Revere Beach in Revere is one of the largest public beaches in the Boston metropolitan area and the nation’s oldest public beach. The location and accessibility of the beach in a heavily populated part of the state, the availability of mass transit, its long (three miles) sandy coastline, and the development of a state-operated reservation have made Revere Beach one of the most popular and heavily-used beaches in Massachusetts. It is operated and maintained by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC).

In 1954, Congress authorized the Corps to replenish 522,000 cubic yards of beach extending from Northern Circle to Shirley Avenue. Work on the project began in the mid1950s and about 170,000 cubic yards of sand had been placed along the southern 5,000 feet of beach when work was halted because the city was unable to meet its fiscal requirements.

In September 1990 the restoration of Revere Beach was resumed with the award of a contract by the Corps of Engineers in cooperation with the MDC. Some 600,000 cubic yards of sand was placed on the beach and completed in July 1991. The restored beach will prevent daily tides and annual storms from reaching seawalls and will stabilize walls and reduce frequent overtopping. The completed project cost about $9.4 million and future restoration will be cost shared between the MDC and the federal government over the next 50 years. The beach was restored along 13,000 feet of the MDC Reservation and provides a 185 foot wide area along its entire length for public recreation.

In October 1991 the completed project was hit by a severe northeast coastal storm. The beach was credited with stopping the overtopping of seawalls and flooding of hundreds of homes and businesses, and preventing an estimated $3 million in damages. Then in December 1992 another storm with a similar ten year frequency tide occurred, and again the beach prevented severe flood damages similar to 1991.