Marc Carlson – Emerald Necklace Transect

To the unknowing eye the Boston neighborhood of Mission Hill, nestled between Roxbury and Brookline, may seem like a modern suburb just like any other outside Boston, but in reality this area is rich with history that has developed through unrest. To the trained eye, this history is apparent when navigating the landscape. The demographics and land use of Mission Hill have changed drastically over time since its settlement.
Originally this small, ¾ square mile neighborhood was home to wealthy country estates rich with farmland and orchards. Streetcars were not common during this era, so through the early 1800s this was a very quiet era and an escape from the busier downtown. The Parker family owned much of the land here and up until the development of Mission Church the neighborhood was referred to as Parker Hill.

As more time passed, around the turn of the 20th century the city had grown and Mission Hill was known as a stable, predominantly white suburb of triple decker homes. Still not much major change had come to the suburb, it was still stable and enjoyed being a comfortable suburb away from the hustle and bustle of central Boston. Around the turn of the 1940s urban development began to skyrocket and downtown Boston began to see major commercial changes. With this residents who previously lived downtown were pushed outwards, disturbing places like Mission Hill. As areas were forced to become denser affordable community housing projects began to pop up. As a result many minority residents that were being forced from their original homes found refuge in these Mission Hill Projects. The original white residents were disgruntled and violent altercations became common. The white population of Mission Hill began to decrease through the 50s and 60s as residents no longer wanted to deal with this tension.

More recently, particularly through the 90s into the 2000s, the presence of educational and medical institutions began to show its impact in Mission Hills character. More and more as years go on the demographics of the neighborhood have taken on a bigger, somewhat predictable skew in which the majority of the population are students ages 20-24. Specifically institutions such as Harvard Medical, Northeastern and Wentworth have had the most profound impact on Mission Hill, taking land to develop on and funneling students into off-campus apartments. After all, Boston is one of the medical and education capitals of the world, but is this invasion justified in the lasting impact it has had on the identity of Mission Hill.

This transect goes through a series of historical and narrative sites of some of Mission Hill’s most iconic buildings, noteworthy parks, significant religious localities, and historic locations that manage to blend into the landscape. The historic sites in this Transect are Kevin W. Fitzgerald, Olmsted Park, Mission Church, The Southwest Corridor, The Mission Park Community Building, and the Mission Hill Public Housing Projects. The narrative sites included are 682 Calumet Street, The Tobin House, McLaughlin Park, “The Tremont” Apartments, New England Baptist Hospital, and Islamic Society Boston Cultural Center. Two sites that are especially meaningful to this Transect are Olmsted Park and The Southwest Corridor. These two are the east and west borders of Mission Hill and function as the theoretical start and end point of this “walking tour”. Because of the location of these two sites and the way they sandwich the neighborhood of Mission Hill they manage to connect the Emerald Necklace to the series of racial and industrial events that occur within this transect.

Main stories are told through these twelve sites and many link in ways that would not previously be noticed. There is the racial narrative of Mission Hill and how its demographics have changed over time gradually becoming less white and progressively younger. At this day in age Mission Hill is made up of the most diverse population it has seen and the majority of its residents are younger than 25. Pages in this Transect that specifically highlight the racial battle that existed in this neighborhood are The Mission Hill Public Housing Projects and The Mission Park Community Building.

There is also the story of how the land has been used in Mission Hill. Unknown to most, Mission Hill was once a massive quarry, harvesting Puddingstone from the Earth. This resource proved to be beneficial in construction and was used to make many working class homes in the area along with parts of Mission Church, and hardscape elements of Olmsted Park and the surrounding Emerald Necklace. In a way this can be considered a relational landscape, similar to what this course studied in Jane Hutton’s book, Reciprocal Landscapes. For more information on this see the pages for Kevin W. Fitzgerald Park, 682 Calumet Street, Mission Church and Olmsted Park.

Not all of the stories of Mission Hill’s incredible backstory are to be told in this introductory passage. The pages of this transect highlight incredible stories such as how a highway project was converted into a public park, how geology effected community development, how a college population has altered religious participation, and how hospital construction increased racial tension all in Mission Hill. Explore all this and so much more in this Emerald Necklace Transect so see Mission Hill Through Time.

Works Cited (For Essay and Transect Sites)

Broadman, Richard, director. Mission Hill and the Miracle of Boston. Kanopy, Documentary Educational Resources , https://northeastern.kanopy.com/video/mission-hill-and-miracle-boston. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021.
“Lights in the Necklace.” The Emerald Necklace Conservancy, 6 Aug. 2021, https://www.emeraldnecklace.org/necklacelights/.

Pressley, Marion. “The Landscape Architect’s Guide To Boston.” Olmsted Park | The Landscape Architect’s Guide to Boston, https://www.asla.org/guide/site.aspx?id=40976.

Royce, James, and Lynne Giesecke. “The Landscape Architect’s Guide to Boston.” Kevin W. Fitzgerald Park | The Landscape Architect’s Guide to Boston, https://www.asla.org/guide/site.aspx?id=39783.

Schenkel, and Stegman. “Mission Hill Brochure – City of Boston.” Mission Hill – Exploring Boston’s Neighborhoods, Boston Landmarks Commision, https://www.cityofboston.gov/images_documents/Mission_Hill_brochure_tcm3-19121.pdf.

“Southwest Corridor Park – History .” Southwest Corridor Park, Southwest Corridor Park Conservancy , http://swcpc.org/history.asp.

Wolfson, Charlie. “Rising Student Population Impacts Boston Religious Centers.” The Huntington News, 10 Dec. 2018, https://huntnewsnu.com/54099/city-pulse/rising-student-population-impacts-religious-centers-in-boston/.