Walnut Hills Cemetery
Why it's listed
Walnut Hills Cemetery occupies about 45 acres at Grove Street and Allandale Road in southwest Brookline. Town Meeting authorized a town cemetery in 1874, and the landscape gardeners Ernest Bowditch and Franklin Copeland prepared the plan adopted the following year. The grounds were consecrated in October 1875. Bowditch followed the rural cemetery tradition, laying out gently curving paths and keeping interference with the land to a minimum. Outcrops of Roxbury puddingstone, including Mt. Walley, and plantings of walnut, pine, birch, beech, maple, sassafras and cedar shape the setting. Rules adopted in 1886 limited headstones to uniform slate and later granite, so the cemetery now has three visible sections: sculptural stones, slate stones and granite stones. Buildings from 1901 include a puddingstone receiving tomb by A.W. Longfellow and a stable, shed, fence and probably the superintendent's house by Guy Lowell. Burials include H.H. Richardson, Guy Lowell and Charles Sprague Sargent.
Significance in brief: The cemetery is a fine example of the picturesque, garden-style cemetery that grew out of the rural cemetery movement, with a design that interferes little with natural features such as Roxbury puddingstone outcrops. It is also described as the first cemetery in America to control the design of headstones and lots. Notable burials include architect H.H. Richardson and Charles Sprague Sargent, founder of the Arnold Arboretum.
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 85003241, listed October 17, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Grove St. and Allandale Rd., Brookline |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | October 17, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85003241 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Architect / builder | Ernest Bowditch and Franklin Copeland (landscape plan); Guy Lowell (stable, shed, fence, probably superintendent's house, 1901); A.W. Longfellow (receiving tomb, 1901) |
| Architectural style | Picturesque, garden-style rural cemetery |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture |
| Level of significance | National, State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as well kept up and still receiving burials (most recent death date listed as current). |
| Acreage | 45 |
| Coordinates | 42.30295, -71.14652 (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 85003241.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7963634
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.