And once formidable and impressive institutions became part of the
Fens landscape, the park was redesigned to reflect this new relationship.
(The charge was also in large part a response to the changed water
level once the Charles River Dam was constructed in 1910).
Most significantly, the boundaries of the park were reconfigured to
accommodate Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. And the Muddy River, designed
by Olmsted as a figure around which the park was designed, was objectified
as a lagoon on axis with the MFA. This change was significant. No
longer was the landscape the primary content of the park. The park
became more a collection of introduced content in the forms of various
gardens, objects, and spaces.
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