OWNERSHIP
CONDITIONS
HISTORY
TESTIMONIES
LINKS

Click here for map and orthophoto

OWNERSHIP:
The Boston Parks Department owns the park; Bank of Boston has adopted the Park and pays for its maintenance.

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CONDITIONS:
Adams Park is a 0.77-acre well-tended, community-oriented park with mature trees, two monuments, healthy grass, articulated shrubs, and many benches to sit on at its center. Those who stop for rest here sense activity all around them throughout Roslindale Village. There are two flags, a marble urn commemorating the Roslindale men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces, another madonna-like statue, enormous, ornate street lights, a gate that surrounds the square, and in season there is a Christmas tree covered in homemade decorations made by children.

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CONTEXT:
Adams Park makes Roslindale Village a pleasant place to visit and a pleasant place to shop. It gives Roslindale Village a center, allows people to come the square and simply enjoy being here. It facilitates vibrant community life by providing a place for celebration, decoration, political rallies, and other gatherings. The park is a key to the increasing success of Roslindale Village as a whole. The surrounding businesses have a stake in its appearance and accessibility.

Adams Park has become a centerpiece in the life of Roslindale Village. In recent years, it has become a place for entertainment, showcasing summer concerts and events. The park has had extensive landscaping done. (Beth Greenberg, "A Spiffy Pair of Roslindale Redos," The Boston Globe, November 20, 2005.) In the summer and fall of 2006 it had weekly farmers markets on Saturday mornings.

Farmers Market:
The Roslindale Village Main Street (RVMS) Farmers Market runs every Saturday through the end of October from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market features fresh produce and plants, hand crafted items, etc. Interested vendors should call Janice at (617) 327-4065. No Flea Market (used items).

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HISTORY:
Before the Boston Parks Department built Adams Park in 1919, the then-famous Taft's Tavern, a public library, and a movie theater were on the land. Adams Park was named for Irving Adams, a Roslindale man who attended the Longfellow School and who was ostensibly the first person from Massachusetts to die in World War I. In 1965, the park was cut back by 22 feet to make room for traffic.

A man named Thomas Pendergast from the Parks Department was the primary caretaker of Adams Park from 1956 to 1979. Since that time there have been two major sets of improvements to the Park. The first came between 1984 and 86 when the central walkway was replaced and benches were installed. Phase II improvements occurred between 1989 and 1990 and included the replacement of the curved walkways and entry pillars, new landscaping, and cleaning of the granite statuary.

The Boston Parks Department has had continuous ownership of the park since 1919, but ceased to be responsible for its maintenance in 1985 when Bank of Boston adopted the park. Since Bank of Boston adopted the park, the organization has provided annual support for its horticultural maintenance through a public-private partnership with Roslindale Village Main Street, The Boston Foundation, and the Boston Parks Department.

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TESTIMONIES:
"Adams Park is the centerpiece of Roslindale Village" (Roslindale Village Website).

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LINKS:
Roslindale.net webpage on Adams Park

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