Highland Park: Exploring a potential historic district for Roxbury

Highland Park neighborhood (also called Roxbury Highlands) covers about 170 acres of steep terrain with puddingstone outcroppings. This historic area of Boston, characterized by prehistoric settlements and then sparsely settled farmland by European settlers, served a strategic role in the Revolutionary War, after which it developed as a fashionable nineteenth-century streetcar suburb that was annexed to the City of Boston in 1867.

During the 1950s large numbers of white residents, predominantly of Russian Jewish heritage, left Roxbury for western suburbs, such as Brookline and Newton, or moved south to Dorchester and Mattapan.  By the 1960s, the neighborhood was predominantly occupied by Black families who moved from the American South and other neighborhoods of Boston, including the North and South Ends. The neighborhood includes excellent examples of late eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth century architectural styles — Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne. Additionally, archaeological resources may still exist from earlier periods.

In 1989, the area was named a National Register district, a federal honor that does not confer any local protection. The Landmarks Commission accepted a petition to create a Highland Park district back in 1978, but a study report was never completed. 

Support for a historic district has been strong from a large segment of neighborhood residents and from the historic preservation community for many years. The Highland Park Neighborhood Coalition approached the Landmarks Commission with the goal of reviving the process. Neighborhood members gathered over 500 signatures in support of Landmark designation, recognizing that historic preservation adds value to neighborhood revitalization and improves economic prosperity.

Some individual buildings in the neighborhood have already become Boston landmarks; most recently, the St. James African Orthodox Church, 50 Cedar Street. 

A Massachusetts Historical Commission grant funded research for a study report that will help recommend a potential Highland Park Architectural Conservation District. A contractor was hired to complete the historical documentation and the entire study report process is managed by existing Landmarks Commission staff. 

If an Architectural Conservation District is created, it would require additional staff in the Environment Department to support the district commission’s review process.  

The process

• The Mayor has appointed, and the City Council has approved, a study committee to complete the report by holding public meetings and developing criteria and standards for the district. 
• Once completed, the study report and recommendations are presented to the Landmarks Commission for a vote.
• The Landmarks Commission votes whether to approve or not the creation of a new district.
• If the Landmarks Commission approves, the Mayor has 15 days to approve or reject.
• If the Mayor approves, the City Council has 30 days to approve or reject.
• If everything is approved, the Mayor would appoint a neighborhood district commission to review projects in the new district.

It is estimated the process would take 18 to 24 months.

The Study Committee’s process is a public process, and residents will have many opportunities for involvement and input into the consideration of forming a district, and in discussion of potential guidelines and standards for the district. There will be information provided online. 

Contact BLC@boston.gov for more information.