Roxbury High Fort
Also known as: Highland Park
Why it's listed
Highland Park is a 3.66-acre open space on the crest of a rocky hill in Roxbury, Boston, with outcrops of puddingstone and a wide view of the city. In the summer of 1775 the hill was fortified as part of the siege of Boston, with a quadrangular earthwork designed by Henry Knox and Josiah Waters. It overlooked the only land route into the city. The fort was demolished in 1869-70 to make way for a circular brick and granite standpipe, designed by Standish and Woodbury, for Boston's Cochituate Water System. Its Gothic details include lancet windows and a pointed steeple. After the system was abandoned, the site declined until 1895, when Frederick Law Olmsted and his firm were engaged to renovate it. Their work, continuing to 1916, partly reconstructed the fort, laid out walkways, added a retaining wall and placed four cannons. The standpipe is now closed and deteriorating, but the park remains a neighborhood open space.
Significance in brief: The hilltop overlooked the only land route into Boston and was fortified in 1775 during the siege of Boston, from designs by Henry Knox and Josiah Waters. The 1869-70 brick standpipe, designed by Standish and Woodbury, is cited as a notable example of Victorian Gothic architecture. The park was later restored under Frederick Law Olmsted and his firm between 1895 and 1916, adding landscape significance.
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 73000856, listed April 23, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Beech Glen St. at Fort Ave., Boston |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | April 23, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73000856 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 18th and 19th centuries; specific dates 1775, 1869-70 |
| Architect / builder | Henry Knox and Josiah Waters (fort design); Standish and Woodbury (standpipe); Frederick Law Olmsted and firm (park renovation) |
| Architectural style | Victorian Gothic (standpipe) |
| Areas of significance | Landscape Architecture, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of Boston Parks and Recreation Department and used as a park. The standpipe is no longer used, is locked and boarded, and its brick, paint and roofs have deteriorated. The form notes neglect since the 1930s and preservation work in progress. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 42.32129, -71.08957 (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 73000856.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7372416
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.