The Washington Street Gate entrance to the Arnold Arboretum closes through Fall 2025 for major renovations

The Arnold Arboretum is excited to announce the renovation of the Washington Street entrance at Forest Hills, starting in early February 2025. This project will temporarily close public access to the Blackwell Path and Bussey Brook Meadow via the Washington Street entrance from February through October of 2025. Visitors can access the Arboretum from the Forest Hills Entrance on the Arborway or a new entrance opening to pedestrian traffic at Arboretum Road in Roslindale.

Alternate points of access for Arnold Arboretum visitors during the renovation of the Washington Street Entrance
The Washington Street Entrance will be closed for renovations beginning in February, with alternative access for visitors and commuters provided by the Forest Hills Gate and a new entrance from Washington Street at Arboretum Road.

Launched in 2022, the Entrance Improvement Project aims to enhance visitor experiences and welcoming at the Arboretum’s portals with its surrounding communities. The first phase prioritizes improved access for Environmental Justice communities and local health and wellness facilities, and includes the Poplar Gate, Walter Street, and Washington Street entrances. Boston-based landscape architects Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates lead the redesign for this opening phase of a comprehensive vision for the Arboretum’s entrances.

The Arboretum will renew this key entrance, enhancing public connectivity both with the Arboretum landscape and the public transportation hub at Forest Hills Station, by leveraging private philanthropic support and civic partnerships. Additionally, the renovation aims to increase public knowledge of the Bussey Brook Meadow and its role as an urban wild for ecological research and unique visitor destination. It also acknowledges the centrality of the entrance to the Roslindale Gateway Path, a green transportation alternative for commuters between Roslindale and the Southwest Corridor park.

View of proposed changes to the Washington Street entrance; aerial view of design proposal by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.
Aerial rendering of redesigned entrance at Washington Street by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Created in the 1990s, the Washington Street entrance connects to the Blackwell Footpath, which teems with wildlife and provides access to the Arboretum’s historical landscape at South Street. Renovation work will expand access and views by removing chain-link fencing, selectively pruning trees and removing invasive material, and adding new plantings including a poplar grove to shade an ADA-accessible seating area inside the entrance. Improved signage will orient and inform the public and increase visibility of the Arboretum from Forest Hills.

This renewal is made possible by cooperation with the City of Boston and the MBTA, and financial support provided by a broad range of Arboretum donors including the Arboretum Park Conservancy. The Arnold Arboretum appreciates the patience and support of visitors and neighbors as enhancements to the Washington Street entrance progress. Reopening of the entrance and Blackwell Path is expected by late fall 2025.