BACKGROUND

1A. EXISTING SITE FEATURES

Highland Park is a 3.6acre site occupying a rocky promontory in the Highland Park neighborhood of Roxbury. This is the highest hill in Roxbury and permits good long-distance views to surrounding neighborhoods and to downtown Boston. The park is bounded by Beech Glen Street on the southwest and northwest, Fort Avenue on the northeast, and Fort Avenue Terrace on the southeast.

At the highest point of the park is a brick masonry tower in the Victorian Gothic style, built in 1869 to provide water to the neighborhood. It is located within a grass area in the middle of a concrete platform that marks the outline of a Revolutionary War fort that once occupied the site. Concrete seatwalls mark the corner points or bastions of the fort. Concrete paths lead from three park entrances to follow the contours of the site's topography and terminate at the fort area. The paths are connected to the fort area by granite stairs on three sides. There are no stairs along the southwest, where the widest path, designed for vehicular access, meets the fort area. A fourth entrance from Beech Glen Street does not connect with the path system.

Puddingstone walls bound the park on the west along Beech Glen Street, along Fort Avenue and along the northern end of Fort Avenue Terrace. High rock outcroppings edge the park along the southeastern Beech Glen Street boundary.

The ground surface undulates considerably, with rock outcroppings scattered throughout. The park vegetation is primarily grass and weeds. There is spontaneous tree growth along the rock outcroppings at Beech Glen Street, along a portion of the Fort Avenue edge and near rock outcroppings where the difficulty of mowing has allowed woody growth to proliferate. There are a few areas of planted trees, most notably a grove of willows framing the entrance on Fort Avenue Terrace.

There are two commemorative stones on the site, one a monument to the 18^th century fort and the other one noting the contribution of Frederick Law Olmsted to the park's design. The surrounding neighborhood is residential, consisting of single-family wood houses and brick row houses.

IB. PARK HISTORY

In the 18th Century, the center of the town of Roxbury was near the present John Eliot Square, and Highland Park and the surrounding countryside were the sites of large farms and estates.

During the Revolutionary War, Roxbury was in a strategic position to control the only land route in and out of Boston. Several sites were chosen for the fortifications, one of which is now the site of Highland Park.

The High Fort was reputedly designed by Henry Knox and Josiah Waters, and built in the summer of 1775. It was considered to be an exceptionally strong fortification, and its position at the summit of the hill commanded the land route from Boston along the Neck (now Washington Street) as well as the road to Dedham. It played a vital role during the Siege of Boston.

After the war and over the course of the next century, there were various attempts made to preserve the fort, even as it was deteriorating from the effects of time. In 1895, five citizens set out to protect the landmark by purchasing the land and fort. However, petitions to the Roxbury City Council were not successful in getting the City in turn to purchase the land.

In 1868, Roxbury was annexed to Boston and plans were made to include Roxbury in the Cochituate water system serving Boston. The highlands were above the elevations of existing reservoirs, and after considerable research the standpipe system of water storage and distribution was agreed upon. The site of the High Fort was chosen as the best location, and despite some opposition, the standpipe was built and the remains of the fort demolished.

The standpipe was designed not only to provide water but also as a special architectural feature that could be seen for miles around, Circular stairs were also provided in the tower to reach a lookout at the tower summit. A drive for carriages was laid out from Beech Glen Street to a paved circular platform at the tower's base.

The water system was in operation from 1870 to 1880 when the annexations of Dorchester, Brighton and West Roxbury required the construction of a new reservoir on Parker Hill.

In the 1870's and 1880's concern about the quality of life in the rapidly developing City led to an organized movement for the establishment of a system of public parks. Highland Park, as it was now called, was identified as an important public ground because of its vantage point above the City and because of its tower.

In 1888, the park was transferred to the Boston Park Department and then to the Department of the Common and Public Grounds. The site had deteriorated by now and the community was concerned about its condition. The Roxbury Military Historical Society (changed to the Roxbury Historical Society in 1901) was also concerned about restoration of the Revolutionary War fort. In 1877, the City placed a granite marker commemorating the fort and its role during the Siege of Boston.

In 1895, the City hired the landscape architectural firm of Olmsted, Olmsted, and Eliot to prepare plans for restoration of the fort and development of the park. The lines of the fort were restored through the construction of a quadrangular-shaped platform that replaced the circular one around the standpipe. The firm recommended an iron picket fence around the boundary of the platform. Park paths were aligned with the topography of the site, existing entrances were improved and new ones added. Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot recommended low, hardy plantings in several areas, appropriate to the rocky soil conditions. At this time, the quadrant of the site bounded by Fort Avenue and Beech Glen Street was not part of the park, but was a residence. It was eventually incorporated into the park.

Work was done, as appropriations allowed, through 1912. In 1911, increasing attendance to the tower necessitated the addition of an attendant's office, and in 1912 18 bronze plaques indicating points of interest were added to the tower balcony.

In 1912, Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot supplied additional plans for minor improvements. In 1912-1913 Highland Park came under the jurisdiction of the Parks and Recreation Department which merged with the Department of Public Grounds. It was at this point that the private piece of land was added to the park.

In 1915, four revolutionary cannon were constructed at Highland Park, and thousands of Roxbury citizens attended the dedication of the restored park in 1917.

Highland Park has continued to be maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department with no changes in the park's layout.

Repairs and improvements were undertaken in the 1930's. Walks were paved with concrete, some changes were made in the configuration of the terrace, and 46 benches and a bronze marker commemorating Henry Knox were added. The park fell into disrepair between the 1930's and 1960's, suffering the effects of both neglect and vandalism. The 1960's saw renewed community interest in the park, and there have been periods of repairs each decade since then. Repairs to the standpipe were made in the 1960's, general improvements and repairs were done in the 1970's including walkways and new benches, and walkway repairs and planting were undertaken in the early 1980's.

IC. PARK USE AND NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT

Highland Park is predominantly used as a passive neighborhood park. The park is surrounded on four sides by residential use, and most of the park visitors are local residents, coming to walk and sit alone or in small groups. It is a popular park for dog walking as well. Youths frequent the park. The playground is used by individual children and small day-care groups. Young children bicycle around the fort platform in the warm months, and go sledding down the park's hills in the winter. Neighbors use the fort area for ball games. A neighbor on Beech Glen Street plants a portion of the park edge with flowers, and trees have been planted by neighbors on Fort Avenue Terrace along that park edge.

There are a number of other parks in the immediate and larger neighborhood. Marcella Park, several blocks away, is the closest to Highland Park and provides the neighborhood with active recreational facilities. There are ballfields, ballcourts, a playground and a sitting area in three acres. Lambert Avenue Playground, a small playground site, is also within a quarter mile of Highland Park although not as close as Marcella and presently in deteriorated condition. Jeep Jones and Malcolm X Parks are within a half mile radius of Highland Park. They provide both active and passive recreation, and have some magnificent views and natural areas. However, they are both a considerable distance from Highland Park, and Malcolm X Park is on the far side of busy Washington Street. Therefore, they cannot be considered easily accessible to Highland Park's population.

Roxbury Heritage State Park is now in the design phase. It will bring new visitor centers and community facilities to the sites of the Dillaway Thomas House on John Eliot Square and the Nawn Factory on Washington Street adjacent to the Eliot (Eustis Street) Burying Ground. It will link several neighborhood sites, including Highland Park, by a self-guided walking tour. Heritage State Park staff may make it possible to open the standpipe tower to visitors on a limited schedule.