Copyright The Boston Globe
Is Post Office Square going to the dogs? After more than three decades of keeping canines out of the meticulously maintained Norman B. Leventhal Park in downtown Boston, the nonprofit Friends of Post Office Square has finally relented. They have carved out a small section on Pearl Street near the park’s underground garage entrance for pooches to do their business — more “pet relief area” than actual dog park. Friends president Pam Messenger said the spot has been in the works for more than a year, but it’s something she has been contemplating for much longer as she watched more dogs appear outside her window. There were no dogs around when the park opened in 1991. They started appearing over the years as some office buildings were converted to apartments. Hotels, including the Langham overlooking the park, are increasingly pet-friendly. And going to the office with your dog as your copilot became a thing. “People bringing their dogs to work, that’s a phenomenon that never existed [before],” Messenger said. “People commute into our garage with their dogs.” Advertisement For most of the time since the park opened, dogs were rebuffed by the Friends. Keeping the main lawn free of debris has been a big priority, particularly in the warmer months when office workers laze about on the grass during midday siestas. About a decade ago, the Friends allowed service dogs, and more recently adopted an unwritten rule allowing dogs on the park’s perimeter. But Messenger said her organization realized it needed a designated space for dogs. To ensure the new relief area is in keeping with the park’s overall aesthetics, the Friends hired sculptor Rich Duca of Wenham to design the metal fencing and Cassidy Bros. Forge in Rowley to make it, the same contractors behind the custom-made fixtures around the rest of the park. Likewise, Halvorson, the park’s original architect and now part of Tighe & Bond, was reenlisted to design the pocket park for pooches, and make it look as if it had always been there. Advertisement “We said we can’t really lecture people if we don’t provide a solution, so that’s what we did,” Messenger said. “We decided we can’t beat them, so we’re going to join them.” This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene. Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
