Thirteen Villages & One Goal... Chestnut Hill
Chestnut Hill is a beautiful, historic village named for the chestnut trees that once grew in profusion in the area. It is known for its grand houses, graceful houses of worship, lovely parks and and pockets of open space. It has a surprisingly quaint village ambience, despite the impacts from nearby large educational and commercial property owners.
A Little History
Originally settled by the Hammond family in 1655, the Newton portion of Chestnut Hill has flourished over four centuries. The family's name is associated with Hammond Street, Hammond Woods and Hammond Pond. With the introduction of railways nearby in the 1850s, what had been a remote and undeveloped area grew rapidly, due in part to the formation of the "Essex Colony" by prominent North Shore families. These included the Lowells, the Cabots, the Lawrences and the Saltonstalls. |
In the early 1900s, Chestnut Hill changed dramatically as farmland was divided for estates and Boston College broke ground on their new campus. While the area continued to develop well into the 20th century, much of it still retains the rural neighborhood character established in the mid and late 19th century.
Development continues to this day, although Chestnut Hill residents rightly try to protect against over-development. Interestingly, Chestnut Hill is one of Newton's 13 villages, but shares its name with parts of Brookline and Boston that share the Chestnut Hill zip code of 02467. |
Chestnut Hill has managed to retain many of its historic homes and streetscapes as the photos above and below illustrate.
Notable Features
The Newton village of Chestnut Hill is primarily a residential one, but one with notable features. The First Church in Chestnut Hill was founded in 1861, and the current church building was built in 1910, designed by J. Lovett Little in the Gothic style of an English rural parish church. It has particularly beautiful stained-glass windows. Nearby are two private schools - the Chestnut Hill School and Brimmer and May. The village is served by a the T's Riverside Branch, although the H.H. Richardson-designed T station was demolished in the 1960's. Pockets of open space in Chestnut Hill include the 14-acre Deer Park, (the last of the herd perished in 2011) and the 9.8 acre Houghton Gardens, acquired by Newton in 1968. |
Another feature of Chestnut Hill is the presence of two very large neighbors. The village is somewhat dominated by the 175 acre, 120-building Boston College campus to the east, and by increasingly dense commercial development along Route 9.
Preserving Old Chestnut Hill
Since 1986, a portion of Chestnut Hill has been included in the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Chestnut Hill Historic District, a designation of historical importance that, unfortunately, offers no preservation protections. In 1990, Newton established a local historic district in Chestnut Hill, which does provide some protection for the district's historic structures. The local Chestnut Hill Historic District is bounded by Beacon Street to the north and east, the MBTA tracks and conservation land to the south, and includes the Mary Baker Eddy estate, and a few parcels south of the MBTA tracks along Moorfield and Longwood Roads. Most of the structures within the historic district are stately houses and their outbuildings.
Since 1986, a portion of Chestnut Hill has been included in the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Chestnut Hill Historic District, a designation of historical importance that, unfortunately, offers no preservation protections. In 1990, Newton established a local historic district in Chestnut Hill, which does provide some protection for the district's historic structures. The local Chestnut Hill Historic District is bounded by Beacon Street to the north and east, the MBTA tracks and conservation land to the south, and includes the Mary Baker Eddy estate, and a few parcels south of the MBTA tracks along Moorfield and Longwood Roads. Most of the structures within the historic district are stately houses and their outbuildings.
Old Chestnut Hill Houses
The houses of Old Chestnut Hill are large and, in many cases, architecturally significant. Mostly built between 1880 and 1930, they include examples of Shingle, Georgian Revival, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, Mission and Craftsman styles. The affluent residents of turn of the 19th century Chestnut Hill often hired well-known architects to design their homes. Among the architects who worked in Chestnut Hill are Welles Bosworth; William Ralph Emerson; Henry Vaughn; Charles Follen; Chapman and Frazer; Little and Russell; R.C. Sturgis; Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch and Abbott; Bigelow and Wadsworth; Derby and Robinson; and Hawley W. Morton. |
Single-Family & Multi-Unit Housing
Some parts of Chestnut Hill outside of the historic district look like most other Newton villages with tree-lined streets of single-family houses. Other parts, near Boston College and Route 9, feature much denser multi-unit housing than is found almost anywhere else in Newton. Five-story-plus condo complexes are common near Route 9. The Towers, two 16-story condo buildings near the Chestnut Hill Mall, are true anomalies in Newton in terms of style, height and density. |
Some of Chestnut Hill's multi-unit housing is of historic or architectural interest. The Chestnut Hill, a Tudor Revival apartment building near Boston College, was designed by Francis W. Chandler and built in 1899, as part of the development of Commonwealth Avenue. It is a familiar landmark to this day. The handsome brick, two-story "garden apartment"-style condos at Hammond Gardens were originally built to house returning WWII servicemen. Hammond Gardens might serve as a model of housing for seniors and those in need of affordable housing, in that it is appropriate in scale and context for most Newton villages.
Challenges Facing the Village of Chestnut Hill
Denser Development at Route 9 Malls
The Street, a new 406,000 square foot upscale mall opened in 2013. It replaced the former Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, which had originally opened in 1950. In 2014, the 340,000 square foot Chestnut Hill Square opened on the site of the former Omni Supermarket. Both new shopping centers represent denser development than the previous uses of their sites. The Street also abuts the ecologically stressed Hammond Pond. The Street has been praised for its streetscape along Route 9, while Chestnut Hill Square has been criticized for its Route 9 facade. Both malls are busy, adding considerably to Route 9 traffic. |
Boston College's Growth, Parking & Other Impacts
With the opening in 2013 of the 183,000 square foot Stokes Hall, Boston College continues to grow and prosper. As BC's property becomes more densely built up, its athletic programs attract ever greater national attention, and programs and activities increase on its campuses, the College's faculty, staff, football fans and 13,500 students exert continuing pressure on Chestnut Hill residential neighborhoods. There is no easy solution in sight for easing the impact of Boston College traffic and parking impacts on Chestnut Hill, especially on football home game days. |
Hammond Pond's Fragile Condition & the Walkway Issue
A 2014 order from the MA Department of Environmental Protection overruling Newton's rejection will allow for the construction of a scaled-down, 537-foot version of an earlier plan to build a $1,000,000, 1,372 foot floating walkway on the pond. The proposal comes from a family wishing to build a memorial to their late son. The Chestnut Hill Association, Newton Conservators and other groups had objected to the plan, and expressed a preference to see funds spend on improving the health of the pond instead. |
A New Park at Waban Hill Reservoir
Newton's Parks & Recreation Commission endorsed the recommendation of the Waban Hill Reservoir Advisory Committee that the City acquire the Waban Hill Reservoir, declared surplus by the MWRA. The Commonwealth transferred the site to Newton. The NVA, the Newton Conservators, Chestnut Hill Association and other groups supported the creation of open space and a park with additional water features at the site atop Heartbreak Hill. Supporters proposed naming the park in honor of Boston Marathon runners, volunteers and fans, and Marathon Bombing victims, survivors and responders. After exploring options for building affordable housing on the site, Newton's Planning Department finally backed the proposal for open space and a park. |