Hyde Park is the most southern neighborhood of the City of Boston, Massachusetts. Hyde Park is home to a diverse range of people, housing types and social groups. It is an urban location with suburban characteristics.

The George Wright Golf Course, named for Baseball Hall of Famer and Cincinnati Reds Shortstop George Wright, is in Hyde Park. The golf course is a Donald Ross-designed course and is considered one of his finest designs.

History

Hyde Park was a separate town in Norfolk County until 1912 when it was annexed by the city of Boston and became part of Suffolk County. It was formed from parts of Dorchester, Milton, and Dedham and was incorporated April 26, 1868. The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, which was one of the first official African-American units in the United States Army and was commanded by Col. Robert G. Shaw, was assembled and trained at Camp Meigs in Readville (now Hyde Park), Massachusetts.

Hyde Park was for many years the main base of the Westinghouse Sturtevant Corporation.

Hyde Park faced the challenges of other Boston neighborhoods during the busing crisis of the 1970s.

Hyde Park (Readville) was home to the Stop & Shop Warehouse until it moved to Assonet, MA in the early 2000s. One of their original stores still stands on Truman Parkway STORE 47, in Hyde Park.

Alpheus Perley Blake is considered the founder of Hyde Park and the organizer of the Twenty Associates who developed the town. The Twenty Associates, in addition to Blake, included William E. Abbot, Amos Angell, Ira L. Benton, Enoch Blake, John Newton Brown, George W. Currier, Hypolitus Fisk, John C. French, David Higgins, John S. Hobbs, Samuel Salmon Mooney, William Nightingale, J. Wentworth Payson, Dwight B. Rich, Alphonso Robinson, William H. Seavey, Daniel Warren, and John Williams. Hyde Park is home to many churches most notably St. Pius X Church, Most Precious Blood Church, Saint Adalbert's [Polish] Church, and Saint Anne's Church, in Readville. The Parish of Christ Church is notable for its historic building, designed by Ralph Adams Cram.

Demographics

Historically, Hyde Park's residents were people from Polish, Italian, and Irish ethnicities similar to South Boston, Charlestown, and Dorchester, Massachusetts. Hyde Park is a briskly diversifying neighborhood; as of 2000 the ethnic breakup roughly is 43% Non-Hispanic White, 39% Black or African-American, 17% Hispanic or Latino and 1% Asian-American.

Historic Architecture

Hyde Park's Fairmount Hill has many architecturally notable Victorian period houses, including historic Victorian, Queen Anne and Georgian revival designs.(Photos)

Hyde Park has quite an inventory of warehouses and factory buildings from the nineteenth and early twentieth century in the Readville neighborhood and along the Neponset River and Mother Brook. (http://www.sturtevantfan.com/BldgA.html)

Hyde Park's central business district, near the confluence of River Street, Fairmont Street and Hyde Park Ave features a former Opera House; a Cram, Wentworth & Goodhue Church (1893-94) (http://www.historicboston.org/99cb/christchurch.htm); and a public library with contemporary addition by Schwartz/Silver Architects.

Schools

Local schools include Academy of the Pacific Rim, Boston Trinity Academy, Henry Grew Elementary, William Ellery Channing Elementary, William Barton Rogers Middle School, Hyde Park High School, St. Anne's, and Hyde Park Academy. Hyde Park is also home to the private Boston Baptist College, located on Fairmount Hill. Former schools include the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Memorial and Most Precious Blood Catholic schools. New Beginnings Academy.

Transportation

The Providence/Stoughton commuter rail line stops at Hyde Park with service to Boston's South Station.

The Fairmount Line and Franklin Line stop at Readville.

All three lines provide service to Boston's South Station.

Notable residents

• Thomas Menino, Mayor of Boston
• Felix D. Arroyo, first ever Latino Boston City Councillor
• John Joseph Enneking, an American Impressionist painter (1841-1911)
• Angelina Emily Grimké, abolitionist and suffragist
• Elizabeth Short, actress known as "the Black Dahlia", 1947
• Maura Tierney, actress, famous for her roles in NewsRadio and ER
• Manny Delcarmen, Major League Baseball pitcher, Boston Red Sox
• Al Leppo, Legendary coach of Hyde Park Basketball and Baseball from 1984 through 2000
• Jason Luisi, 2nd all-time leading scorer in Suffolk University basketball history
• Tyler Miller, Award winning author, community leader
• Jay Wilson, Local activist, also see West Roxbury

References

External links

• Google Map of Hyde Park
• City of Boston map of Hyde Park
• Hyde Park Branch of the Boston Public Library