Furnace Brook Parkway
Major junctions | Route 3A in Quincy | |
---|---|---|
East end | Quincy Shore Drive in Quincy | |
Construction | ||
Completion | 1904-1916 | |
Furnace Brook Parkway | ||
MPS Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston MPS | | |
NRHP reference No. | 04000248[2] | |
Added to NRHP | March 18, 2004 |
Furnace Brook Parkway is a historic
Furnace Brook Parkway approximately bisects central Quincy on a southwest–northeast line, following closely the courses of Furnace Brook and Blacks Creek, the estuary into which the brook flows, crossing them several times. For the majority of its length it is two lanes undivided, with the exception of directional lanes at a
History
The parkway takes its name from the course of the stream it follows,
Design
The use of the land adjacent to Furnace Brook was first conceived by landscape architect
Construction
Funding for the proposed parkway along Furnace Brook was passed by the
Completion
Further land acquisition and construction continued through the next several years. Also during this time new structures began to appear along the route, with a notable section of
Post-completion
Following completion of the parkway the speed limit was set at twenty miles per hour. This has been increased to the current limit of thirty miles per hour;[17] a previously legislated restriction against the placement of advertising signs along the road has always been enforced.[18] A gas station at 507 Furnace Brook Parkway was added in 1929, but has been replaced by a newly constructed dance studio (2011-ish).[19]
The parkway route has been the same since completion in 1916, with the exception of one major interruption caused by the construction of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s. The Southeast Expressway, which carries Interstate 93 along with U.S. Route 1 and Massachusetts Route 3, was constructed over the right-of-way of the former New York, New Haven and Hartford rail line in 1956–57. At the modern Exit 8, the old Granite Branch railroad bridge over the parkway was demolished, and a portion of the parkway was replaced with a large rotary and system of ramps to serve the limited access expressway.[20] In 1997, the southbound exit ramp from the expressway was moved 1,500 feet (460 m) north to handle expected long queues of exiting dump trucks moving dirt excavated from the Big Dig construction project. The dirt removed was used to fill former granite quarries and create the land now occupied by the Granite Links at Quarry Hills golf complex located north of the parkway on Ricciuti Drive, which ends at the expressway southbound exit ramp for Furnace Brook Parkway.[21]
Route description
Blue Hills to Adams Street
Furnace Brook Parkway begins at the east end of Wampatuck Road, one of the Blue Hills Reservation Parkways, located at the gated northeastern entrance to the Blue Hills Reservation at Bunker Hill Road in West Quincy. The reservation gates at this intersection are open during the day and closed from 8 PM to 7 AM. From Bunker Hill Road the parkway travels east to northeast for 1,300 feet (400 m) before merging with Willard Street, formerly a northern segment of Massachusetts Route 37. The two roads enter the Furnace Brook Rotary as they meet amid single-lane directional roadways. Rotary traffic proceeds counterclockwise, with ramps entering and exiting the Southeast Expressway on either side of the limited access highway; Furnace Brook Parkway exits on the northeastern side of the rotary after passing under the expressway. Traffic traveling westbound on the parkway around the rotary is carried above the expressway on a bridge where it meets exiting southbound expressway traffic in a cross weave.
Beyond the rotary the parkway proceeds through a four block long commercial district, the only commercial presence on its length except for two gas stations. Although its general course is to the northeast, upon crossing Copeland Street here, it takes a wide swing to the northwest. Near Cross Street, it passes within 250 feet of the Winthrop Iron Furnace, which ultimately gave it its name. Between Cross and Quarry Streets, the Boston (northern) side becomes open land with the brook running down the middle of the open area, while the south side is residential. At Quarry street, its course is due north, and from here it goes generally northeast. From Quarry Street to Adams Street it is residential on both sides.
Between Adams and Hancock Streets
From Adams Street to Willow Avenue, the north side is the Furnace Brook Golf Course and the south is residential. Inset into the golf course is the Charles A. Bernazzani Elementary School.[22] In this section, just west of Willow Avenue, the brook passes under the parkway to the south. From Willow Avenue to Newport Avenue, the north side is residential and the south side is occupied by the Rice Eventide Nursing Home,[23] two residences, and the largest portion of Adams National Historical Park, including the Old House, the home of the Adams Family from 1788 until the early 20th century.
