Place

Beaver Brook Reservation

Black and white of water flowing down rocks with trees on side and people on top of water.
Beaver Brook Reservation

Olmsted Archives

Quick Facts
Location:
Belmont, MA
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Park
MANAGED BY:
After the 1893 establishment of the Metropolitan Parks System, pushed forward by Olmsted firm partner Charles Eliot, Beaver Brook Reservation was to become the first reservation in the system. Eliot, Frederick Law Olmsted, and Sylvester Baxter, who helped created the Metropolitan Parks System, all emphasized the importance of preserving the distinct natural scenery of the area.

The Olmsted firm would design formal paths and trails through Beaver Brook Reservation well into the 1890s, as well as two footbridges across the Brook. Despite careful attention of both Olmsted firm members and park superintendents, many of the area’s distinctive trees succumbed to disease, weather, and old age within thirty years of the reservation being created.

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

Last updated: October 6, 2023