All,
George Wright is a great muni layout. It is a Ross (and I believe McGovern as foreman) layout that originated as an estate of a prominent Bostonian that was bought by the city and named after the 19th-century baseball star George Wright. The course's construction was a WPA project that was originally meant to be a private course but turned public during the depression. It has been mentioned above that George Wright is the second municipal course in the US after Van Cortlandt. This is incorrect, as Franklin Park is the answer there. FP is also in Boston, and opened in the mid-1890s whereas GW opened in the early 30s.
There was some mismanagement at GW in the 90s by a management company that was notorious for failing to put its profits back into the course, so the city took it back over in the early 2000s. Since then, a master plan has been insituted that will slowly restore original bunkering and fix issues that the course has likely had since it opened in the 30s. I have played the course 8-10 times over the last 12 years, and every year a new bunker appears or a project has been completed (most prominently the fix at #13, converting a chronic low wet fairway into a pond and fairway to the right). The golf course is always in decent, playable shape, and with a bit more TLC could be the equal of many of the private layouts surrounding the city.
This would not be a candidate for the Bethpage treatment. George Wright tips out at 64-6500 yards, with minimal room to expand. This will never be a PGA Tour layout, but maybe someday could host a womens' USGA event. The 36-hole layout at Ponkapoag in Canton has been mentioned in conjunction with the USGA treatment, but the MDC, the organization that runs the facility, has refused so far. There is a great deal of room there and 18 holes of 36 can be traced back to Ross, so there is a chance that something could be worked out someday.