RE P O R T O F THE BOARD OF METROPOLITAN PARK COMMISSIONERS . D E C E M B E R , 1 9 1 6 . B O STO N WR IGHT PR IN TIN G P R IN TE RS , O F F I C E R S . C O M M I SSI O N E R S . W M B D E ILL IA . m s U. C UR TIS . P . A SSI STAN T SE C R E TA R Y . WIL L IAM H . GO WE L L . E N 01111 33 . JO HN R . R AB LIN . O F F IC E S 1 Tr em ont S treet o to , 8 , B s n, an): Qiommonmraltb of M assarbusttts. R E P O R T . The Metropolitan Park Com m ission presents herewith it s - twenty fourth annual report . oi The only considerable acquirem ents of lands m ade during the past year have beenincom plet ionof the holdings onthe n e s uanna owit t in s in orth rly ide of Lake Q p Wakefield , of tho e n m m n n i n n and N n the eighborhood of Ha o d Po d Brookli e ewto , and n s n s R e and n m n of la d alo g the hore of ev re Wi throp, aki g the larger part of those required for the ext ensionof Winthrop Parkway as a shore drive from it s present terminus inR evere to the southerly end of Short Beach in Winthrop. Other sm aller but very im por tant acquirem ents have been m ade in c s n n mm ss n n the ity of Bo to , to e able the Co i io to wide Otter S as an c s R E m ankm n and treet approa h to Charle iver b e t, to im ove N e ns en as an c N ns m po et Av ue approa h to epo et Bridge , which t he Commissionis required to rebuild . InSom erville the care and control of a portionof Powder House Bou levard have beentakenover so as to connect the ne c ns A i s c wly o tructed lew fe . Brook Parkway with My ti Valley s e s n n Parkway along Mystic R iver . Tranf r of la d have bee m ade to the city of Bostonto provide for anextensionby the c n cr ss s R and ity of Belgrade Ave ue a o We t oxbury Parkway, to c S m v n on s c R n n n the ity of o er ille of la d My ti iver, ear Welli gto c n - s and m n n Bridge , for lo atio of a bath hou e to be built ai tai ed The m ost im portant new cons tructionwork carried onduring has n m ss c s the year bee Alewife Brook Parkway, fro Ma a husett Avenue inCam bridge to Powder House Boulevard inS om er v ene e N em er 15 nc o ille, op d to trav l ov b Fur a e Bro k Parkway N n M ETRO POLITA PARKS . [Ja . in nc m nc c S nc S D ned Q ui y, fro Ha o k treet to Qui y hore rive, ope N m 18 s n e n s nand to travel ove ber ; We to Bridge, b twee We to ' t n n N m 24 and N c n ew o , ope ed to travel ove ber ; orth Bea o e n s nand n nc d S treet Bridge , b twee Bo to Watertow , well adva e ss ns m n toward com pletion. Le ext e ive but i porta t work on construction of several pieces of parkway and other gr eatly used roads has beendone onForest and Ma instreets inMiddle sex Fells; onR evere Beach and Middlesex Fells Parkways ; on the S peedway D rive along Charles R iver ; and onLynnFells nnc n een Un u it an Parkway . A co e ti g road betw q y R oad d the autom obile roads through Blue Hills R eservation to Furnace in u nc has n and su b r adin Brook Parkway Q i y bee built, the g g of D edham Parkway has beenextended to the road through v c m s n S tony Brook Reservation. A ser i e road fro Boyl to S treet mm n n and i n c s s r c to the edge of Ha o d Po d , add tio al pie e of e vi e c s n and c road , to fa ilitate prayi g other prote tive work, have s and been built in Blue Hills R eservation. The boiler hou e incinerator at R evere Beach have beencom pleted and inuse during the present season; and anadditionto the police head n as m quarters at Blue Hills R eservatio h beennearly co pleted . A concrete bulkhead at Re vere Beach and 780 feet of sea wall nt n m . s n at N a asket have bee co pleted Work i u der way. ona m convenience station for wo en at N ant asket . Water and s en e and m n rs m ewerage have be provid d , i or repai ade to buildings at R iverside Recreation Grounds; and band stands have been buil t at Woburn Parkway and at the Sheepfold s R ecr eationGrounds inMiddlesex Fell . The cost of all lands thus far acquired for park reservations s im and w s aggregate approx ately for park ay , s t - r n c m s n All but ix y fou la d lai , aggregati g approxim ately have beensettled . The com ing year (1917) will be the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first act of the Le gislatur e directed toward the establish 2 m ent of the MetropolitanPark System . In189 Metropolitan mm ss n s n n Park Co i io er , to be appoi ted by the Gover or, were directed to consider the advisability of laying out am ple open spaces for the u se of the public in the tu rns and cities in n s n and com ehensive the eighborhood of Bo to , to report a m n and m n nn s ns n n c c c s. pla for layi g out, a quiri g ai tai i g u h ope pa e — PUBLIC D OC UM ENT N o. 48. was m d e s 1893 w h com Their report a e to the L gi lature of , it a prehensive planand recomm endations for im m ediate acquire m n ce n s n s and e e t of rtai great area of wooded Wild la d , th reafter a further study of details and gradual progressionincarry ing n n n. e s r 1893 out the e tire ge eral pla The L gi latu e of , by h e 407 c s the recom m enda c apt r of the a t of that year, approved tions of the prelim inary comm issionof 1892 by authorizing the nm n m nn c mm ss n and an appoi t e t of a per a e t o i io , by appropria tionof which was the estim ated cost of acquiring In n the wooded reservations. the ext year further appro priations were provided which m ade possible the acquir em ent of R c n s o n s R and n s evere Bea h, la d b rderi g Charle iver la d for s the first parkways or boulevard . The am ount of m oney appropriated insubsequent years for this work is initself evidence that the public has approved en n 1893 the e n S s em the g eral pla of for M tropolita Park y t , but a brief sum m ary of what is now com prised inthe Metro politan Park S ystem is essential to an understanding of the reasons for this approval and of what rem ains to be aecom l is p hed . Under the initial appropriation of 1893 the great wooded s ns s and s s S n re ervatio Blue Hill Middle ex Fell , the to y s as s s m t he s n Brook Wood , part of a ugge ted parkway fro Bo to s s and s now nwn park to the Blue Hill , the Waverley Oak , k o as and m c R s ns sm Beaver Brook, He lo k Gorge e ervatio , aller detached areas of exceptional beauty were acquired . They were first acquired because they were indanger of destruction ns c sts and n m s e m en. by fire, i e t pe ra do real e tate dev lop t The lines of these reservations rem ainpractically the sam e as when e s ns n first acquired . N o other large wood d re ervatio have bee s n n e c s in i i ce acquired . They the aggregat d a re add n c es e ese ns in es e ls tio to a r of wat r r rvatio Middl ex F l , and inacreage they are still the largest part of the Metropolitan R c en 3 mi es was Park System .