At the annual Brookline GreenSpace Alliance meeting in May, Ken Liss from the Brookline Historical Society gave a fascinating presentation about the history of playgrounds in Brookline.
I had a question about the Sears deed from 1902, which gave four parcels of land Longwood Mall, Winthrop Square, Knyvet Square and Mason Square to the Town of Brookline.
"This conveyance is made upon the express agreement and stipulations that the parcels of land hereinfore described shall be laid out by the proper authorities of the Town of Brookline s public parks..., and shall never be used for the purpose of a playground, as distinguished from a public park." But Winthrop Square, also know to many of us as the "Rose Garden Park", is now a playground, so I was wondering how that happened, given the terms of the 1902 deed.
Ken didn't know off the top of his head, but I followed up with him the next day and he was able to get to the bottom of the issue. Originally, Winthrop Square was only the southern portion of the park we know today. The ball field to the north of the playground equipment was acquired later in 1909. The playground equipment was added sometime between 1950-1952.
The addition of the playground equipment was possibly a technical violation of the stipulations in the 1902 Sears deed, but that playground has been a valuable part of the community for many years. When my children were younger, we would go to that park quite often. The three distinct sections (a playground, an athletic field, and a Rose Garden) make it a very unique and versatile spot in Brookline.