How about a relaxing stroll through Davidson Park? It is more than just a green space. Davidson Park reflects Boston’s historical evolution. Let’s discover its story.
In 1875, Boston’s park commissioners sought Olmsted’s expertise for a large park. This area was in West Roxbury. It featured farms, orchards, and woodlots. Olmsted saw the location’s potential. He affirmed its advantages for a large park.
The commissioners published their initial park system plan shortly after. It included the Franklin Park site. Olmsted’s design faced delays. Surveyors needed to complete a detailed topographic survey. Despite this, the site attracted visitors by 1883. Olmsted oversaw interim improvements. These served the early crowds. He removed artificial features. This opened the landscapes.
Schoolchildren enjoyed picnics. Games of ball and lawn tennis were common. Temporary shelter houses were built on high points. These later became Schoolmaster, Hagborne, and Scarboro Hills. Henry Hobson Richardson designed the wooden pavilions. He was Olmsted’s neighbor.
Construction began in 1887. It was delayed by changes in Boston’s government. Hugh O’Brien became mayor in 1884. He was the first Irish mayor of Boston. O’Brien installed a new park board. This board decided the project’s fate.
The Republican board denied appropriations for construction. O’Brien pushed ahead. He submitted a bill to authorize municipal bonds. This bypassed the appropriations process. Construction began in 1887. Olmsted praised the work under both administrations. He noted the absence of patronage and corruption.
Much of Franklin Park was completed by the summer of 1889. The Playstead area opened in June. It was devoted to sports and gatherings. The Country Park section was also largely complete. This included the Nazingdale valley and the Wilderness promontory. Olmsted retired in 1895. Most of his 1885 plan had been implemented.
Olmsted envisioned Franklin Park for receptive recreation. This meant leisure pursued socially. It was not structured sport. It included gatherings. Smaller groups could enjoy pleasurable wakefulness of the mind. This allowed for family excursions and children’s play. Olmsted felt a rural landscape was ideal. It allowed relaxing, friendly socializing. Other parks accommodated exertive recreation. These parks displayed monuments and gardens.
Franklin Park would preserve rural New England scenery. Improvements were based on existing site features. Paths and drives minimized earthmoving. They provided views of the enhanced site. Gardens, statuary, and architecture were limited.
Franklin Park is one of Olmsted’s greatest parks. The West Roxbury site allowed Olmsted to achieve a pastoral expanse. This was more complete than in New York or Brooklyn parks.
Franklin Park’s Greeting section was constructed after Olmsted retired. It was a promenade leading into the park. A restaurant, concert ground, playgrounds, and zoo exhibits were planned. This was to draw people into the park. Without it, the park drew fewer visitors.
After 1895, Boston favored playgrounds and ballfields. An improvised golf course appeared in the Nazingdale in 1896. Golf has remained popular since. By the early 20th century, people used trolleys and cars. They left the city to enjoy metropolitan reservations.
Access to nature is vital for well-being. Without the Greeting, Franklin Park remained unfinished. Mayor John F. Fitzgerald revived the idea. Robert Swain Peabody completed Franklin Park. He hired Arthur A. Shurcliff. Shurcliff designed a new zoo. It was on the footprint of the unbuilt Greeting. Opened in 1912, the Franklin Park Zoo attracted crowds.
Franklin Park suffered an existential crisis. Neighborhoods shifted after World War II. White residents moved out. Black people and immigrants moved in. Official disinvestment occurred. The city no longer maintained the park.
Communities organized in the 1970s. Elma Lewis and students built a stage in the Playstead. The Franklin Park Golf Association revived their golf course. The Franklin Park Coalition was cofounded. Volunteers improved the landscape. They researched its history. The park was designated a Boston Landmark in 1980.
Recent city officials support community initiatives. They address the inequity of disinvestment. Public funding revitalizes Franklin Park. The park is poised to reclaim its position as a masterwork.