Cultural Landscape Report for John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
Layton TW, Arakelian A, Brown MC. 2012. Cultural Landscape Report for John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site. Cultural Landscape Report. NPS Northeast Regional Office, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Northeast Regional Office
Located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Brookline, Massachusetts, the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site preserves the birthplace and childhood home of the country's thirty-fifth President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–1963). The landscape of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's formative years extends beyond the small one-tenth acre house lot at Beals Street. Key sites in Brookline associated with the daily life of the Kennedys included the homes of neighbors and friends, the tree-lined streets, the nearby retail area at Coolidge Corner, Saint Aidan's Roman Catholic Church, the Edward Devotion School, and the Noble and Greenough/Dexter School site. The purpose of this cultural landscape report (CLR) is to document the physical evolution of the Kennedy National Historic Site landscape during periods of development and to provide recommendations for the treatment, use, and interpretation of the landscape. The report begins with a detailed history of the evolution of the surrounding Coolidge Corner neighborhood, the immediate residential setting of Beals and Stedman streets, and the site itself. This comprehensive history is followed by documentation of the existing conditions and an analysis and evaluation of the integrity of the Kennedy National Historic Site in relation to both the Kennedy tenure in the 1910s and the later memorial period in the 1960s. The report concludes with recommended treatment actions to preserve the historic character of the landscape. The report is organized into four chapters: 1. Site History documents the history of the landscape from Native American habitation of the area, through the Kennedy ownership periods, to the present. A narrative of the evolution of the site is supplemented with historic maps and photographs. The chapter is subdivided into six historical periods with associated period plans presented at the conclusion of each period. 2. Existing Conditions describes the landscape and is organized with a hierarchy of characteristics and features including spatial organization, topography, circulation, views, vegetation, and small-scale features. Photographs and existing conditions plans supplement the narrative. 3. Analysis and Evaluation summarizes existing National Register Documentation for the birthplace and analyzes and evaluates the condition of each feature and its contribution to the significance of the landscape. Photographs supplement narrative descriptions. 4. Treatment presents a framework based on the National Park Service mission and policies, park's legislation, and guidance from current park planning documents. Treatment tasks provide recommendations to preserve, enhance, and reestablish the historic character of the landscape. A treatment plan and photographs supplement the narrative.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Layton, Timothy; Arakelian, Adrine; Brown, Margie
- Date of Issue
- 2012
- Publisher
- NPS Northeast Regional Office, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation
- Units
- JOFI
- Keywords
- 51 Abbottsford Road, 83 Beals Street, Abbottsford Road, Beacon Street, Beals Street, Beals Street Development, Brookline, Commemorative Marker, Coolidge Corner, Dexter School, Edward Devotion Elementary School, Goode, Graffam Development, Graffam-McKay local historic district, Harvard Street, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Joseph P. Kennedy, Lodon plane tree, moore, Myerson, Naples Road, Noble and Greenough, Pollack, Reproduction gas light, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, S. S. Pierce Store, Saint Aidan's Roman Catholic Church
- Subjects
- CRIS-CL: 650032: John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS Landscape