Neponset Valley Parkway

Last updated

Neponset Valley Parkway, Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston
Neoponset Valley Parkway MA 02.jpg
Looking from Boston toward Paul's Bridge and Milton
USA Massachusetts location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Boston and Milton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°14′5″N71°7′26″W / 42.23472°N 71.12389°W / 42.23472; -71.12389
Area13 acres (5.3 ha)
Built1898
ArchitectCharles Eliot, Olmsted Bros.
MPS Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston MPS
NRHP reference No. 04001573 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 24, 2005

The Neponset Valley Parkway is a historic parkway in southern Boston and Milton, Massachusetts, United States. It is a connecting parkway in the Greater Boston area's network, providing a connection between the Blue Hills Reservation, Neponset River Reservation, and the Stony Brook Reservation. The parkway was constructed between 1898 and 1929 with design assistance from Charles Eliot and the Olmsted Brothers. [2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. [1]

Contents

Description

The northern terminus of the parkway is at a junction with River Street, north of the Readville neighborhood of Boston and just south of the Mill Pond Reservation, a city park. On the far side of the Mill Pond Reservation is the southern end of Turtle Pond Parkway, one of the Stony Brook Reservation Parkways. It runs roughly east, as a two-lane road, until it meets a major railroad right-of-way, at which point it turns south. It makes a left turn to cross the railroad with Milton Street on the John Hart Bridge (a 1930s WPA construction), just north of the Readville MBTA station. It turns south, passing the station and then curves east again, crossing another branch of the railroad to enter Wolcott Square, a commercial area of Readville. From Wolcott Square it proceeds roughly southeast in a straight line, through a residential area, and widens to four lanes shortly before reaching the edge of the Neponset River Reservation and a junction with the southern terminus of the Truman Parkway. It then crosses the Neponset River into Milton on Paul's Bridge, an 1849 stone arch bridge which was rebuilt to widen it as part of the parkway construction. On the east side of the river it meets Milton Street and Brush Hill Road, briefly turning southwest before resuming its southeasterly course to its southern terminus at Blue Hill Avenue (Massachusetts Route 138).

History

The parkway was built in three stages, and was one of the Metropolitan District Commission's (MDC) early connecting parkways. The segment between Wolcott Square and Brush Hill Road was acquired first, as an existing municipal street formerly called Neponset Street. This section was acquired by the MDC's predecessor in 1898 and upgraded to its parkway standards; Paul's Bridge was rebuilt in 1932–33. The section north of this was originally planned to be a new roadway (and land was even acquired in 1901), but the MDC decided in 1924 to instead acquire the present alignment, which was then called Regent Street. The John Hart Bridge was acquired by the MDC in 1956, replacing an earlier grade crossing. The southern segment of the parkway was built as a new roadway in 1904. [2]

Looking over Paul's Bridge from Milton into Boston. Neoponset Valley Parkway MA 01.jpg
Looking over Paul's Bridge from Milton into Boston.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton, Massachusetts</span> Town in Massachusetts, United States

Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. Milton was ranked by Money as the 2nd, 7th, 8th, and 17th best place to live in the United States in 2011, 2009, 2019, 2021, and 2022 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neponset River</span> River in eastern Massachusetts, United States

The Neponset River is a river in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its headwaters are at the Neponset Reservoir in Foxborough, near Gillette Stadium. From there, the Neponset meanders generally northeast for about 29 miles (47 km) to its mouth at Dorchester Bay between Quincy and the Dorchester section of Boston, near the painted gas tank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Conservation and Recreation</span> State agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission is "To protect, promote and enhance our common wealth of natural, cultural and recreational resources for the well-being of all." The agency is the largest landowner in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Massachusetts</span>

The National Register of Historic Places is a United States federal official list of places and sites considered worthy of preservation. In the state of Massachusetts, there are over 4,300 listings, representing about 5% of all NRHP listings nationwide and the second-most of any U.S. state, behind only New York. Listings appear in all 14 Massachusetts counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Readville, Boston</span>

