Not long ago, the land that now forms the Condor Street Urban Wild was closed to the public. Years of industrial use had contaminated the soil and attracted illegal dumpers.  Chelsea Creek—the site of the Revolutionary War’s first naval battle—had long ago become a major waterway, attracting heavy industry to its shores and hastening the destruction of the area’s natural marshes. In the late ‘90s, the East Boston Chelsea Creek Action Group (CCAG) and the Boston Parks Department joined forces to transform this public hazard into a public park.

In 2007, the CCAG and Boston Parks Department enlisted the help of East Boston artist, Leigh Hall, to address the park’s need for interpretive signage and deter vandalism. Hall designed six ornamental steel fence panels depicting flora and fauna that might be seen in habitats like those in or near the Urban Wild to be installed alongside Chelsea Creek. It is the artist’s hope that park visitors will recognize some of the plants and animals in the panels, be inspired to look for them in the environment of the park, and in doing so become more observant and appreciative of the natural world.