BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
FORM H - PARKS AND LANDSCAPE FEATURES Area Form No. 31/150 2 MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 Photo (3x3" or 3x5", black & white) Staple to left side of form Photo number SKETCH MAP Draw map showing property's location in relationship to nearest cross streets and other buildings or geographical features. Indicate north. 1. Town Brookline MRA Address Linden Place Name Linden Square 2. Ownership: X Public Private Present owner Town of Brookline 3. Type: X Park Green Training Field Boulevard or Parkway Other 4. Description: Date: 1844 Size (approx. acreage)Less than 1 acr Architect (if known) Alex, Wadsworth Location of Plans (if known) Dedham Courthouse Setting Linden Square is an open space surrounded by single, double ami L] nouses. urrent Conditior & small, brick" good Recorded by_Greer Hardwicke Organization_Brookline Hist. Comn.
Date January 1985 *apartment buildings. Boston South Quadrangle UTM Reference: 19/325560/4688940 Map #: 40 12/82 VISUAL ASSESSMENT Describe topography and layout. Note components such as structures (bandstands, gazebos, sheds) monuments & fountains; landscaping features (formal plantings, bodies of water). Compare current appearance with original, if possible. The layout of Linden Place consists of 2 paths, which form an X pattern. In between are grass areas and several trees. There is one bench at the top of the park. Totally flat, it is enclosed by a chain-link fence. There were originally hedges and probably a wrought iron fence. On the 1844 map, there was a path echoing the horseshoe shape within the park with a straight path dividing it in half. A late 19th century plan, however, shows the present configuration.
HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE Discuss types of use, major period of use, evaluate importance within town. Linden Square is a triangular-shaped park that was part of the land development laid out by Thomas Davis in 1844. (For more infor- mation about Davis, see #29 Linden Place.) It was originally part of a cherry and apple orchard that had belonged to the Davis family, known as the Holden Farm. In 1842, I. A. Davis bought 3/4 of his mother's and James Holden's 3/4 share of the land, "being and lying in the centre of said Brookline contain.ing 31 acres 1/4 and 37 rods--the said land being divided in two parts by the county road leading from Brookline to Cambridge and called Harvard Street and being the same land of the said Lucy held in virtue of her right of dower in the estate of her late husband Ebenezer David.. . The next year, 1843, I. A.
Davis laid it out in lots on a plan drawn by A. Wadsworth, and sold the lots at auction. Along with the land, Davis wrote in a number of restrictions about what could be done with the lots and the Each owner held a right onecommane that dentalonseetfothe proene courthowpieheestree) and Avenue (Linden Street) were "to be forever kept open for the use and convenience of all proprietors of Linden Place . - and whereas for mutual benefit of all said lots and proprietors the space should be forever kept free, open and unencumbered for benefit of light, air, and prospect of the surrounding lots. .." Each lot was sold with the condition that "no building shall be erected upon said tracts within 30 feet of Harvard St.
or of the Court or Avenues laid down on said plan and upon further condition that the only buildings to be erected upon said land or placed thereon, shall be dwelling houses and their appurtances exclusive of all shopyards or other conveniences for manufacturing or mechanical purposes." (Book 141, p. 105). (These conditions were to be declared null and void, however, after Jan. 1, 1850, as stated in an addition to the deed.) (continued) 12/82 INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Office of the Secretary, Boston Commmity : BROOKLINE Forn No: 31/150 Property Name: Linden Square Indicate each item on inventory form which is being continued below. Of the three original spaces set aside in the plan of this controlled suburban development, Linden Place and Linden Park remain.
(The other was across Harvard Street near the site of the Health Building.) Davis built himself a Gothic cottage facing Linden Park with his own extensive garden in the rear. moved and the garden site built upon. garden site Buitt This house, 29 Linden Place, has been Several of the original houses from the early development remain. All of them are on the east side of Harvard Street. There are two Greelgothic cottages and four Greek Revival houses. This area was described by Charles Stearns in 1920: 1ts houses, he said, were "considered at the time of their erection, beautitul structures and the colony was rather aristocratic. It was a beautiful section of town and the land to the north and west, now covered with houses, was then a beautiful woods, with a brook running through it. This particular lot remained connected with Davis' house. By 1869, it belonged to Asa Goodnow.
In 1895, his daughter, Mary G. Stone, and her husband, Leonard, conveyed the property to the Town of Brookline with the intention coas stpners vir suchortse d to acepe, e e oc tahd, kemm pen space or park. . many as 'the horseshoe lot, '" on behalf of the Town. This open space and its creation reflect the earliest planned early Victorian suburbs as advocated by Downing. Unlike the Cottage Farm and Longwood areas, this property was located in the much denser, more urban section of town, Brookline Village, which was having a spurt of o cransportatron development due to transportation routes and the building of the Town Hall. It did not remain in the hands of an individual family for an extended period. Originally surrounded by a three-foot fence, Linden Square now has a chain-link fence. There are two walkways through the area that make an X-shaped pattern.