Readville is part of the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston. Readville's ZIP Code is 02136. It was called Dedham Low Plains from 1655 until it was renamed after the mill owner James Read in 1847. It was part of Dedham until 1867. It is served by Readville station on the MBTA Commuter Rail. It is on the original alignment of Route 128, later part of a since-discontinued section of Route 135. Readville is bordered by the Town of Milton to the south and the Town of Dedham to the west. Paul's Bridge, which is at the neighborhood's entrance as one approaches Milton, is one of the oldest bridges in the Commonwealth. The name comes from James Read, a resident and cotton mill owner. Readville is covered by Boston Police Department District E-18 in Hyde Park and a fire station on Neponset Valley Parkway houses Boston Engine Company 49. Readville is also home to several light industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lynn Fells Parkway</span> Parkway in Greater Boston, Massachusetts

Lynn Fells Parkway is a parkway in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The road runs from the end of Fellsway East in Stoneham, eastward through Melrose, and ends in Saugus at US Route 1. The parkway serves as a connector between the Middlesex Fells Reservation and Breakheart Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul's Bridge</span> Bridge in Massachusetts, USA

Paul's Bridge is a stone bridge carrying the Neponset Valley Parkway over the Neponset River between Milton and southern Boston, Massachusetts. It was built in 1849 by Thomas Hollis, Jr., of Milton, but was later reconstructed using the original materials. It replaced the earlier Hubbard's Bridge, and a subsequent Paul's Bridge. Its current span is approximately 88 feet (27 m). The name "Paul" can be attributed to Samuel Paul, the owner of the adjacent land on the Readville side, which was part of Dedham at the time of the bridge's construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stony Brook Reservation Parkways</span> Historic district in Massachusetts

The Stony Brook Reservation Parkways are a group of historic parkways in Boston and Dedham, Massachusetts. They provide access to and within the Stony Brook Reservation, a Massachusetts state park. The roadways and the park are administered by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, a successor to the Metropolitan District Commission, which oversaw their construction. The roads consist of the Dedham, Enneking, and Turtle Pond Parkways and West Boundary Road. Two roads within the park, Smithfield Road and Reservation Road, are listed as non-contributing properties. The park roads were built between 1894 and 1956, and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Truman Parkway</span> Historic parkway in Massachusetts

The Truman Parkway is a historic parkway in Milton and southern Boston, Massachusetts. It runs along the southern boundary of a portion of the Neponset River Reservation and serves as a connection between the Neponset Valley Parkway and the Blue Hills Parkway. The parkway was built in 1931 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway</span> Historic parkway in West Roxbury, Massachusetts

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway is a historic parkway in Boston, Massachusetts. The southern terminus of the parkway is at Washington Street at the Dedham-West Roxbury border, from where it travels north and then east, ending at a junction with Centre Street, near the Arnold Arboretum. The highway is almost entirely contained within the West Roxbury neighborhood, although it passes through part of the Chestnut Hill neighborhood near its junction with the West Roxbury Parkway. Most of its length, from Spring Street in West Roxbury to its eastern end, is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), a successor to the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) which oversaw the road's construction. The parkway was built in stages between 1930 and 1942, and was designed to provide a parkway connection from the Upper Charles River Reservation to other MDC parks via the West Roxbury Parkway. The DCR portion of the road was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The road formerly carried the designation for U.S. Route 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fresh Pond Parkway</span> Parkway in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Fresh Pond Parkway is a historic park and parkway on the western end of Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston. The parkway was built in 1899 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Hills Reservation Parkways</span> United States historic place

The Blue Hills Reservation Parkways are a network of historic parkways in and around the Blue Hills Reservation, a Massachusetts state park south of Boston, Massachusetts. It consists of six roadways that provide circulation within the park, and that join the park to two connecting parkways, the Blue Hills Parkway and the Furnace Brook Parkway. The roadway network was designed by Charles Eliot in the 1890s, except for Green Street, which was added to the network in the 1940s. The parkways were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fells Connector Parkways</span> United States historic place

