Parks of Brookline, Massachusetts

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A striped header image reading, 'Parks of Brookline, MA Reservoir Park Larz Anderson Park & Putterham School'

On the same day that I visited Frederick Law Olmsted NHS, I perused a pair of parks in Brookline, MA.

A panorama with a concrete gazebo overlooking a man-made lake with a fountain

Brookline Reservoir Park

The first of these parks was Brookline Reservoir Park, located down the street from Fairstead. The park consisted of a wide, paved trail around a resevoir, benches along the trail, shade trees, a thin lawn, and geese. A sign near the onstreet parking area details the history behind the park.

A black-and-white sign with a title reading, 'Town of Brookline Resevoir Park' A green sign with written rules and icons about what one cannot do in Reservoir Park, incluuding swimming, boating, smoking, and unleashing dogs

According to this sign and the park’s webpage, the reservoir was constructed to hold drinkable water for Boston residents and completed around 1848. The use of iron in the gatehouse has special recognization, as the building has oldest extant iron roof, wrought iron roof trusses, and cast iron staircase built for public use in the United States.

View of a small but full reservoir underneath a clear, blue sky with a single puffy cloud. A walking path and trees run around the edge of the reservoir.

This historic building might have been demolished in 1902 if local residents had not put $50,000 toward the $150,000 price to save the reservoir. Purchesers included John Charles Olmstead, the nephew and adopted son of the architect and an architect himself, along with Pulitzer Prize winning poet Amy Lowell, abolitionist and inventor Edward Atkinson, and groundbreaking obstetrician William Channing. Since then, the park has been a recreation area for residents.

The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2015 as Brookline Reservoir of the Cochituate Aqueduct. While its paperwork has not yet been digitized, the Library of Congress holds old photographs of the area.


Larz Anderson Park & Putterham School

The largest park in Brookline, and many times the size of Brookline Reservoir across town, Larz Anderson Park boasts a community garden, bridges, fountains, pavilions, and an outdoor skating rink. Named after the diplomat whose carriage house turned auto museum still stands on the property, the park was gifted to the city by Anderson's wife, Isabel Weld Anderson, in 1951. The city lost little time tearing down the historic mansion and replacing the Italian gardens with a skating rink by 1958. This was probably not what Mrs. Anderson had in mind.

A black wrought iron gate in front of a lush, green park with a manmade pond and a pair of bridges underneath clear blue skies A pair of bridges over a man-made pond underneath a clear blue sky

An added bonus to the park is Putterham School, named for its original location in the village of Putterham and now owned by the Brookline Historical Society. This one-room schoolhouse was built about a mile down the road at the corner of Newton and Grove streets in 1768. The building was expanded throughout the 19th and early 20th century, occasionally acting as a Catholic church or synagogue instead of a school, until it was brought to its current location in 1966.

A brown metal sign with white text describing the history of Putterham School A red wooden building behind a white picket fence with a stone foundation half-hidden by a tree. A flagpole with an American flag stands to the left of the building

The remains of the estate are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Larz Anderson Park Historic District. Like Brookline Reservoir, its paperwork has not yet been digitized.

Side view of a red wooden building with three small windows The corner of a red wooden building. In front of the building is a metal sign with the title, 'Putterham School'

Conclusion

If you have spent the day in Brookline and are looking for a place to relax, these parks are the perfect setting for picnics, leisurely walks, and learning about local history. Most paths are paved and accessible, with no rocks or tree branches, along with plenty of seating and shady spaces.

A three-quarters view from atop a small hill of the previously described red wooden building


Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 8/10

Accessibility: 9/10



Location: Brookline, MA, USA