O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL chDiscover Historicchch 30, 57, and 77 Bontempo Avery Path, 552 Saw Mill Brook of Public Works Director Willard opment of Oak Hill Park itself. sales representative. Two homes standard features included vene- Road were all originally oriented Parkway, and 36 Bontempo OAK HILL PARK S. Pratt, laid out the This agency set the were available as models in tian blinds, window shutters and to the street and are in good condi- Road. development. standards and November 1948, but it appears boxes, door knockers and chimes, tion with little or no alterations. They were guidelines for that the homes sold themselves built in ironing boards, and fluo- 57 Bontempo has retained wood On November 11, 1998, responsible the con- without the use of the models. The rescent kitchen lights. All the shingle siding in keeping with the Newton recognized the 50th he end of World War II housing projects in other commu- for the struction, average Oak Hill Park family in homes boasted oil fired radiant originally constructed models. anniversary of the construction of created a unique problem nities, Oak Hill Park was financed design of and also 1950 was under the age of 30 and heating. In addition to their Veteran’s housing in Oak Hill Tin American history. As by the City itself, without the aid Oak Hill sold the had married just before or after choice of six different designs, 634 Saw Mill Brook Parkway Park with the dedication of a mon- veterans returned to their home- of state or federal funds. The City Park, as houses. the war. One third of the children prospective owners could select is a good example of an original ument to Newton Veterans of All towns and families, most found funded the project with a well as One of were born in 1946 or 1947. clapboard, cedar shingle, or house which has retained its origi- Wars. The monument is located that while they wanted to buy or $1,250,000 bond issue. In addi- the coor- its first asbestos shingle siding, hip or nal, one car garage attached to the on Saw Mill Brook Parkway rent homes, very few were avail- tion, the new sewer and water dination of acts was to Great attention was paid to gable roof treatment, and, for a house by a glassed in breezeway. directly across from the business able. Around the country, com- main, which was estimated to cost the enormous choose the variety and convenience in the modest additional sum, the addi- munities looked for ways to pro- an additional $4,000 per lot was 19 ent The house has maintained its orig- and shopping center. work load gener- 46 pre-developm names for the overall plan and street layout, and tion of a porch ($325), breezeway inal orientation with the main vide affordable, modern housing provided by the City. The land, ated by this project. paths and streets. In the houses were built without sac- ($300), or garage ($1,000). With entrance facing the path and the as quickly as possible, and the City formerly the Highland Sand and The plan, reminiscent of the April 1948, they chose to name the rificing architectural variety, mod- all the extras, including cedar sid- of Newton was no exception. Gravel Pit, was sold to the garage oriented to the cul-de-sac Text by the Newton Planning and English “garden city” or the 33 streets and paths in the neigh- ern amenities, or pleasant sur- ing, the most expensive houses still behind it. Other examples of the Development Department in conjunction with the Unlike most other communities, contractor for $50 per lot, “greenbelt” towns constructed by borhood after Newton citizens roundings. The 412 small but cost less than $10,000, and worked Newton Historical Commission. July 2002. original house with the attached though, Newton chose to build an although its per lot value at the New Deal, reflected prece- who had died in WWII. On April modern cottage style homes were out to be about $62.39/month for garage can be found at 5 The Newton Neighborhood Brochure entirely new neighborhood the time was estimated at dents of earlier private subdivi- 14, a lottery was held to pick the constructed from six basic designs the mortgage and taxes. With the Program has been financed in part with federal $2,000-$2,500. It McCarthy Road and 30 Keller funds from the National Park Service, U.S. for its veterans, sions created in the 1920s and names from the list of over 200 for a base price of $7,820. Each average veteran making $58/week, Department of the Interior, through the including 412 was the largest Path. Massachusetts Historical Commission, Secretary of 1930s, such as Radburn, NJ (ca. Newton citizens, while those basic house included three bed- the houses were easily within their the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, houses, a single proj- 1926). Oak Hill Park featured a whose names were not picked rooms, a living room, dining area, price range. Though all of the Chairman. However, the contents and opinions do shopping ect ever 727 Saw Mill Brook Parkway not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the series of cul-de-sacs, with houses were memorialized when the kitchen, bath, and utility room. houses were the same size, the is a fine example of an original Department of the Interior, or the Massachusetts center, under- facing away from the street and in school was dedicated in their The houses lacked basements, but availability of extras, and the stag- Historical Commission. detached garage as well as of a and a taken toward public walkways which honor. The U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits by the moderately altered house which discrimination on the basis ofrace, color, national school. transverse the development and origin, age, gender or handicap in its federally This City, has retained its original character. assisted programs. If you believe you have been dis- lead to the school and business Area politicians officially dedi- Changes include shifting the front criminated against in any program, activity, or facil- new and it center. The intent of the path sys- cated Oak Hill Park on May 21, ity as described above, or if you desire further infor- neigh- was the entrance to the side of the house mation, please write to: Office for Equal tem was to provide a traditional, 1950 with a parade and speeches. and adding a small entrance porch. Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 borhood largest homelike atmosphere, secure from It was the first and only time that C Street NW, Room 1324, Washington, DC 20240. Other examples of moderately was called local project the dangers and confusion of mod- an entire village was incorporated of its kind built altered structures include 15 David B. Cohen, Mayor Oak Hill Park. ern life, where “American” values into the City of Newton. 1947 Streetscape under Chapter 372 could be nurtured and perpetuat- Oak Hill Park is located in of the Acts of 1946, which ed. The path system minimized The City set only two qualifi- the southernmost part of the City allowed the City to borrow and the intrusion of cars and attempted cations for homeowners — they at the West Roxbury (a Boston spend money outside the debt limit to foster community and neighbor- had to be veterans and Newton neighborhood) line. It is roughly to construct housing for Veterans. hood interaction by encouraging residents before the war. bounded by Mt. Ida College to the people to favor the common pedes- Interested couples who met these north, the Boston City limits to the The project began in 1946, and trian ways. requirements went to City Hall south, Dedham Street to the east, by the end of 1947, preliminary where an office was set up to sell and the Charles River to the west. plans and estimates were complet- In January of 1948, the City Oak Hill Park homes. The couple ed. City Engineer Ashley L. created the Veterans Housing selected a lot from the map and Unlike many similar veterans’ Robinson, under the supervision Department to oversee the devel- chose a design with the help of a Aerial View 1948 Photos courtesy of the Jackson Homestead O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O AK H ILL O A gering of lots, insured that the area with assembly line techniques. In addition to houses, Oak Hill was not monotonous. Roof forms Additional delays were blamed on Park includes a two-story buff brick were also slightly varied. the scarcity of materials after the International Style school, dating War. Despite the fact that these from 1950. Memorial School The Kelly Company of shortages meant there were still no (accessible by the path system and Arlington began construction in utilities available in the area in Stein Circle off of the Saw Mill June of 1948, preparing founda- December 1948, owners had Brook Parkway) was built to serve tions at the rate of 10 per day. already begun moving in. The the families of Oak Hill Park, but While the project took only thir- first family moved in on was closed in 1977 due to declining teen months to complete, it was November 15, and by the end of enrollment in the city. It is now finished behind schedule. Part of December 1948, 73 homes were used by the Solomon Schechter Day this could be attributed to prob- occupied. In addition, another 359 School and includes a modern addi- lems clearing and grading the land. had already been framed, 219 of tion. The gravel pit was prone to flood- which only needed paint and an ing problems that were initially inspection to be complete. By the The business center (located on difficult to deal with. A millworks spring of 1949, the roads were Saw Mill Brook Parkway) was built was set up on-site to fabricate paved, landscaping had begun, in 1954 and was also part of the doors, windows, and framing and gardens were popping up all original plan. A few small stores pieces, speeding-up construction over the area. remain, but it appears to have been substantially reconstructed in the recent past with shops and apart- ments for the elderly. started as soon as people began to towards the road, reflecting the move in, and generated the Oak impact of the automobile on daily By September of 1949, Oak Hill Hill Park Newsletter, full of news life. Many of the houses have had Park was fully occupied. The land- on the residents, activities, and 2nd floor additions, and an scaping of the neighborhood, with concerns of the neighborhood. increasing number of homes have maple trees lining the streets and First printed in August 1949, it is been completely demolished and linden trees lining the paths, was still in circulation today. The Oak replaced with a much larger mod- complete, and homeowners were Hill Park Women’s Club began ern house. settling into their new community as meeting in October 1949 to “build quickly as possible. The school was acquaintance” and do “humanitar- Despite these changes, there only partially complete, though, and ian work.” are still intact examples of original the shopping center had yet to be Oak Hill Park homes located started. For the most part, Oak Hill throughout the neighborhood. Park has lived up to the high The most intact area of Oak Hill The northernmost section of expectations of its planners. There Park is the section south of Saw Oak Hill Park was not constructed is no feeling that it is a “lower- Mill Brook Parkway, where many until the 1950s, and the house types income project” largely built up in homes still face the path system. and sizes deviate from the original housing. The split-level houses on the of Dedham Street, Wiswall, and Spiers Roads. the span of one year. However, no Examples of unaltered and moder- northern part of Spiers Road and Wiswall Road, as well as Indian Ridge neighborhood can remain ately altered examples of these Road, Esty Farm Road, June Lane, and the top parts of Marvin and From the beginning, Oak Hill Park had a strong sense of communi- unchanged over time, and Oak early homes are listed below. Myerson Lane, were not part of the original Veterans Housing ty among its residents. While its inhabitants came from a wide variety of Hill Park is no exception. Over However, none of these properties Department Project. However, they are considered part of the Oak Hill occupations and economic backgrounds, they all shared a common expe- the years, many homeowners have are open to the public. Park neighborhood and are within the natural neighborhood boundary rience as veterans and new homeowners. A community association was reoriented their front doors