Note: This article was published in the Back Bay Courant, April 2, 1996.

It is not easy to live in a city. Human beings tire of the unrelenting freneticism of urban living and seek a place of retreat. For decades, urban planners have recognized this fact, and have designed green spaces to serve this need. One of the most beautiful and important of those spaces has been the Esplanade.

For any city, the Esplanade would be seen as extraordinary. A wide stretch of green, it borders a beautiful river. It offers space for running and biking, walking and contemplation, boating and baseball, evening concerts and children's playgrounds. One unusual and admired space is the Hatch Shell. Originally built in 1939, the Hatch Shell served as a venue for Friday night movies, classical and semi-classical music concerts and the July Fourth celebration. With the exception of the Fourth of July, crowds have in general been small and well-contained.

The beauty of the Esplanade notwithstanding, successive administrations of the Metropolitan District Commission, the state agency chartered with responsibility for the Esplanade, have neglected the property. Playgrounds and playing fields fell into disrepair. Maintenance was inadequate compared to the intensive use of the space.

David Balfour, the Commissioner of the MDC, arrived in office two years ago determined to shake the MDC out of its doldrums. Much of this energy has been put to good use. The ground look better, money is being spent, and embarrassments such as the dilapidated concession stand have been replaced.

But Balfour also came to his position with a particular vision of the Esplanade, particularly the Hatch Shell. Having spent his career as a promoter and organizer of major events, Balfour sees in the Hatch Shell the potential for a regional entertainment center, featuring musical events by a wide range of artists, drawing crowds from all of greater Boston.

It is a compelling vision, and one that Balfour comes by honestly. But it is the wrong vision.

This year, the MDC has added two new concert series. One, an Oldies concert series, is sponsored by radio station WODS. It will feature acts like Little Richard and the Four Seasons. The second, sponsored by station WFNX, will feature new music concerts by cutting edge rock 'n' roll bands. The concerts will be noisy. Both feature acts that, unlike classical music, is best heard loud. And these series change the character of the Esplanade, from a place of repose to a place of activity, from a place one retreats to a place one retreats from.

I think both of these series are inappropriate for the Hatch Shell. The notion of the Hatch Shell as a major entertainment venue may be compelling, but it is the wrong one. Events at the hatch Shell should be modest. They should be part of the relaxed fabric of the Esplanade; they should not overwhelm it.

Representatives from both Back Bay and Beacon Hill have met several times with the MDC about the concerts. The decision about the Hatch Shell is in the hands of David Balfour, the Commissioner of the MDC, and Trudy Cox, the Secretary of Environmental Affairs. My hope is that they abandon efforts to make the Esplanade a major entertainment venue and return it to the quiet place of repose it has been, and should be.