In the next block the parkway crosses under the
Hancock Street to Quincy Bay
On the southeast corner at Hancock Street is the Quincy National Guard Armory. South of the armory lies the Dorothy Quincy Homestead, a National Historic Landmark and the Dorothy Q Apartments, an NRHP site. In the section from Hancock Street to Southern Artery (Massachusetts Route 3A) the parkway crosses Blacks Creek at the point where the brook flows into the estuary. On the north side here is Merrymount Park and the Blacks Creek estuary, while the south is residential.
The last major section is from Southern Artery to Quincy Shore Drive. Here Furnace Brook Parkway traverses the northwest edge of Merrymount, the site of Quincy's founding in 1625.[24] Beyond here, the view opens on the left to a panorama north across the creek and marshes to Quincy Bay and the Boston Harbor Islands beyond. Furnace Brook Parkway ends at the intersection with Quincy Shore Drive, with traffic crossing the drive continuing onto Shore Avenue.
Major intersections
The entire route is in Quincy, Norfolk County.
mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.0 | 0.0 | Wampatuck Road west | To Blue Hills Reservation | ||
0.5 | 0.80 | Traffic circle ; exit 8 on I-93 / US 1 / MA 3 | |||
2.9 | 4.7 | Route 3A (Merrymount Parkway) | |||
3.4 | 5.5 | Quincy Shore Drive | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
See also
References
General references for the route description section:
- "Bing Maps". Redmond, Washington: Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- "Google Maps". Mountain View, California: Google Maps. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- "Historic USGS Maps of Quincy, Massachusetts". Durham, New Hampshire: University of New Hampshire Library. 2001. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- "Quincy, Massachusetts Historical and Architectural Survey". Quincy, Massachusetts: Thomas Crane Public Library. 1986. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- Sargent, Porter (1917). A Handbook of New England. Boston: Porter Sargent / George H. Ellis Co. p. 542.
Furnace Brook Parkway.
Notes
- ^ a b Google (May 25, 2019). "Furnace Brook Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "National Historic Landmark Nomination – Quincy Homestead" (PDF). United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service. 2005. pp. 22–23. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
- ^ "Historic USGS Maps of Quincy, Massachusetts". Durham, New Hampshire: University of New Hampshire Library. 2001. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ^ Pattee, William S. (1879). A History of Old Braintree and Quincy: With a Sketch of Randolph and Holbrook. Green & Prescott. p. 458.
- ^ Saugus Iron Works 1647 Dedication Ceremony Program (PDF). American Society of Mechanical Engineers. June 15, 1975. pp. 2–3. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2009.
- ^ a b c Eliot, Charles William (1902). Charles Eliot, landscape architect. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Houghton, Mifflin. p. 431. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
Furnace Brook Quincy -parkway.
- ^ "Division of Urban Parks and Recreation History". Department of Conservation and Recreation. December 3, 2009.
- ^ Journal of the Senate for the year 1901. Massachusetts Senate. 1901. p. 295.
- ^ First Annual Report of the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board. January 1, 1902. p. 176.
- ^ Report of the Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners. January 1904. p. 46.
- ^ "Architectural Record". XXV. January–June 1909: 396.
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(help) - ^ Annual Reports of various Public Officers and Institutions for the year 1905. The Secretary of the Commonwealth. 1906. p. 21.
- ^ Report of the Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners. January 1908. p. 12.
- ^ "403-405,407-409, 411-413, 415-417, 419-421, 423-425, 427-429 Furnace Brook Parkway". Thomas Crane Public Library. Archived from the original on January 4, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ Report of the Board of Metropolitan Park Commissioners. December 1916. pp. 53–54.
- ^ "Massachusetts Park Commission raises speed limit". Automotive Industries. 21. 1909.
- ^ "Abuses of public advertising". Atlantic Monthly. 93. Boston. 1904.
- ^ "507 Furnace Brook Parkway". Thomas Crane Public Library. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ "State Highway Layout Plans". Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on August 6, 2010. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ "X-way wonder: ramp in 6 weeks; built for trucks hauling big dig dirt" (PDF). The Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
- ^ "Bernazzani Elementary School". Quincy Public Schools. December 1, 2009.
- ^ "Eventide". The William B. Rice Eventide Home. December 3, 2009.
- OCLC 4276118. Retrieved October 15, 2009.