Neighborhood History

The end of World War II created a unique problem in American history. As veterans returned to their hometowns and families, most found that while they wanted to buy or rent homes, very few were available. Around the country, communities looked for ways to provide affordable, modern housing as quickly as possible, and the City of Newton was no exception. Unlike most other communities, though, Newton chose to build an entirely new neighborhood for its veterans, including 412 houses, a shopping center, and a school. This new neighborhood was called Oak Hill Park.

Oak Hill Park is located in the southernmost part of the City at the West Roxbury (a Boston neighborhood) line. It is roughly bounded by Mt. Ida College to the north, the Boston City limits to the south, Dedham Street to the east, and the Charles River to the west. Unlike many similar veterans’ housing projects in other communities, Oak Hill Park was financed by the City itself, without the aid of state or federal funds. The City funded the project with a $1,250,000 bond issue. In addition, the new sewer and water main, which was estimated to cost an additional $4,000 per lot was provided by the City. The land, formerly the Highland Sand and Gravel Pit, was sold to the contractor for $50 per lot, although its per lot value at the time was estimated at $2,000-$2,500. It was the largest single project ever undertaken by the City, and it was the largest local project of its kind built under Chapter 372 of the Acts of 1946, which allowed the City to borrow and spend money outside the debt limit to construct housing for Veterans.

The project began in 1946, and by the end of 1947, preliminary plans and estimates were completed. City Engineer Ashley L. Robinson, under the supervision of Public Works Director Willard S. Pratt, laid out the development. They were responsible for the design of Oak Hill Park, as well as the coordination of the enormous work load generated by this project. The plan, reminiscent of the English “garden city” or the “greenbelt” towns constructed by the New Deal, reflected precedents of earlier private subdivisions created in the 1920s and 1930s, such as Radburn, NJ (ca. 1926). Oak Hill Park featured a series of cul-de-sacs, with houses facing away from the street and in toward public walkways which transverse the development and lead to the school and business center. The intent of the path system was to provide a traditional, homelike atmosphere, secure from the dangers and confusion of modern life, where “American” values could be nurtured and perpetuated. The path system minimized the intrusion of cars and attempted to foster community and neighborhood interaction by encouraging people to favor the common pedestrian ways.

In January of 1948, the City created the Veterans Housing Department to oversee the development of Oak Hill Park itself. This agency set the standards and guidelines for the construction, and also sold the houses. One of its first acts was to choose the names for the paths and streets. In April 1948, they chose to name the 33 streets and paths in the neighborhood after Newton citizens who had died in WWII. On April 14, a lottery was held to pick the names from the list of over 200 Newton citizens, while those whose names were not picked were memorialized when the school was dedicated in their honor.

Area politicians officially dedicated Oak Hill Park on May 21, 1950 with a parade and speeches. It was the first and only time that an entire village was incorporated into the City of Newton.

The City set only two qualifications for homeowners — they had to be veterans and Newton residents before the war. Interested couples who met these requirements went to City Hall where an office was set up to sell Oak Hill Park homes. The couple selected a lot from the map and chose a design with the help of a sales representative. Two homes were available as models in November 1948, but it appears that the homes sold themselves without the use of the models. The average Oak Hill Park family in 1950 was under the age of 30 and had married just before or after the war. One third of the children were born in 1946 or 1947.

Great attention was paid to variety and convenience in the overall plan and street layout, and the houses were built without sacrificing architectural variety, modern amenities, or pleasant surroundings. The 412 small but modern cottage style homes were constructed from six basic designs for a base price of $7,820. Each basic house included three bedrooms, a living room, dining area, kitchen, bath, and utility room. The houses lacked basements, but standard features included venetian blinds, window shutters and boxes, door knockers and chimes, built in ironing boards, and fluorescent kitchen lights. All the homes boasted oil fired radiant heating. In addition to their choice of six different designs, prospective owners could select clapboard, cedar shingle, or asbestos shingle siding, hip or gable roof treatment, and, for a modest additional sum, the addition of a porch ($325), breezeway ($300), or garage ($1,000). With all the extras, including cedar siding, the most expensive houses still cost less than $10,000, and worked out to be about $62.39/month for the mortgage and taxes. With the average veteran making $58/week, the houses were easily within their price range. Though all of the houses were the same size, the availability of extras, and the staggering of lots, insured that the area was not monotonous. Roof forms were also slightly varied.

