Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located six miles (10 km) west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity. Unlike most Massachusetts villages, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities, each located in a different county: the town of Brookline in Norfolk County; the city of Boston in Suffolk County (parts of its neighborhoods of Brighton and West Roxbury), and the city of Newton in Middlesex County. Chestnut Hill's borders are roughly defined by the 02467 ZIP Code. Chestnut Hill is not a topographical designation; the name refers to several small hills that overlook the 135-acre (546,000 m²) Chestnut Hill Reservoir rather than one particular hill. Chestnut Hill is best known as the home of Boston College, part of the Boston Marathon route, as well as the Collegiate Gothic canvas of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.[1]
History
While most of Chestnut Hill remained farmland well into the early twentieth century, the area around the reservoir was developed, in 1870, by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City and of the Emerald Necklace in Boston and Brookline.
Because of the significance of its landscape and architecture, the National Register of Historic Places, in 1986, designated parts of Chestnut Hill as historic districts. Examples of Colonial, Italianate, Shingle, Tudor Revival, and Victorian architectural styles are evident in the village's country estates and mansions. The Boston College campus is itself an early example of Collegiate Gothic architecture.
Parkland
Hammond Pond Reservation, an extensive forest preserve and protected wetlands, goes through Chestnut Hill and Newton.[2] Kennard Park and Conservation Area This is a post-agricultural forest grown up on 19th century farmland. The mixed and conifer woodlands reveal colonial stone walls, a red maple swamp with century-old trees, and a sensitive fern marsh.)[3]
Shopping centers
- The Mall at Chestnut Hill
- The Street in Chestnut Hill
- Chestnut Hill Square
- The Shops At Putterham
Transportation
Chestnut Hill is served by three branches of the Green Line of the MBTA, Boston's light rail system. Stations include:
- B Line: Chestnut Hill Avenue, South Street, Boston College
- C Line: Cleveland Circle
- D Line: Reservoir, Chestnut Hill
The area is also served by various MBTA buses.
Registered historic districts
- Boston College Main Campus Historic District—140 Commonwealth Ave. (in Newton)
- Chestnut Hill Historic District—roughly bounded by Middlesex Rd., Reservoir Ln., Denny Rd., Boylston St. and Dunster Rd. (added November 17, 1985) (mostly in Brookline, but includes a few properties that spill into Newton)
- Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic District—within Boston city limits
- Old Chestnut Hill Historic District—along Hammond St. and Chestnut Hill Rd. roughly bounded by Beacon St. and Essex Rd., and Suffolk Rd. (added October 4, 1986), within Newton city limits
Education
The village is served by the Public School District of Brookline and the Newton Public Schools. There are also a number of private schools including Mount Alvernia Academy (Catholic, K–6), Brimmer and May School (non-denominational, K–12) and The Chestnut Hill School. Children may opt to attend school in neighboring villages or in Boston.
Chestnut Hill is home to Boston College and Pine Manor College.
Notable people
- Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots
- Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots
- Mary Baker Eddy, founder of The First Church of Christ, Scientist and The Christian Science Monitor newspaper (Brookline, MA), 1908–1910
- Reginald Fessenden, called the father of broadcast radio, the Reginald A. Fessenden House in Chestnut Hill (Newton) is a US National Landmark as well as a US Historic Place.
- Theo Epstein, general manager of the Chicago Cubs
- Terry Francona, former manager of the Boston Red Sox
- John W. Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C.
- Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, the first wife of Theodore Roosevelt, and mother of Alice Roosevelt Longworth
- Leverett Saltonstall, Governor of Massachusetts (1939–1945) and United States Senator (1945–1967)
- John A. Wilson, sculptor
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Brookline, Massachusetts
- List of Registered Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts
- List of Registered Historic Places in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
References
Coordinates: 42°19′50″N 71°09′58″W / 42.33056°N 71.16611°W
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