Hunnewell Estates Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Hunnewell Estates Historic District is a historic district
between the Charles River
and Lake Waban in Wellesley, Massachusetts
, near Boston on the west. It consists of the large group of mid 19th to early 20th century estate properties with gardens, residences, and landscapes of the Hunnewell family.
in numerous fields.
They also were generous to the New England
horticulture
community for over 75 years via importing, testing, and distributing many new plant introduction
s, estate site planning
and garden design
examples, and supportive leadership in the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
. Horatio Hollis Hunnewell was especially interested in coniferous and broad-leaved evergreen
s, and Asian rhododendron
s.
At their peak during the early 20th century 'American Country Place' era, there were twenty contiguous Hunnewell estates along Washington Street and Pond Road in southwest Wellesley.
in 1988.
Hundreds of acres in the district have been placed under conservation restrictions with The Trustees of Reservations
and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the Hunnewells, preserving the unique residence gardens, designed estate landscapes, and natural native landscape reserves for future generations.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
between the Charles River
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
and Lake Waban in Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
, near Boston on the west. It consists of the large group of mid 19th to early 20th century estate properties with gardens, residences, and landscapes of the Hunnewell family.
History
The Hunnewell estates began with talented industrialist, banker, businessman, landscape designer, and horticulturalist Horatio Hollis Hunnewell in the late 1840s, and continued with his adult children, and the following generations. Horatio Hollis Hunnewell and his family gave much to the town of Wellesley, which was renamed after his wife's family - the Welles, and to Boston, with civic philanthropyPhilanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
in numerous fields.
They also were generous to the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
community for over 75 years via importing, testing, and distributing many new plant introduction
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
s, estate site planning
Site planning
Site planning in landscape architecture and architecture refers to the organizational stage of the landscape design process. It involves the organization of land use zoning, access, circulation, privacy, security, shelter, land drainage, and other factors...
and garden design
Garden design
Garden design is the art and process of designing and creating plans for layout and planting of gardens and landscapes. Garden design may be done by the garden owner themselves, or by professionals of varying levels of experience and expertise...
examples, and supportive leadership in the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
Massachusetts Horticultural Society
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, sometimes abbreviated to MassHort, is an American horticultural society based in Massachusetts. It describes itself as the oldest, formally-organized horticultural institution in the United States...
. Horatio Hollis Hunnewell was especially interested in coniferous and broad-leaved evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
s, and Asian rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s.
At their peak during the early 20th century 'American Country Place' era, there were twenty contiguous Hunnewell estates along Washington Street and Pond Road in southwest Wellesley.
Conservation
The Hunnewell Estates Historic District, still largely owned and occupied by members of the Hunnewell family, and was added to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1988.
Hundreds of acres in the district have been placed under conservation restrictions with The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations
The Trustees of Reservations is a non-profit land conservation and historic preservation organization dedicated to preserving natural and historical places in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is the oldest regional land trust in the world and has 100,000 dues-paying members...
and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the Hunnewells, preserving the unique residence gardens, designed estate landscapes, and natural native landscape reserves for future generations.
Historic District
The district includes the Hunnewell estates of:- 'Wellesley' - begun 1844, gardens 1852, of Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, present day Walter Hunnewell ArboretumWalter Hunnewell ArboretumThe Walter Hunnewell Arboretum is a arboretum in Wellesley, Massachusetts, containing over 500 species of woody plants in 53 families. The former estate also contains the renowned and distinctive topiary garden, called the 'Italian Garden' by creator Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, with 140-year-old...
, original 'Hunnewell district' estate, with renowned lakeside topiaryTopiaryTopiary is the horticultural practice of training live perennial plants, by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, perhaps geometric or fanciful; and the term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. It can be...
'Italian Garden' and the Pinetum garden. - 'The Cottage' - begun 1870, of Louisa Hunnewell, 1923 design by Olmsted BrothersOlmsted BrothersThe Olmsted Brothers company was an influential landscape design firm in the United States, formed in 1898 by stepbrothers John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. .-History:...
firm. - 'The Oaks' - begun 1871, of Arthur Hunnewell, with first private golf courseGolf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
in New England c. 1892. - The Cedars - begun 1888, of Henry Sargent Hunnewell, a large parcel designed by Charles Eliot and organized around long directed 'view avenues' to the lake and other features.
- 'The Pines' - only one out of the family, now part of Wellesley College campus.
See also
- Walter Hunnewell ArboretumWalter Hunnewell ArboretumThe Walter Hunnewell Arboretum is a arboretum in Wellesley, Massachusetts, containing over 500 species of woody plants in 53 families. The former estate also contains the renowned and distinctive topiary garden, called the 'Italian Garden' by creator Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, with 140-year-old...
- within the historic district - Elm Bank Horticulture CenterElm Bank Horticulture CenterThe Elm Bank Horticulture Center is the home of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, located at 900 Washington Street , Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S....
- Massachusetts Horticultural Society headquarters in Wellesley - Arnold Arboretum - preceded by the Hunnewell Arboretum
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
External links
- Arnoldia bulletin; "Private Pleasures Derived From Tradition, The Hunnewell Estates Historic District" — district's history and features (Harvard Arnold Arboretum bulletin article).
- Arnoldia Bulletin; "The Hunnewell Arboretum, 1852-1951"