DISCOVER ADAMS PARK
In the heart of Roslindale Village

It is called Roslindale's beauty spot, this small triangular park in the heart of Roslindale. This park which acts as a common, features walkways, mature trees and seasonal plantings, and is used by residents and visitors alike.

Since it's inception in 1920, Irving W. Adams Park has maintained its beauty through the help and care of several key contributors. The Boston Parks Department has owned the plot since 1919, and has been responsible for its maintenance until 1985, when Bank of Boston adopted the park.

The park was named in honor of Irving William Adams, reportedly the first
Massachusetts man to die in World War 1. He lived at the corner of Edgemont and South Streets and attended Longfellow School. Irving W. Adams was born on December 23, 1893. Before enlisting in the Army as a young man of 23, Adams was a leather salesman. He was killed at Rambucourt, France on February 9, 1918.

The site on which the park lies was once owned by Roslindale resident Charles Wise of Amherst Street. Around the turn of the century, Mr. Wise, then a city councillor, offered the City of Boston the land for the low price of $5,000.00, after a fire nearly razed the Tafts Tavern which stood on the site. The city rejected the offer, reportedly due to Roslindale residents' objections.

After the refusal of the city to purchase the land, Wise redeveloped it. He
rebuilt a second floor of the tavern, which served as the public library until the municipal building (at the corner of Washington Street and Ashland Avenue, now Cummins Highway) was built. He also built a row of one-story buildings along Poplar Street, and a two-story structure on South Street, which became Roslindale's first movie theatre and public lunch room. The Parks Department tore down these buildings to clear the land when they later purchased it in 1919 for the sum of $20,000.00.

Roslindale's predominant land use is residential; there is not much open space. So, Adams Park is a haven and a much needed green space in the community. Yet it is small, only 0.77 of an acre. In 1965, the Parks Department approved the cutback of 22 feet from both the south and eastern corners of the park, in order to improve the traffic rotary pattern.

Two war memorials are showcased in Adams Park, commemorating the Roslindale men and women who served in the United States Armed Forces.

The World War I memorial is nineteen feet high and bears the inscription "Roslindale honors its victorious sons and daughters in World War 1. In the glory of their youth we shall remember them." There is an interesting story behind the World War I monument. A house-to-house canvas for contributions was undertaken to raise the needed funds. The sculptor was to be a noted artist named Henry Albert Atkins, who designed a memorial to cost $30,000.00. A miniature display of the monument was shown in the window of Waters Candy and Ice Cream Parlor, on South Street. Since the goal was never reached, the collected funds remained dormant in the bank until 1955.

Fred Davis noticed that the "Old Roslindale Memorial Association" was one of the dormant accounts listed in the paper that would soon revert back to the state. He went to court to reactivate the funds and hired another man to create an affordable memorial in Atkins' style. Mr. Gordon Carr of the Erikson Monument Co., Quincy Massachusetts designed the monument and the Jones Brothers Co., Barre, Vermont produced it in 1958, 38 years after the first monument was planned.

The large granite urn was erected in 1945, and is entitled the "Gold Star Mothers World War 11 Memorial." This monument was erected by Roslindale resident Fred Davis, the owner of Davis Monument Company.

In 1990, a line of memorial inscription commemorating the men and women who served in Vietnam and Korea was added to the World War I monument.
The chief caretaker of the park for the longest period was Boston Parks Department's employee and Roslindale resident, Thomas J. Prendergast. He maintained the park for 24 years, from the period of 1956 to 1979, when he retired. There is a tale that tells of the time when Mr. Prendergast was assigned a post other than Adams Park. The residents of Roslindale protested to the Mayor in order to have him reinstated, which he was.

The Boston Parks Commission, at the request of area residents in 1990, dedicated the curved walkway as Prendergast Walk for his outstanding stewardship.

Since 1985 Bank of Boston has provided annual support for the horticultural
maintenance of Adams Park through an innovative public-private partnership with Roslindale Village Main Street, The Boston Foundation, and the Boston Parks Department.

Townscape Institute, the Boston Neighborhood Development Employment Agency, the Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund and the Roslindale Historical Society spearheaded the first of a series of improvements to the park in 1984-1986. These initial improvements included replacing the central walkway, adding brick detail and placing a mosaic and six "Louis Armstrong" style benches in the middle of the walkway.

The Browne Fund headed by Mayor Raymond L. Flynn with Council President
Christopher lannelia, Collector-Treasurer Lee F. Jackson, Fund Counsel Joseph I. Mulligan, Jr. and assisted by Robert J. Fleming, has financed the restoration and improvements to Adams Park.

The mosaic, entitled Star Pool, created by artist Be Allen, reflects Roslinclale's history and incorporates objects of its past. These include the metal fragments from the famous train wreck of 1887, and bottle fragments from the Taft's Tavern, which stood on the site during most of the nineteenth century. Roslindale Village Main Street helped with the design review.

Roslindale Village Main Street, working with the Boston Parks Department and the Browne Fund initiated Phase 2 Adams Park Improvements in 1989-90, which included the replacement of the curved walkways and entry pillars, new landscaping, and cleaning the granite statuary. Pat Loheed/ Landscape Architect and Fleming Brothers Construction undertook Phase 2 improvements.

Throughout the year, Adams Park is actively utilized. In the summer, Concerts A La Carte series attracts families and elders for a weekly evening of free music. Roslindale Village Main Street sponsors a Farmers Market in Adams Park mid June through the end of October on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Roslindale residents volunteer their time and energy to cleaning up the area, which includes the park and planting flowers during May of each year. The most popular event is a Harvest Festival in the fall. The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is a Roslindale holiday tradition which features carolling, tree decorating, and Santa Claus, on the Saturday following Thanksgiving.

Adams Park is the centerpiece of Roslindale Village and the ongoing revitalization effort. It is a source of pride and enjoyment for Roslindale residents. The maintenance of Adams Park is managed by Roslindale Village Main Street through a generous donation by The Cooperative Bank.