Reggie Wong Park Updates Would 'Serve' Everyone, Advocates Say

Surrounded by a parking lot, busy highway, and steam-powered factory, Reggie Wong Memorial Park has had a tough run. The spot has a history of asbestos contamination, neglect and is right in between two densely built up neighborhoods. But now a grassroots community effort and millions in potential funding promise to turn the lot into a destination where sports teams practice and Chinatown residents find refuge from heat and the bustling city.

Originally Pagoda Park, the spot was renamed after community leader Reggie Wong, who was an organizer of intercity Chinese volleyball tournaments. That was a significant chapter in the renovation plans for the Reggie Wong Memorial Park. After all, the spot is the heart of Boston Chinatown’s 9-man volleyball tradition that can be traced back to the 1930s when immigrants were historically excluded from local public athletic leagues. Throughout the years, skateboarders have also used the park, alongside basketball players.

Despite the park’s significant role in the community, as the Friends of Reggie Wong Park website notes, “the park gives an overall impression of neglect and cannot be safely used to its full potential.”

Cracks penetrate the court, which has faded in color to the point that it seems like it has always been gray. A few lone trees stand next to the fenced-in plot, marking the only sight of green amid the shades of brown brick and gray road. Over the years, Karin Chue, who has used the park since she was a teenager in the 1970s and now coaches a team there, has noticed that “the park just needed some work.”

Above are images of the Reggie Wong Memorial Park today, by Meiran Yang; At right is an architect's rendering of what the park could look like after renovations (Sasaki).

To improve the park, two groups, the Friends of Reggie Wong and the Chinatown Community Land Trust, aim to raise $3 million to renovate the area. Lydia Lowe, executive director of the Trust, explained that they are now about three quarters of the way through their capital campaign. “(We’re) expecting to break ground either late this year or early spring next year,” she said.

Lowe called their campaign “a real kind of grassroots effort.”

“In the beginning, it was really challenging, because people thought we were just dreaming and that, you know, $3 million is a lot of money,” she said. “People didn't have confidence that it was possible.”

With the support of state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, of the 3rd Suffolk District, as well as a $1 million commitment from the Klarman Family Foundation, the trust and friends group have been able to move forward with their renovation plans.

Leather District resident and member of Friends of Reggie Wong, Kathryn Friedman, said the groups plan to “create a space that can address a more multigenerational use.” By adding children’s play structures and exercise machines, they hope to attract both kids and the elderly.

“People of all ages should be able to participate, not just playing sports,” said Chue. “I think (the renovations) will definitely help bring the community together…. People need a space to just be able to relax.”

Despite the short-term challenge of finding another court for her volleyball team to practice, Chue believes the long-term improvements will be worth the wait. She expressed particular excitement for the multifunctional courts, which could be potentially used as pickleball courts and draw the older populations.

When asked what she has found to be the biggest challenge during the renovation process, Friedman replied, “environmental, environmental, environmental.” She explained that in addition to the site’s “hostile environment," due to the nearby steam plant and highway, the park is also undergoing soil remediation. Around four years ago, it became known that asbestos contamination had to be cleared or contained and while some of that remediation discussion has already began, coordinating a large-scale government remediation project, however, with a smaller nonprofit design project has reportedly proven to be difficult.

To combat the extreme temperatures of Chinatown’s heat island effect, Ponnapa Gift Prakkamakul — the project’s lead architect at the design firm Sasaki —stated that the design will include adding a coating on top of the asphalt to cool it down. A bamboo screen, said Prakkamakul, would help prevent dust from the highway, but also allow some transparency for park-goers.

The designer expects the overall design to “still feel safe and open."

Also, given that Reggie Wong Memorial Park is a rare open space in the Chinatown and Leather District areas, Prakkamakul said she hopes that it can serve as a place “where two residents from the two neighborhoods can meet and connect.”

“Even though Chinatown (and) the Leather District are close to each other, there's not much interaction between the residents (of) the two neighborhoods,” she said.

“I feel that both neighborhoods deserve a well-designed…nice, beautiful space, so we would like to have colorful courts. During winter it can have potentially an ice skating rink program that people wouldn't think could be in the area,” Prakkamakul said. “That's what we hope to see—a very nice open space that everyone (loves) and is well-used."