Blair Square Park

Located in Holliston, MA along the Upper Charles Rail Trail, Blair Square is both a welcoming rest stop on the trail and a community space for this small town. Together with a COLLAB design team (www.Collab-la.com) and Beals + Thomas, IDDLA worked with municipal committees & landscape contractors throughout the design, public process, and implementation of this successful park.

The key to the park’s multi-functional design was planning for the safe, continuous use of the popular rail trail - even during park events. Bike traffic entering the Square is calmed through subtle changes in trail surface, curvature, and elevation. A natural block seat wall further separates the trail from passive park users. The Milford Pink granite wall stones - reclaimed from the old Charlestown Bridge - very likely road the rails through the space in the 1890’s when it was a station on the historic “Pink Granite Line.”

The Town sources water from its own aquifer so we were especially interested in managing all stormwater on site. Permeable paving and 3 rain gardens achieve this goal. Through the use of predominantly native plants, water needs are kept low.

The park is now enmeshed in the everyday fabric of the community, welcoming walkers, joggers, cyclists (including through-bikers on the East Coast Greenway), students gathering after school, and local shop patrons enjoying coffees, ice creams or lunch. It is also host to larger events ranging from the annual First Night Trail Walk & festivities, races, music & dance performances, and even weddings.

* This project won Hardscape North America’s 2023 award in the category: Concrete Paver - Commercial (size less than 15,000sf)

TEAM: IDDLA w/ EMN Landscape (COLLAB) and Beals + Thomas Engineering
SCOPE:  Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Administration
LOCATION:   Holliston, MA