Charles River Reservation
| Charles River Reservation | |
| Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston | |
 The Esplanade
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Massachusetts |
| Counties | Middlesex, Suffolk |
| Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
| Coordinates | 42°21′15″N 71°07′04″W / 42.35417°N 71.11778°WCoordinates: 42°21′15″N 71°07′04″W / 42.35417°N 71.11778°W |
| Area | 863 acres (349 ha) |
| Established | 1910 |
| Management | Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation |
  Location in Massachusetts
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| Website: Charles River Reservation | |
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Charles River Basin Historic District
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| Location | Both banks of Charles River from Eliot Bridge to Charles River Dam, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Area | 820 acres (330 ha) |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Classical Revival, Moderne |
| NRHP Reference # | 78000436 |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1978 |
The Charles River Reservation is a 17-mile-long (27 km) urban preserve and public recreation area located along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton, Massachusetts. The reservation is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
The portion of the reservation between the Charles River Dam and the Eliot Bridge is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The Charles River above the Watertown Dam is managed as the Upper Charles River Reservation.
Features of the reservation include the Charles River Dam, the Charles River Basin, the Boston and Cambridge Esplanades, and John F. Kennedy Park.
The 1978 Charles River Dam, located behind the TD Garden, controls the water level in the river basin. An earlier dam (see Charles River Dam Bridge), located beneath the Museum of Science, was completed in 1910 with the purpose of creating a fresh water river basin and riverfront park in Boston and Cambridge. As part of the dam construction, fill was added between the Longfellow Bridge and Charlesgate and dedicated as the Boston Embankment, now universally known as the Esplanade. The modern dam houses six pumps that provide flood control protection. The dam's lock system permits travel of recreational and commercial vessels from the river to the harbor year round. A fish passage allows for passage of anadromous fish (alewife, rainbow smelt and shad) during the migration season in late spring.
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