Lynn is one of Massachusetts’ 26 Gateway Cities, urban centers that anchor regional economies but face stubborn social and economic challenges. In 2016, MassDevelopment authored a Downtown Action Plan for the city, which has led to the installation of 30 new street-art murals, eight restored neon signs and new underpass lighting at three key public sites. The underpass lighting project was the most ambitious of the initiatives, requiring extensive coordination with regulatory agencies and the expertise of dozens of design professionals and tradesmen.
Beyond Walls
Building on the Vibrancy of Lynn
Project Statistics
LOCATION
Lynn, MA / United States
Completed
2018
AWARDS
IN THE NEWS
Team
Parke MacDowell, AIA
Project Manager
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Partners and Supporters for the Underpass Lighting and Neon Project include: Barr Foundation; BALA; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 103; Lam Partners; Students from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute; MassDevelopment; MBTA; Patronicity; Payette Associates; Philips Color Kinetics; Port Lighting Systems; Brickyard VFX; The Office of Community Development & The City of Lynn.
A Brighter Future
In 2016, Payette had participated in Design Museum Boston’s “Urban Innovation Hackathon” to revitalize a dilapidated area under the I-93 overpass, where four diverse Boston neighborhoods intersect. With this experience, we joined forces with MassDevelopment, Patronicity and Beyond Walls to tackle Lynn’s underpass lighting challenge. In late 2017, work got underway to brighten and activate the shadowy, crime- and accident-ridden underpasses of Central Square, Washington Street and Market Street with dynamic, colorful and programmable LED lighting installations. These once-avoided areas have become vibrant landmarks in downtown Lynn, where people feel safe and welcome any time of day or night.
Lighting by Request
In collaboration with the City of Lynn, the lighting team is developing a free smartphone app, slated for release in the fall of 2018, which would allow anyone in the vicinity of the installation to choose lighting scenes and dynamic sequences, much like queuing up songs on a jukebox.
Photography: © Warren Jagger Photography