The Kelly Company of Arlington began construction in June of 1948, preparing foundations at the rate of 10 per day. While the project took only thirteen months to complete, it was finished behind schedule. Part of this could be attributed to problems clearing and grading the land. The gravel pit was prone to flooding problems that were initially difficult to deal with. A millworks was set up on-site to fabricate doors, windows, and framing pieces, speeding-up construction with assembly line techniques. Additional delays were blamed on the scarcity of materials after the War. Despite the fact that these shortages meant there were still no utilities available in the area in December 1948, owners had already begun moving in. The first family moved in on November 15, and by the end of December 1948, 73 homes were occupied. In addition, another 359 had already been framed, 219 of which only needed paint and an inspection to be complete. By the spring of 1949, the roads were paved, landscaping had begun, and gardens were popping up all over the area.

In addition to houses, Oak Hill Park includes a two-story buff brick International Style school, dating from 1950. Memorial School (accessible by the path system and Stein Circle off of the Saw Mill Brook Parkway) was built to serve the families of Oak Hill Park, but was closed in 1977 due to declining enrollment in the city. It is now used by the Solomon Schechter Day School and includes a modern addition.

The business center (located on Saw Mill Brook Parkway) was built in 1954 and was also part of the original plan. A few small stores remain, but it appears to have been substantially reconstructed in the recent past with shops and apartments for the elderly.

By September of 1949, Oak Hill Park was fully occupied. The landscaping of the neighborhood, with maple trees lining the streets and linden trees lining the paths, was complete, and homeowners were settling into their new community as quickly as possible. The school was only partially complete, though, and the shopping center had yet to be started.

The northernmost section of Oak Hill Park was not constructed until the 1950s, and the house types and sizes deviate from the original housing. The split-level houses on the northern part of Spiers Road and Wiswall Road, as well as Indian Ridge Road, Esty Farm Road, June Lane, and the top parts of Marvin and Myerson Lane, were not part of the original Veterans Housing Department Project. However, they are considered part of the Oak Hill Park neighborhood and are within the natural neighborhood boundary of Dedham Street, Wiswall, and Spiers Roads.

From the beginning, Oak Hill Park had a strong sense of community among its residents. While its inhabitants came from a wide variety of occupations and economic backgrounds, they all shared a common experience as veterans and new homeowners. A community association was started as soon as people began to move in, and generated the Oak Hill Park Newsletter, full of news on the residents, activities, and concerns of the neighborhood. First printed in August 1949, it is still in circulation today. The Oak Hill Park Women’s Club began meeting in October 1949 to “build acquaintance” and do “humanitarian work.”

For the most part, Oak Hill Park has lived up to the high expectations of its planners. There is no feeling that it is a “lowerincome project” largely built up in the span of one year. However, no neighborhood can remain unchanged over time, and Oak Hill Park is no exception. Over the years, many homeowners have reoriented their front doors towards the road, reflecting the impact of the automobile on daily life. Many of the houses have had 2nd floor additions, and an increasing number of homes have been completely demolished and replaced with a much larger modern house.

Despite these changes, there are still intact examples of original Oak Hill Park homes located throughout the neighborhood. The most intact area of Oak Hill Park is the section south of Saw Mill Brook Parkway, where many homes still face the path system.

Text by the Newton Planning and Development Department in conjunction with the Newton Historical Commission. July 2002. Transcribed from a brochure available on the Newton website.