An aerial view of the current employee parking area (red arrow in top image) and a drawing of how the deCordova plans to reconfigure the area (click image to enlarge).
The deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is proposing to reconfigure part of its parking area and walkway to create a new open space for special events.
What is now a two-way driveway between the lower visitor parking lot and the horseshoe-shaped upper employee parking area will become a one-way vehicle-only roadway to be used mainly for deliveries, said Kord Jablonski, the deCordova’s business director. The existing boardwalk will be replaced by a sidewalk and a handicapped-accessible ramp.
Staff will park in the visitors lot and the current staff lot will be “reimagined and reconceived” as an area with crushed stone or pavers in the idle to accommodate a tent for special events in warm weather, Jablonski told the Select Board at their May 10 meeting. There will also be two new seating areas to take in views of Flint’s Pond. Those views have been enhanced by removal of some of the brush, in cooperation with the Conservation and Water Commissions, he noted.
Depending on the outcome of grant applications and town approvals, the work should begin in late September or early October, Jablonski said.
As with similar public-facing organizations, visitation dropped significantly as a result of the pandemic but has bounced back more recently, he told the board. Using timed ticketing, capacity limits and Covid-19 protocols, the sculpture park grounds reopened last May after a fairly brief shutdown, and the indoor museum galleries reopened in October.
In the 12 months ending March 31, 2021, admissions were up by 86% over the previous year. The rise was even more striking for younger visitors; children’s admissions rose by 237% to 28,163, compared to 76,121 for adults (a 60% increase).
The integration of the deCordova with The Trustees of Reservations was completed in November 2019.