Forest Park, Springfield, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Forest Park is a Victorian
garden district located in Springfield, Massachusetts
, developed between 1880 and 1920. It is the city's most populous neighborhood, and surrounds the 735-acre Frederick Law Olmstead-designed Forest Park
, for which the neighborhood is named. The Forest Park neighborhood has nature and recreation within walking distance. It begins one mile south of Metro Center and in terms of land area, it is the second largest of the city's seventeen neighborhoods. It contains 2,103 acres of land, 41% of which is conservation
or park
land. Its boundaries are the Mill River
and Lake Massasoit to the north; Longmeadow, Massachusetts
to the south; the Connecticut River
to the west; and the Highland Division Railroad to the east. To the west, I-91 separates Forest Park from the Connecticut River.
The 600-house Forest Park Heights Historic District
was developed between 1890 and 1910, and includes gracious Colonial Revival
, Tudor Revival, Queen Anne
, and Shingle Style
homes. This neighborhood was named one of the Northeast's "Best Old House Neighborhoods" by This Old House
in 2010. East of the park is the Trafton Road area with Colonials and Tudors dating from the 1920s. Further east in this tree-filled neighborhood are pockets of American Craftsman
style houses and more Colonials.
Within the park for which the neighborhood is named are a zoo, walking and hiking trails, promenades, playgrounds, lakes and ponds, a formal rose garden, the Barney Carriage House, sculptures, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, tennis courts, bocce courts, lawn bowling fields, and a hockey arena, Cyr Arena. During the winter holiday season, the park features a lighting display, Bright Nights, a 2.6-mile trail of large, intricate, animated lighting displays. The 18-hole Franconia Municipal Golf Course is also in the neighborhood.
Georgetown, on the Longmeadow town line, is the neighborhood's largest condominium complex, and there are smaller condo complexes in the area.
Forest Park also contains a branch library, the Jewish Community Center, and a commercial district known as the "X," at the intersection of Sumner Avenue, Belmont Avenue, and Dickinson Street.
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
garden district located in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, developed between 1880 and 1920. It is the city's most populous neighborhood, and surrounds the 735-acre Frederick Law Olmstead-designed Forest Park
Forest Park (Springfield)
Forest Park, on the banks of the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts, is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States, lying on of land. During the holiday season it features the nationally renowned Bright Nights light festival, a 2.6 mile high-tech lighting...
, for which the neighborhood is named. The Forest Park neighborhood has nature and recreation within walking distance. It begins one mile south of Metro Center and in terms of land area, it is the second largest of the city's seventeen neighborhoods. It contains 2,103 acres of land, 41% of which is conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
or park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
land. Its boundaries are the Mill River
Mill River (Springfield, Massachusetts)
The Mill River is a long tributary of the Connecticut River in Springfield, Massachusetts. It flows from Watershops Pond to its confluence with the Connecticut River. It is referred to as "The Miracle Mile" in a 2009 master's thesis that outlines possibilities for reclaiming the river's mouth as...
and Lake Massasoit to the north; Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Longmeadow, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,633 people, 5,734 households, and 4,432 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.42% White, 0.69% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.90%...
to the south; the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
to the west; and the Highland Division Railroad to the east. To the west, I-91 separates Forest Park from the Connecticut River.
The 600-house Forest Park Heights Historic District
Forest Park Heights Historic District
Forest Park Heights Historic District is a historic district in the Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts, located near Massachusetts Route 21. The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982....
was developed between 1890 and 1910, and includes gracious Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
, Tudor Revival, Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
, and Shingle Style
Shingle Style architecture
The Shingle style is an American architectural style made popular by the rise of the New England school of architecture, which eschewed the highly ornamented patterns of the Eastlake style in Queen Anne architecture....
homes. This neighborhood was named one of the Northeast's "Best Old House Neighborhoods" by This Old House
This Old House
This Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
in 2010. East of the park is the Trafton Road area with Colonials and Tudors dating from the 1920s. Further east in this tree-filled neighborhood are pockets of American Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
style houses and more Colonials.
Within the park for which the neighborhood is named are a zoo, walking and hiking trails, promenades, playgrounds, lakes and ponds, a formal rose garden, the Barney Carriage House, sculptures, baseball diamonds, basketball courts, tennis courts, bocce courts, lawn bowling fields, and a hockey arena, Cyr Arena. During the winter holiday season, the park features a lighting display, Bright Nights, a 2.6-mile trail of large, intricate, animated lighting displays. The 18-hole Franconia Municipal Golf Course is also in the neighborhood.
Georgetown, on the Longmeadow town line, is the neighborhood's largest condominium complex, and there are smaller condo complexes in the area.
Forest Park also contains a branch library, the Jewish Community Center, and a commercial district known as the "X," at the intersection of Sumner Avenue, Belmont Avenue, and Dickinson Street.