Shell shocked no more: Kid-scorching metal turtle to be moved to shadier spot in Beacon Hill playground

By adamg on Thu, 07/18/2019 - 1:51pm

Not a crime scene: Turtle covered in tarp with sign warning literate toddlers to stay off. Source.

The Boston Guardian reports that parents worried about their little kids getting burned by climbing up on that solar-heated Myrtle the Turtle statue they never asked for in the center of the Myrtle Street playground for have reached a compromise with the city Parks Department:

The statue, which the Beacon Hill Garden Club sternly refused to move off Myrtle Street because what's the point of a turtle named Myrtle if not on the eponymous street, will be moved to a section of the playground that already is shaded by trees - rather than covered by some sort of shelter that would take up even more room in the small playground. Garden Club honchos said they agreed to the move only after sculptor Nancy Schon - yes, of Make Way for Ducklings statue fame - agreed to the move, which she did.

Neighborhoods:

Beacon Hill

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Comments

Shade

By downtown-anon
Thu, 07/18/2019 - 2:56pm

The funny thing is that there is a 35 foot tall locust tree 10 feet from the turtle (in its current position). Just isn't a good shade tree.

There are 5 shots on Google Street view over the years. You can see that the turtle was put in the sunniest part of the playground. Two of the shots appear to be near noon time.

https://goo.gl/maps/9EfmfHVSWWDUtbRWA

Bing only has one shot and I am guessing it is a hour or two before noon.

https://binged.it/30DscfL

Obvious

By Scooter
Sun, 07/21/2019 - 11:47am

if safety were considered. Appearance and not upsetting the honchos seems to matter more in this playground.

Not rocket science

By Pikins
Sun, 07/21/2019 - 4:32pm

I hope a sun study was done for the new location since the sculpture will still, incomprehensibly, be in the toddler playground.

Baffling

By Birv
Mon, 07/22/2019 - 7:23am

It is baffling why the sculpture is being relocated within the playground when the city acknowledges that it isn’t a playground structure. It’s an unnecessary risk to kids who break the rules and enter the forbidden garden area, and it provides no benefit to them. They won’t even be able to see it from the play area if it’s surrounded by shrubs.

That turtle

By DotRat4Eva
Thu, 07/18/2019 - 3:14pm

Is such a dot rat.

Oy.

By jmeltzer
Thu, 07/18/2019 - 4:03pm

But I suppose it's Art.

Right now it's just a

By baustin
Fri, 07/19/2019 - 7:34am

Right now it's just a terrapin in a tarpaulin.

This is some occult thing right?

By Parkwayne
Fri, 07/19/2019 - 11:04am

Let's put up a graven turtle in the middle of a plaza where it will burn children who touch it, right in the fancy old neighborhood built by rich merchants who profited off of the Triangle Trade and were probably in secret societies that worshiped turtles and/or sun gods. That's not suspicious at all.

Just sayin!

King me

By HolyMolyCodPiece
Thu, 07/18/2019 - 8:33pm

See the Turtle of enormous girth. On his shell he holds the earth. His thought is slow but always kind; he holds us all within his mind .On his back all vows are made; he sees the truth but mayn't aid. He loves the land and loves the sea, And even loves a child like me."