Newton Centre Playground was created out of civic interest and involvement, most of it coming from local neighbors. The Newton Centre Improvement Association provided funds for the city’s first public playground, with its initial design prepared by the F.L. and J.C Olmsted firm. Originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, firm member Herbert J. Kellaway took over the design, and after starting his own landscape architecture firm, submitted a revised plan in 1908.
Originally named William C. Brewer Playground after the organizer and first chair of the Newton Playground Commission, the construction of this playground would prompt Newton’s mayor to encourage the development of more playgrounds. Intended to serve a broad audience by balancing the activities of a playground with the calming qualities of a park, Newton Centre Playground was the first in the city.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service