Revere Beach in Massachusetts

Although it doesn’t appear on any of those “Top Ten Most Beautiful” lists, the beach in Revere, Massachusetts, will always be first on one list. This crescent-shaped stretch of sand along the Atlantic Ocean will always hold the distinction of being America’s first public beach.

In 1896 the Metropolitan Park Commission (known today as the Metropolitan District Commission), began the ambitious project of starting the Revere Beach Reservation. Following the vision of landscape architect Charles Eliot, the agency embarked on the road to making this natural ocean beach, then known as Crescent Beach, into a place many would enjoy and remember for generations to come.

An interesting difference between the early days of the beach and after the Commission took over is that in the 1800s structures were built at the shoreline right on the sand. There were no sidewalks or roadways. Horses, wagons and bicycles moved along the sand sometimes endangering pedestrians and bathers. And from 1875 to 1896, the Narrow Gauge railroad track was located right on the crest of the beach.

This was all part of what made it a major undertaking when the Metropolitan Park Commission began planning the Revere Beach Reservation. The agency was given the power to buy all the land necessary, relocate buildings and railroads, whatever it took, to provide “an uninterrupted view of the ocean for all future time.”

Charles Eliot commented during 1894 Massachusetts State House hearings, “No other city in the world, perhaps, has so magnificent a beach within such short distance of her great population as Boston. It was a misfortune for the state to have given permission to the railroads to place their rails on the crest of the beach, but one benefit is that we can now take it back with less trouble than if many landowners had divided it up for house lots.”

However, the Commission was not immediately enthusiastic about Eliot’s design. As a public agency they were more concerned with providing amenities, such as bathhouses and dressing rooms, close to the water. After nearly six months of discussion, the Commission adopted the plan. Eliot’s vision was about to be realized, and the reservation would “…not conceal from visitors the long sweep of the open beach which is the finest thing about the reservation.”

Finally in agreement, the agency made fast work of eliminating the structures that stood in the way. A newspaper account from October 1896 told of the auction sale of buildings. “The sale included nearly every structure on the reservation excepting the railroad stations, the Railroad Café, the Palace, the St. Charles Bath Houses and one or two buildings originally placed on leased land which must be removed by the owners.” The report indicated that 82 cottages were auctioned off and all buildings had to be torn down within 30 days. The entire sale brought the state treasury $9,000.

The agency also relocated the Narrow Gauge railroad from the crest of the beach to a low-lying area behind the beach.

Perhaps the most vivid memories of Revere Beach come from more recent times, the grand days of the beach’s great amusement center. Although not as well known as Coney Island or Atlantic City, the golden era of Revere Beach included many outstanding attractions and amusements: the Ocean Pier and Crescent Gardens ballrooms; Hurley’s Hurdlers and Hippodrome carousels; and, Derby Racer and Virginia Reel thrill rides. The Pit and Bluebeard’s Palace fun houses frightened many a youngster. And, the longest and fastest roller coaster of the time, the Cyclone, was the most exciting ever experienced.

Another attraction, still existing today, was part of that era. Since 1930, Wonderland has been recognized for greyhound racing. But in 1906 it was known as “the country’s most self-contained amusement park.” This vast recreation ground included over 26 acres of landscaped park and events included parades led by, who else but, Alice in Wonderland. More recent written accounts compare it to Disneyland, which it pre-dated by decades. Admission on opening day at “Wonderland by the Sounding Sea at Revere Beach” was 10 cents.

Memories of the fun and excitement at Revere Beach remain with those lucky enough to have enjoyed those golden days and nights. As they stroll along the beach today, some can still hear the sound of the carousels, and remember the sight of them turning as their wooden horses rose and fell to the music. Or they recall the screams and screeching rails of the Lightening and Cyclone Roller Coasters, some of the most thrilling rides experienced anywhere. Even today, some still remember the sound of dance music floating out over the ocean from such famous establishments as the Spanish Gables and Nautical Gardens ballrooms.

Yet it is not only man-made attractions that draw beach goers. Nature also plays an important role in the attraction of the beach. The gently curving shoreline with cooling summer breezes blowing in from the ocean continues to draw generations of bathers.

Even more dramatic, is the natural attraction and intensity of winter at the shore. Those drawn to the beach by today’s storms would marvel at old photos and references to massive “ice walls” which formed along the shore. First reference to these amazing structures occurs about 1882. Photos show people dwarfed by mountains of ice, which tower over them as they stand on the sand.

People have always come to enjoy and marvel at nature almost as much as the man-made amusements. This remain true even today when a stormy day brings almost as many people to the beach as a sunny, summer day.

Time took its tool on the amusements as gradually they all disappeared. In the spring of 1974 the Cyclone Roller Coaster was demolished, after almost 50 years of operation. It was certainly the end of the golden era of Revere Beach.

And storms also took their toll. The bandstand and pavilions were severely damaged over the years, particularly during the Blizzard of ’78. Decades of ocean tides removed much of the glistening white sand.

However in 1992, the Commission undertook the “Revere Beach Renaissance.” The agency restored the bandstand and pavilions to their turn-of-the-century beauty. They added a replica of the clock that stood across from the original bathhouse, improved the condition of the sidewalks and repaired the aging sea wall.

They also undertook a controversial resanding project in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers. To the dismay of many area residents, the beach’s fine, white sand was replaced with more coarse yellow sand. The coarser sand was expected to hold up better to New England’s harsh winter weather. And it has thus far.

But more than 100 years from its inception, the country’s first public beach has few reminders of this unique setting’s colorful past.

The gentle curve of the beach is always inviting to walkers, joggers, runners and bike riders. Bathers continue to be drawn to the beach because of the convenient urban location and accessibility by public transportation. But the land-side views today encompass high-rise condominiums, huge apartment complexes, a few restaurants and land scheduled for future development.

However, a walk along Revere Beach today still offers the crescent-shaped expanse of shoreline and a breath-taking vista of unobstructed ocean that was such an important part of Charles Eliot’s 1896 vision. And it remains forever, as Charles Eliot identified it in 1897, “…the first that I know of to be set aside and governed by a public body for the enjoyment of the common people.”