Unmarked location: Christopher Columbus Park, trellis, fountain & statue

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Close to Old North Church, Faneuil Hall and the Custom House Tower in Fallout 4, players can find Christopher Columbus Park. 

This unmarked location is based on the Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park and playground, which includes the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden, along the waterfront in Boston's North End. 

Fallout 4 fountain area and benches near Faneuil Hall with trellises in the background.
A skeleton and flaming barrel can be seen off to the left. Screen capture by Jewelsmith

The IRL fountain area, with wooden benches and trellises in the background.
Photo from Google maps street view

Both the real and video game locations feature a statue (or at least a pedestal), a playground, a fountain area surrounded by benches, and an arrangement of vine-covered trellises. 

In Fallout 4, the playground area features a flying saucer slide (left) and climbing gym (right). 
The fire barrel, skeleton and pedestal can be seen in between them. 
Screen capture by Jewelsmith

The IRL park was dedicated in July 1976, the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Indepence (y'know, that document we were asked to steal in Fallout 3). 

Google map showing the area of IRL Boston with Faneuil Hall, the Custom House and Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park with rose garden and trellis

The unmarked location of Christopher Columbus Park 
Map by Jewelsmith

In the Fallout 4 version of the park, there's a pedestal but instead of a statue it features a skeleton stretched over a fire barrel. 

A skeleton on a fire barrel, atop a pedestal, near some trellises in Fallout 4 
Screen capture by Jewelsmith

This corresponds to the real-world location of a Columbus statue that was erected in 1979. However, the statue was vandalized repeatedly throughout the 2000s and eventually removed in 2020, five years after the release of Fallout 4. 


The vandalized Christopher Columbus statue without a head, near the trellises in IRL Boston 
Boston Herald photo by Nancy Lane

Landscape arcitects Halvorson Design renovated the park for a 2003 reopening. The trellises are lit up with blue lights during the holiday season by the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park and the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. 

The trellises in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, Boston
Photo credit: Yelp/Cammie W via TimeOut.com

The trellises as seen in Fallout 4 - Screen capture by Jewelsmith

A faded street sign directs the way to "Columbus Park" in Fallout 4. The steeple of the Old North Church can be seen in the background. 
Screen capture by Jewelsmith

I'll be writing more about Fallout 4 locations, and researching their real-world inspirations, in the months to come. Check back for updates or follow me on YouTube, Twitter and Patreon for more information.

~ Jewelsmith (aka JLHilton)

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