{"nrhp_refnum":"85003307","name":"Reservoir Park","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Boylston St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brookline","county":"Norfolk County","state":"MA","lat":42.32766629550005,"lon":-71.13492874228142,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-10-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Reservoir Park is a public park of about 32.5 acres on Boylston Street (Route 9) in Brookline, Massachusetts. It centers on a manmade reservoir about a mile around and a granite and limestone gatehouse built in 1848.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the park contains part of Boston's first water supply system, a reservoir that held water piped from Lake Cochituate. It also reflects the 1902 effort by neighboring citizens to raise funds to buy the site for a park. It is nominated under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Reservoir Park is a public park in Brookline, Massachusetts, built around a manmade reservoir roughly a mile in circumference. The City of Boston built the reservoir in 1848 on low pastureland to feed the Beacon Hill Reservoir, and the first water from Lake Cochituate reached it that October, prompting a celebration. A granite and limestone gatehouse with a closed pediment and quoins still stands at the eastern end near Boylston and Warren Streets. When Boston decided to sell the property in 1902, Brookline citizens contributed more than $50,000 toward the $150,000 price, and the park was laid out that year to designs by Town Engineer Alexis French. Plans in the 1920s for a beach, bathhouse and wharf were never carried out, so the park remains largely unchanged. Willows, flowering cherries, maples and evergreens ring the water, and benches serve walkers and joggers. The property is significant as part of Boston's first municipal water supply and as a citizen-funded public space.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Park laid out to designs of Alexis French, Brookline Town Engineer; reservoir originally built by the City of Boston","architectural_style":"Gatehouse described as a classical building with a closed pediment and quoins","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current condition is stated as good; the park is used for passive recreation such as strolling and jogging.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.486647-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/12/7925/63792512/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85003307.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003307/70c9b3fa66-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003307/70c9b3fa66-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"John Phelan","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brookline_Reservoir,_June_2010,_Brookline_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Phelan</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brookline_Reservoir,_June_2010,_Brookline_MA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792512","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reservoir_Park_(Massachusetts)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7315319"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/norfolk-county/reservoir-park-85003307/"}