This week we celebrated the official lighting ceremony of new underpass lighting in downtown Lynn. The event was inspiring! Residents and community stakeholders came together to celebrate the transformation of downtown Lynn.
Beyond Walls, a group of Lynn residents, business owners and public art and placemaking enthusiasts, worked to install underpass lighting and throughout the city’s business district, a sculpture that pays homage to Lynn’s industrial roots, as well as seven murals in the heart of Lynn’s Transformative Development Initiative District. This project aims to improve walkability, and increase sense of place and safety in the heart of downtown Lynn.
Over the last year, 530 holes were drilled to support over 600 hundred linear feet of underpass lighting, which is one key element of the installation. We are all familiar with the unforgiving New England weather, but the team worked hard throughout the winter despite the cold, snowy, wet conditions!
The lighting ceremony attracted around 500 community members, including the mayor of Lynn, who led the slow clap and 3-2-1 countdown as the flip was switched and the area lit up!
The night was filled with high energy, music and dance performances by local Lynn residents, who are proud of their city and culture.
We are proud to be a partner on this project and offer our enthusiastic congratulations to everyone involved on a successful campaign!
The 2025 OpenLAB Boston studio work will be exhibited at Virginia Tech Monday, March 2nd through Wednesday, March 4th.
Please join us for the following events on Monday, March 2nd:
11:00am - Lecture with Parke MacDowell
1:00pm Lobby talk with Kevin Sullivan
This year’s studio identifies seven sites along the frayed edges of Boston’s Greenway. The Greenway is a one-mile-long linear park running through the heart of the city, reconnecting downtown Boston with its waterfront. Many of the parcels along its edges remain undeveloped and present mute, blank facades to the public realm. Addressing and repairing these edges through acts of infilling, layering, grafting, framing, and placemaking is the core focus of the studio—SUTURE.