Hazelwood Park
Also known as: John Halliwell Memorial Park
Why it's listed
Hazelwood Park is a 23-acre seaside park in New Bedford's South End, sloping from Brock Avenue west toward Clark's Cove and Buzzard's Bay. Established in 1901, it was assembled from three rural estates, the earliest dating to about 1840 and laid out in the English landscape gardening tradition. Three principal houses survive. Two of them, built of stone and wood in the 1840s, are among the city's earliest examples of Gothic Revival design, though both are now vacant and badly deteriorated. A later Shingle Style house and barn from about 1890 partly serves as a senior center. From 1912 the grounds were adapted for active recreation, and they now hold tennis and basketball courts, a bowling green, a playground, a beach, a bath house and a bandstand. Memorials include a 1924 boulder plaque, erected by Black residents of New Bedford, honoring abolitionist mayor Rodney French, along with a 1932 Washington memorial grove. Open lawns and ocean views continue to serve passive recreation.
Significance in brief: The park preserves the grounds and houses of estates begun around 1840 in the English landscape gardening tradition, including two of New Bedford's earliest Gothic Revival houses. It also holds a 1924 memorial to abolitionist mayor Rodney French, placed by African Americans in New Bedford, and shows how the park was adapted for active recreation from 1912. The form also ties it to the Howland family and the architects Wheelwright and Haven.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10000389, listed June 24, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 597-603 Brock Ave, New Bedford |
|---|---|
| County | Bristol County |
| Listed | June 24, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000389 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Wheelwright and Haven (Edmund M. Wheelwright and Parkman B. Haven), associated with the Howland house and landscape; other builders not stated in the excerpt |
| Architectural style | Mid-19th Century/Gothic Revival; Late Victorian/Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture, Entertainment/Recreation, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Congdon-Lucas and Coffin-Howland houses are vacant and greatly deteriorated; part of the Howland House and Barn is used as a senior center; the park remains in use for recreation. |
| Acreage | 23 |
| Coordinates | 41.60666, -70.91356 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10000389.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16841827
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.