named after Thomas W. Danehy, mayor of Cambridge from 1978 to 1979. Engineering firm Camp Dresser & McKee led development efforts. Opening ceremonies included a skydiver. Danehy Park increased Cambridge's open space by 20%. Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal often frequented the park with his entourage after its opening, which led to controversy when a limousine was driven onto the park's athletic fields. The park has a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) path made of recycled glass and asphalt designed by the artist

Mierle Laderman Ukeles Mierle Laderman Ukeles (born 1939) is a New York City-based artist known for her feminist and service-oriented artworks, which relate the idea of process in conceptual art to domestic and civic "maintenance". She has been the Artist-in-Residence a ...

that culminates atop a hill that is Cambridge's highest point at 72 feet (22 meters) above sea level. Danehy Park has been identified by the

Society of Architectural Historians The Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes the study and preservation of the built environment worldwide. Based in Chicago in the United States, the Society's 3,500 members include ...

and American Society of Landscape Architects as one of the first examples of a landfill redeveloped as a park in New England. It is the location of Cambridge's first

Miyawaki Miyawaki (stylized in all capital letters, born June 28, 1977) is a Japanese professional wrestler, best known for his work in the Kaientai Dojo and Osaka Pro Wrestling promotions. He has also wrestled in the United States for Chikara and Pro W ...

forest, planted in September 2021.

References

{{coord, 42.389, -71.136, type:landmark_region:US-MA, display=title 1990 establishments in Massachusetts Geography of Cambridge, Massachusetts Former landfills in the United States Parks established in 1990 Parks in Middlesex County, Massachusetts