The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-14
ARE TO CHANCE MOST HISTORIC
 BIT OF GROUND
Famous Common is to Have Small Strips Sliced From
 Each Side.

Boston, Jan. 14-Boston Is prepar- ing to alter some of its most cherish ed features to meet the demands of modern conditions. Small strips are to be sliced from Boston Common. training ground for troops in Revo- lutionary dkxys, and arcaddng of the tower of the Old South Meeting House, where the famous ttea party was matched, is contem plated. Traffic problems, acute in this city of nar- row "cow lane'' streets, in each case are responsible.
 The pairing of the Common on two sides of its 43acre area has been sanctioned only after the overcoming of 1ong-standing opposition by those who held that no considerations of modern development should disturb this revolutionary landmark and pre- sent day breathing space in the city's center. Several years ago the voters turned down a proposal to shrink the Common in order to swell the streets. But in the recent city election the voters in all but two wards declared in favor of widening the streets from Common lands. The two wards which opposed the plan are in Charlestown, seat of another historic shrine, Bunker Hill Monument
 Under the plan, which is a com promise arranged between the street commissioners and the Boston Com 1 mon Society, Fremont and Boylston streets, which bound the Common on 1 two of it's sides, will be widened to a maximum of 43 feet instead of 50 to 60 feet as first proposed. This will be accomplished without sacrifice of greensward or trees, as the cuts will 1 be made from the broad malls of the | Common. The compromise. plan car ried with it an agreeme ent that no ] further invasion of the Common | would be made.
 Boston Common was bought in l 1884 by Governor Winthrop and oth- | CTS as a common COW pasture and training ground, and was one of sev- 1 era1 such tracts of communal lands
 and planting grounds. Today it is the i sole remainder of these ancient con- | mons, other holdings having passed l into private hands.
 It was on Boston Common that 1 Revolutionary soldiers drilled; from l its limits at Park Square, then the
 Back Bay in fact as we'll as in name
 and now made land" the British ! staf ted for Lexington on April 19, i 1775.> On the Common the British mustered their forces to attack | Bunker Hill and British arti1lerymen set their guns on agstaff Hill dur l ing the seige of Boston. Colonial
 expeditions set out against Louis burg and Quebec from the old Com mon, and Massachusetts regiments assembled there prior to going to the l front in the Civil War.
 The proposal to cut into the Old | South Meeting House which wa. | built in 1729 to obtain partial relie1 ] from traffic congestion on Washing
 on street, is still under consideration l Mayor Peters approved the idea; the
 Old South Association, guardians ol
 the edif1ce, fell in with the plans un der certain conditions, and the stree
 commissioners reported in favor O
 the change The conditions nanet
 by the association, however, tncfud ing a demand for payment for th' 1 property, which is in the section O.
 highest valuation. have delayed ac
 ceptance.
 Under the plan the main part O the church, in which the colonist l worked out plans for the "tea party, ! and which was later used by the Brit
 ish as 8 riding school during the seig
 of Boston, would not be disturb ed
 The tower which tuts out some 9 feet from the front of the edif1ce
 would be arcaded to provide 8 pass
 age for foot traffic. the street lin
 would be extended to run flush witt : the tower front and the sidewa1l moved back to lead directly to tn
 arcade. An additional 20 feet 0 street space at this point would eas , considerably the rush of traffic in tn bottle mouth of Newspaper Row.