The Fells Connector Parkways are a group of historic parkways in the cities of Malden and Medford, Massachusetts, suburbs north of the city of Boston. The three parkways, The Fellsway, Fellsway West, and Fellsway East serve to provide access from the lower portion of the Mystic River Reservation to the Middlesex Fells Reservation. The latter two parkways continue northward, providing access to the interior of the Fells and providing a further connection to Lynn Fells Parkway. Significant portions of these parkways south of the Fells, which were among the first connecting parkways designed to be part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston by Charles Eliot, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles River Reservation Parkways</span> Historic district in the United States

The Charles River Reservation Parkways are parkways that run along either side of the Charles River in eastern Massachusetts. The roads are contained within the Charles River Reservation and the Upper Charles River Reservation, and fall within a number of communities in the greater Boston metropolitan area. The Charles River parks extend from the Charles River Dam, where the Charles empties into Boston Harbor, to Riverdale Park in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Most of the roadways within the parks are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a unit, although Storrow Drive and Memorial Drive are listed as part of the Charles River Basin Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quincy Shore Drive</span> United States historic place

Quincy Shore Drive is a historic parkway in Quincy, Massachusetts. The road is one of a series of parkways built by predecessors of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, to provide access to parks and beaches in the Greater Boston area. Its development was proposed in 1893 by Charles Eliot, who promoted the development of many of the area's parks and parkways. Planning began in 1897, with land acquisition following around 1900. Construction of the 4-mile (6.4 km) road was begun in 1903 and completed in 1907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Hills Parkway</span> United States historic place

Blue Hills Parkway is a historic parkway that runs in a straight line from a crossing of the Neponset River, at the south border of Boston to the north edge of the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, Massachusetts. It was built in 1893 to a design by the noted landscape architect, Charles Eliot, who is perhaps best known for the esplanades along the Charles River. The parkway is a connecting road between the Blue Hills Reservation and the Neponset River Reservation, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refreshment Pavilion</span> Historic building in Milton, Massachusetts

The Refreshment Pavilion is a historic refreshment stand at Houghton's Pond in the Milton portion of Blue Hills Reservation, a Massachusetts state park. Built in 1920, it is one of a series of architect-designed structures built in the park by the Metropolitan District Commission. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammond Pond Parkway</span> Parkway in Newton and Brookline, Massachusetts

Hammond Pond Parkway is a historic parkway in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The road, built in 1932, extends 2 miles (3.2 km) from Hobart Road in Newton to Horace James Circle in Brookline, where it joins the West Roxbury Parkway. It was designed by Charles Eliot and the Olmsted Brothers to provide a parkway setting that provided access from Brookline, Newton, and the western portions of Boston to the southern parks of the Emerald Necklace. The parkway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Roxbury Parkway</span> Parkway in Boston, Massachusetts

West Roxbury Parkway is a historic parkway running from Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Enneking Parkway runs south, to Horace James Circle in Chestnut Hill, where it meets the Hammond Pond Parkway. The parkway serves as a connector between Stony Brook Reservation and Hammond Pond Reservation. West Roxbury Parkway was built between 1919 and 1929 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The parkway is distinctive in the roadway system developed by the Metropolitan District Commission beginning around the turn of the 20th century in that it was built in collaboration with the City of Boston, and is maintained by the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston</span>

The Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston is a system of reservations, parks, parkways and roads under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in and around Boston that has been in existence for over a century. The title is used by the DCR to describe the areas collectively: "As a whole, the Metropolitan Park System is currently eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places", as outlined on the department's website. The DCR maintains a separate Urban Parks and Recreation division to oversee the system, one of five such divisions within the department—DCR's Bureau of State Parks and Recreation manages the remainder of Massachusetts state parks. Direct design and maintenance functions for the parkways and roads within the system are provided by the DCR Bureau of Engineering.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Neponset Valley Parkway". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 25, 2014.