Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College and the Chestnut Hill Reservoir

Chestnut Hill is a suburban village located six miles west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is not an incorporated municipal entity, but unlike most of them, it encompasses parts of three separate municipalities: the town of Brookline, the city of Boston (parts of its neighborhoods of Brighton and West Roxbury), and the city of Newton, Massachusetts (all of its village of Chestnut Hill). Chestnut Hill's borders are roughly defined by the Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 ZIP Code. Chestnut Hill is not strictly a topographical designation; the name refers to a series of small hills that overlook the 135-acre (546,000 m²) Chestnut Hill Reservoir rather than one particular hill.

History

While most of Chestnut Hill remained farmland well into the early twentieth century, the area around the reservoir was developed, in 1870, by renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York and of the Emerald Necklace in Boston and Brookline.

Because of the significance of its landscape and architecture, the National Register of Historic Places, in 1986, designated parts of Chestnut Hill as historic districts. Examples of Colonial, Italianate, Shingle, Tudor, and Victorian architectural styles are evident in the village's country estates and mansions. The Boston College campus is itself an early example of Collegiate Gothic architecture.

Points of interest in Chestnut Hill

Boston College

Stained glass window depiction of a thurible, St. Ignatius Church

• Alumni Stadium, home of the Boston College Eagles football team (Brighton, MA)
• Conte Forum and Kelley Rink, home of BC basketball and hockey (Brighton, MA)
• Burns Library, rare books and special collections at Boston College (Newton, MA)
• Cardinal's Mansion, former residence of Boston's archbishops, now part of the Boston College campus (Brighton, MA)
• McMullen Museum of Art, on the Boston College campus (Newton, MA)
• O'Connell House, formerly the main house of the Louis K. Liggett estate, now the Upper Campus of Boston College. (Newton, MA)
• "Tip" O'Neill Museum, a permanent exhibit in the O'Neill Library at Boston College that documents the life and career of the late Speaker of the House (Newton, MA)
• St. Ignatius Church, on the Boston College campus (Brighton, MA)

Other schools

• Beaver Country Day School, a private middle and high school (Brookline, MA)
• Heath School, a public K-8 elementary and middle school (Brookline, MA)
• Pine Manor College, a private women's college (Brookline, MA)
• Edith C. Baker School, a public K-8 elementary and middle school (Brookline, MA)

Registered historic districts

• Boston College Main Campus Historic District, 140 Commonwealth Ave. (within Newton city limits
• Chestnut Hill Historic District — Roughly bounded by Middlesex Rd., Reservoir Ln., Denny Rd., Boylston St. and Dunster Rd. (added November 17, 1985) {mostly in Brookline, but includes small parts of Boston and Newton)
• Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic District}, within Boston city limits
• Old Chestnut Hill Historic District — Along Hammond St. and Chestnut Hill Rd. roughly bounded by Beacon St. and Essex Rd., and Suffolk Rd. (added October 4, 1986), within Newton city limits

Religious

• St. John's Seminary (Brighton, MA)
• Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) (Newton, MA)
• Longyear Museum, documenting the life of Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science Church (Brookline, MA)
• Dupee Estate-Mary Baker Eddy Home, 400 Beacon Street, Mary Baker Eddy's historic last residence. (Newton, MA)
• St. John's Seminary (Brighton, MA)
• Congregation Mishkan Tefila (Newton, MA)
• Temple Emeth (South Brookline, MA)

Retail shopping

• The Atrium Mall, an upscale shopping center (Brookline and Newton, MA)
• The Mall at Chestnut Hill, an upscale shopping center (Newton, MA)
• The Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, upscale stores, restaurants, and a movie theater (Brookline, MA)

Social, cultural and recreational

• The Chestnut Hill Country Club and Newton Commonwealth Golf Club (Newton, MA)
• The Country Club (Brookline, MA)
• The Longwood Cricket Club, birthplace of the Davis Cup (Brookline, MA)
• Reilly Memorial Recreation Center, a public ice skating rink and swimming pool (Brighton, MA)

Geographical

• Hammond Pond, an extensive forest preserve and protected wetlands (Newton)

Transport

Chestnut Hill is served by three branches of the Green Line of the MBTA, Boston's light rail system. Stations include:

• B Line: Chestnut Hill Avenue, South Street, Boston College
• C Line: Cleveland Circle
• D Line: Reservoir, Chestnut Hill

Notable connections

• Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots
• Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Christian Science Church (Newton, MA)
• Reginald Fessenden, called the father of broadcast radio, the Reginald A. Fessenden House in Chestnut Hill (Newton) is a US National Landmark as well as a US Historic Place.
• Theo Epstein, general manager of the Boston Red Sox
• Terry Francona, coach of the Boston Red Sox
• Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, the first wife of Theodore Roosevelt, and mother of Alice Roosevelt Longworth
• Louis K. Liggett, drugstore magnate (Newton, MA)
• Leverett Saltonstall, Governor of Massachusetts (1939–1945) and United States Senator (1945–1967)

See also

• List of Registered Historic Places in Brookline, Massachusetts
• List of Registered Historic Places in Newton, Massachusetts
• List of Registered Historic Places in Suffolk County, Massachusetts

References

42°19′50″N 71°09′58″W