City unveils plan for major makeover of Boston Common

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Common is getting a multimillion-dollar makeover that includes an expanded visitors’ center, more restrooms, additional sports facilities, and even a sit-down restaurant. City officials said Wednesday that the goal is to make America’s oldest public park more welcoming, convenient, fun and accessible for both city residents and tourists. The Common was founded in 1634 in the heart of the city. It has been used as a place for public executions, as a pasture, and a military training field. More recently it has hosted civil rights marches, Vietnam War protests and a 1979 Catholic Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II that was attended by an estimated 400,000 people.