The Charles River Reservation Parkways are
parkways that run along either side of the
Charles River
The Charles River ( Massachusett: ''Quinobequin)'' (sometimes called the River Charles or simply the Charles) is an river in eastern Massachusetts. It flows northeast from Hopkinton to Boston along a highly meandering route, that doubles b ...
in eastern
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
. The roads are contained within the
Charles River Reservation
The Charles River Reservation is a urban preserve and public recreation area located along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton, Massachusetts. The reservation is managed by the Massachusetts Department of ...
and the
Upper Charles River Reservation
The Upper Charles River Reservation is a Massachusetts state park encompassing portions of the banks of the Charles River between the Watertown Dam in Watertown and Riverdale Park in Dedham and the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The park ...
, and fall within a number of communities in the greater
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
metropolitan area. The Charles River parks extend from the
Charles River Dam
The Charles River Dam is a flood control structure on the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts, located just downstream of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, near Lovejoy Wharf, on the former location of the Warren Bridge.
His ...
, where the Charles empties into
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States.
History
...
, 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
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
as a unit, although
Storrow Drive
Storrow Drive, officially James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive, is a major crosstown parkway in Boston, Massachusetts, running east–west along the southern bank of the Charles River. It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not perm ...
and
Memorial Drive are listed as part of the
Charles River Basin Historic District
The Charles River Reservation is a urban preserve and public recreation area located along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton, Massachusetts. The reservation is managed by the Massachusetts Department of ...
.
The other roadways, listed in 2006, extend from
Harvard Square to
Newton Upper Falls
Newton Upper Falls is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States.
The area borders Needham, Massachusetts to the southwest, Wellesley, Massachusetts to the west, the West Roxbury nei ...
. The roads on the river banks were improved at the beginning of the 20th century to provide a continuous route through the park.
Eastern parkways
The eastern parkways are within the
Charles River Reservation
The Charles River Reservation is a urban preserve and public recreation area located along the banks of the Charles River in Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Newton, Massachusetts. The reservation is managed by the Massachusetts Department of ...
, extending from Harvard Square to the vicinity of Watertown Square in
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
and
Newton.
*Western Avenue/Arsenal Street, a short stretch between Soldiers Field Rd and Greenough Blvd, including a bridge across the river
*Charles River Road, on the north bank in Watertown
*Greenough Boulevard, the north bank from the end of Memorial Drive in Cambridge to Arsenal Street in Watertown
*Leo Birmingham Parkway, a short stretch farther from the river on the south bank, joining Soldiers Field Road at each end
*Nonantum Road, on the south bank from the end of Soldiers Field Road into Newton
*North Beacon Street, a short stretch connecting Greenough Blvd with Charles River Road
*Soldiers Field Road, from the end of
Storrow Drive
Storrow Drive, officially James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive, is a major crosstown parkway in Boston, Massachusetts, running east–west along the southern bank of the Charles River. It is restricted to cars; trucks and buses are not perm ...
through Allston and Brighton to the North Beacon Street Bridge, where it meets Nonantum Road
Western parkways
The western parkways are within the
Upper Charles River Reservation
The Upper Charles River Reservation is a Massachusetts state park encompassing portions of the banks of the Charles River between the Watertown Dam in Watertown and Riverdale Park in Dedham and the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. The park ...
. They comprise several discontiguous segments in
Waltham,
Weston
Weston may refer to:
Places Australia
* Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra
* Weston, New South Wales
* Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra
* Weston Park, Canberra, a park
Canada
* Weston, Nova Scotia
* ...
, and Newton. The stretch of the Charles they abut are between Sawyer Road in Waltham and
Route 9 near its interchange with
I-95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...
.
*Norumbega Road, between South Street and
Route 30 in Waltham
*Quinobequin Road, between
Route 16 and Route 9 in Newton
*Recreation Road, between I-95 and Park Street in Weston
History
The Charles River parkways were laid out in concept in a plan developed by landscape architect
Charles Eliot for the Metropolitan Parks Commission (MPC, predecessor to the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), now the
Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. The DCR's mission i ...
, or DCR). Land acquisition for the parks lining the Charles began in 1895, with park and parkway construction beginning soon afterward. The western portion of Soldiers Field Road was one of the first to be built, as part of the
Charles River Speedway
The Charles River Speedway was a former bicycle and harness racing track located in Allston, Massachusetts, which has been redeveloped into an upscale market.
History
The speedway itself was constructed in 1899 along the Charles River. It bega ...
, an early racing oval, between 1899 and 1910. Other roads completed by 1910 include the listed portions of North Beacon Street, Greenough Boulevard, and Charles River Road. Nonantum Road was built between 1910 and 1931. Leo Birmingham Boulevard was completed in 1936, as a bypass around a slaughterhouse on the river that the MDC had been unable to acquire. It was eventually taken in the 1940s, allowing for the completion of Soldiers Field Road.
[
The master plan for the upper river was predicated on acquiring sufficient land for the building of continuous roadways, which was precluded by dense land use in portions of Watertown and Waltham. The oldest of the roads is Quinobequin Road, built in 1900. Recreation Road and Norumbega Road were both built in the 1930s. Recreation Road has since been impacted by the construction of both Interstate 95 and the ]Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a toll highway in the US state of Massachusetts that is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). The turnpike begins at the New York state li ...
, which have cut off elements of the waterfront from land access.[
]
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts
*
*
*
*
*
References
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Charles River
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Boston
Buildings and structures in Weston, Massachusetts