The Garden Squares of Boston

The Garden Squares of Boston
Author :
Publisher : UPNE
Total Pages : 208
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1584652985
ISBN-13 : 9781584652984
Rating : 4/5 (85 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Garden Squares of Boston by : Phebe S. Goodman

Download or read book The Garden Squares of Boston written by Phebe S. Goodman and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2003 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Of the many types of historic landscapes that have become treasured open spaces in North America's dense urban fabric, the garden (or residential) square largely has been overlooked. Yet the garden square played an important role in the planning of Philadelphia, Savannah, Boston, and New York, several of America's major early cities. Boston's garden squares most closely resemble the squares of London in purpose and appearance. Intended as speculative real estate ventures, the London garden squares were distinguished by row houses and ornamental iron fences enclosing gardens planted with trees and grass. The gardens served as welcome patches of greenery for affluent residents who chose to live in relatively cramped quarters within the city. As such, gardens were the raison d'etre for this early form of urban design. Although garden squares pre-date well-documented municipal parks, the historical significance of these squares is not fully understood. In this remarkable book, Goodman tells the story of Boston's garden squares and offers her readers a fascinating glimpse of early urban planning. Goodman traces Charles Bulfinch's connection with these historic landscapes and compares them to their London prototypes. While Bostonians and others are familiar with Boston's iconic Louisburg Square on Beacon Hill, few people know that Boston's South End neighborhood boasts a group of eight garden squares. After discussing London squares and their effect on urban planning in several eastern seaboard cities, Goodman turns to Boston's three privately developed garden squares, all of which were located close to the original center of the city. She pays special attention to Louisburg Square, the only one that has survived. Focusing on the characteristic landscape features that define the gardens, Goodman also showcases the five of the eight publicly developed garden squares of the South End--Blackstone Square, Franklin Square, Chester Square, Union Park, and Worcester Square. Concluding with a chapter on the evolution and preservation of the garden squares of the South End, Goodman discusses private versus public ownership and access, maintenance, and preservation treatments--issues that provide practical information helpful in the management of historical as well as contemporary landscapes. She urges a combined effort of neighborhood groups and the public sector to maintain these squares. Otherwise, she warns, "the future of these historic garden squares will be in jeopardy."


The Garden Squares of Boston Related Books

The Garden Squares of Boston
Language: en
Pages: 208
Authors: Phebe S. Goodman
Categories: Architecture
Type: BOOK - Published: 2003 - Publisher: UPNE

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Of the many types of historic landscapes that have become treasured open spaces in North America's dense urban fabric, the garden (or residential) square largel
Public Spaces, Private Gardens
Language: en
Pages: 432
Authors: Lake Douglas
Categories: Science
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-05-17 - Publisher: LSU Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Landscape architect Lake Douglas employs written accounts, archival data, historic photographs, lithographs, maps, and city planning documents -- many of which
The Atlas of Boston History
Language: en
Pages: 225
Authors: Nancy S. Seasholes
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2019-10-10 - Publisher: University of Chicago Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Few American cities possess a history as long, rich, and fascinating as Boston’s. A site of momentous national political events from the Revolutionary War thr
Landscape Architecture
Language: en
Pages: 302
Authors:
Categories: Landscape architecture
Type: BOOK - Published: 1916 - Publisher:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Victorian Boston Today
Language: en
Pages: 340
Authors: Mary Melvin Petronella
Categories: Architecture
Type: BOOK - Published: 2004 - Publisher: UPNE

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This lavishly illustrated guidebook to the many distinctive attractions of Boston's Victorian heritage provides the walker and the armchair traveler alike with