It provides open space relief in an area surrounded by single-family houses, three-deckers, and brick apartment houses. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION Linden Square meets National Register Criteria A, B, & C as being one of the open spaces of an 1843 planned residential development. It was an integral part of the plan of Thomas Aspinwall Davis, once Mayor of Boston, and is one of the earliest subdivisions in Brookline. (Because of later infill, the components of the Linden Place development are being nominated individually.) Staple to Inventory form at bottom NPS Form 10-900-a (3-82) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form Continuation sheet Item number OMB No. 1024-0018 Exp.
10-31-84 For NPS use only received 9/7/83 date entered Page Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Brookline MRA MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review 51. House «t (156 Mason Terr.) 52. Houses et (76--96 Harvard Ave.) 53. Hotel Adelaide 54. Hotel Kempsford 55. Jackson, Thaddeus, House 56. Kilsyth Terrace 57. Linden Park 58. Linden Square 59. Lynch--O'Gorman House 60.
Milestone (Harvard St.) Entered in the Nattoaal Begister Date/Signature Feeper ArlmBya 1411 Attest TKeeper delorBy 10/0/85 En ter ed Nat-1.oreJ Hegister Entered National Tegiater Attest Keeper Attest Entered in the National Begister OK eeper Attest Entered in the National Regieter 6Keeper Attest Entered in the Nationel Register 6Reeper Entered in the National Regtater Attest Entered in the Nationel Regiater Attest fKeeper Attest -Keeper Entarad 15 Natdouel Begtacei Entered in the National Register Attest KKeeper Attest delouBja 10/2/55 AelouaByen 10/2/85 deloreByar 10/12/85 delryer10/2/95 AelouaBge 10/02/85 deloreaBycu10/n185 delouByen 10/12/85 LeelouaByen10/11185 85003298 WASO Form - 177 ("R" June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Linden Sguare (Brookline MRA) Norfolk County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: sample Reviewer's comments: -request SEP Working No.
Fed. Reg. Date: 3187 Date Due: 10/3/83 Entered ia theAction: KACCEPT Wationel edsicen -RETURN _REJECT- Federal Agency: - 4 1985 10/19/ 10-19-83 -appeal NR decision Recom./Criteria_ Reviewer _ Discipline Date see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: _ technical corrections cited below substantive reasons discussed below 1. Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition - excellent good fair deteriorated J ruins unexposed Check one -unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site moved date _ 8.
Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect summary paragraph completeness clarity. applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9. Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name. UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: _national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature date title 13. Other - Maps - Photographs - Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to _ Signed.
- Date - - Phone: Comments for any item may be continued on an attached sheet Linden Square Brooklne (Ma) MRA PROCESS 5ED BI Kodak JULY 83 R Linden Se. Linden Sg 6/85 Brosklene (lla)MeA 0 L 00 30200% LINDEN SQUARE Broskline (Ma) MRA Town of Brooklne MaP ale!4" = pIERCE PLAYGROUND 00000 00u 0 -ROUND STREET BOD CPOUAY YEMERSOM GARDEN-I 009000 000000 0 - STREET H0mBn Saerw 8a0at -NU BSTAL 0000 EET ACRON ARYS R5 C e PEARL UA P PLYGRD IEET HALL B HÍGH ISHLAND AVENUE PARKWAY LEVERETT POND PLAYGRD E RIVER HUNTIN SO. HUNTING TON AV. -R950-0C 3550% tingten 1. Rotinson Tannery T.Griggss Habrork, PEST 6 -Ca3 rET so E) 3= -po"M spin -Coch Stearni, W p8. Harrard Sears -° crafe -Dane Avenue (so Place Craft- ToPratt. School- -Hall -Koods parborn seed fot.
-Jonesto Woodn Engine H Ho Town House Pabten CESSOBA Washiagion Place Shurtlafto fo N"Nemell Baru e A.tomll a atindatt White - -CarP9 'aémerso -Erving e aOliver Stre sBrewer O.Whyte" asla Greyg, Harrison erdem "Deurborn PL Mallen White Guild- Philhrick -P gria cfa 4S° Ward- Itkinsen - 1le3 Jeues degrs r 03 ESSME 30 Thomas Aspinwall Davis Subdivision Area: Linden Place Linden Square 1844 Brookline Map, E.F. Woodward Brookline (Ma) MRA OF « me TOY mPOT