Olmsted Park
Encyclopedia
Olmsted Park is a linear park
in Boston
and Brookline
, Massachusetts
, and a part of Boston's Emerald Necklace
of connected parks and parkway
s. Originally named Leverett Park, in 1900 it was renamed to honor its designer, Frederick Law Olmsted
.
Olmsted Park can be roughly divided into two parts. In the south, bordering Jamaica Pond
, it includes athletic fields and three ponds: from the south, a small kettle
pond called Ward's Pond, the tiny Willow Pond, and the much larger Leverett's Pond. The northern section of the park, above Route 9, is a narrow corridor through which the Muddy River
flows on its way to the Charles River
. The northern edge of Olmsted Park connects to the Back Bay Fens
and the western edge of the Mission Hill
neighborhood.
Olmsted, who had made a reputation designing New York's Central Park
, suggested in 1880 that the swampy and brackish Muddy River be included in Boston's park plan. Beginning in 1890, the river was dredged into a winding stream, a large swamp
converted into Leverett's Pond, and Ward's Pond was connected with a small outflowing stream.
Following completion of the Emerald Necklace Parks Master Plan in 1989 (updated in 2001 http://www.muddyrivermmoc.org/html/NecklaceLinks/masterplan.html),
a number of improvements have been made in Olmsted Park. Riverdale Parkway, originally designed as a carriage road, was transformed into a bicycle and pedestrian path in 1997. The Allerton Overlook at the foot of Allerton Street in Brookline was recreated, footbridges re-pointed, and a boardwalk placed at the south end of Wards Pond.
In 2006, Brookline restored Olmsted's "Babbling Brook" (a section of the Muddy River in the park)http://www.highstreethill.org/folp/brook06.html, resetting stones, clearing out invasive knotweed, defining the streambed, and replanting trees and shrubs to inhibit future invasives growth.
The close proximity of Longwood Medical and Academic Area
and easy access to the MBTA
make the park a popular walking and bicycling route.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and a part of Boston's Emerald Necklace
Emerald Necklace
The Emerald Necklace consists of an chain of parks linked by parkways and waterways in Boston and Brookline, Massachusetts. It gets its name from the way the planned chain appears to hang from the "neck" of the Boston peninsula, although it was never fully constructed.-Overview:The Necklace...
of connected parks and parkway
Parkway
The term parkway has several distinct principal meanings and numerous synonyms around the world, for either a type of landscaped area or a type of road.Type of landscaped area:...
s. Originally named Leverett Park, in 1900 it was renamed to honor its designer, Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
.
Olmsted Park can be roughly divided into two parts. In the south, bordering Jamaica Pond
Jamaica Pond
Jamaica Pond is a kettle pond, part of the Emerald Necklace of parks in Boston designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The pond and park are in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, close to the border of Brookline...
, it includes athletic fields and three ponds: from the south, a small kettle
Kettle (geology)
A kettle is a shallow, sediment-filled body of water formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters.-Overview:...
pond called Ward's Pond, the tiny Willow Pond, and the much larger Leverett's Pond. The northern section of the park, above Route 9, is a narrow corridor through which the Muddy River
Muddy River, Massachusetts
The Muddy River is a series of brooks and ponds that runs through sections of Boston's Emerald Necklace, including along the south boundary of Brookline, Massachusetts...
flows on its way to the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
. The northern edge of Olmsted Park connects to the Back Bay Fens
Back Bay Fens
The Back Bay Fens, most commonly called simply The Fens, is a parkland and urban wild in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to serve as a link in the Emerald Necklace park system, the Fens gives its name to the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, and thereby to...
and the western edge of the Mission Hill
Mission Hill, Boston, Massachusetts
Mission Hill is a 3/4 square mile neighborhood of Boston, with the population of approximately 18,000 people.The neighborhood is roughly bounded by Columbus Avenue and the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury to the east, Longwood Avenue to the northeast and the Olmsted designed Riverway/Jamaicaway and...
neighborhood.
Olmsted, who had made a reputation designing New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, suggested in 1880 that the swampy and brackish Muddy River be included in Boston's park plan. Beginning in 1890, the river was dredged into a winding stream, a large swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
converted into Leverett's Pond, and Ward's Pond was connected with a small outflowing stream.
Following completion of the Emerald Necklace Parks Master Plan in 1989 (updated in 2001 http://www.muddyrivermmoc.org/html/NecklaceLinks/masterplan.html),
a number of improvements have been made in Olmsted Park. Riverdale Parkway, originally designed as a carriage road, was transformed into a bicycle and pedestrian path in 1997. The Allerton Overlook at the foot of Allerton Street in Brookline was recreated, footbridges re-pointed, and a boardwalk placed at the south end of Wards Pond.
In 2006, Brookline restored Olmsted's "Babbling Brook" (a section of the Muddy River in the park)http://www.highstreethill.org/folp/brook06.html, resetting stones, clearing out invasive knotweed, defining the streambed, and replanting trees and shrubs to inhibit future invasives growth.
The close proximity of Longwood Medical and Academic Area
Longwood Medical and Academic Area
The Longwood Medical and Academic Area is a medical campus in Boston....
and easy access to the MBTA
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
make the park a popular walking and bicycling route.
Muddy River Restoration Project
Olmsted park has long been subject to flooding from the Muddy River. The Muddy River Restoration Project http://www.pinebank.org/muddyriverproject.htm will dredge contaminated sediments and implement other major structural improvements, unburying the river and improving its integrity, appearance, and flood control capabilities.http://www.muddyrivermmoc.org/html/RestorationLinks/floodControl.htmlFriends of Leverett Pond
"Friends of Leverett Pond" was the second of the Town of Brookline's Park Friends Groups created as a park advocacy organization in the 1970s. Formed in 1978 as a sub-committee of the High Street Hill Association, it has worked to improve the condition of Olmsted Park and to increase awareness of issues of park stewardship."http://www.highstreethill.org/folp/Gallery
External links
- Friends of Leverett Pond
- Friends of Olmsted Park an offshoot of Friends of Jamaica Pond
- Emerald Necklace Conservancy