Stony Brook Reservation Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Great Boston MPS
Why it's listed
Stony Brook Reservation Parkways form a roughly 4.5-mile road system running through and around a 475-acre wooded reservation of hills, granite outcrops, ponds and wetlands in West Roxbury, Hyde Park and Dedham. The system includes West Boundary Road, Dedham Parkway, Turtle Pond Parkway, Enneking Parkway, Smith Field Road and part of Reservation Road. Most are narrow two-lane roads, built on new alignments, with few curbs or sidewalks, and some have SS-type guardrails. Contributing features include the Robert Bleakie Intersection, David O'Lalor Square and two stone-headwalled culverts. The first road was built in 1897, with Dedham Parkway completed in 1921 and Bold Knob Road, now part of Enneking Parkway, built in 1930-1932. Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot and later Olmsted Brothers designed the parkways for the Metropolitan Park Commission. The district is significant for landscape architecture, engineering, conservation, recreation and transportation, with a period of significance of 1893 to 1956.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1893-1956 |
|---|---|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Conservation, Engineering, Entertainment/Recreation, Landscape Architecture, Transportation |
| Acreage | 21.3 |
| Boundary source | NPS cultural-resource GIS polygon |
| Full listing page | Stony Brook Reservation Parkways, Metropolitan Park System of Great Boston MPS (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.