Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey

Faxon Park and Faxon Park Wall

VISUAL ASSESSMENT
Faxon Park is a large 54.6 acre park with natural, ledgy woodland vegetation. Well suited for both passive and active recreation, it contains playground equipment, softball fields, a basketball court, a picnic pavilion, four tennis courts and a natural pond for ice skating. It is a handsome recreational area with much tree-shaded land, woods and some attractive WPA-built park buildings. Paul Robert Lyons points out that Quincy's identification with stone is emphasized in the forms of the sturdy stone benches and notable stone walls, often resting on massive rocks. Faxon Park is on high ground with excellent views of Quincy Point and Quincy' Bay.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
In 1885 Henry Hardwick Faxon deeded 26.8 acres of land, which was part of his heritage his father, Job Faxon, left to the City of Quincy with three conditions. The first condition was the land must remain a free public park, second, it must be called "Faxon Park" and third, “No intoxicating liquors shall even be sold on said premises under license of any public authority, forever." In 1935 Henry Munroe Faxon, Henry Hardwick's son, added an additional 19.6 acres to the southern area of the park and in 1940 made a final contribution of 8.2 acres near the northwesterly boundary. The elder Faxon was the fabulously successful real estate entrepreneur and temperance fanatic who owned many houses and stores in Quincy as well as large holdings in Boston and Chelsea. The younger Faxon was a founder and president of the Quincy Electric Light & Power Company, and, apparently inheriting his father's talent with real estate, successfully continued to manage the Faxon properties.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
City of Quincy. Park and Recreation Board reference files.
Copies of original deeds. Henry Hardwick Faxon and Henry Munroe
Paul Robert Lyons. Quincy: A Pictorial History, 1983. p. 140.
"Sprague Genealogy of Old Braintree Families". Microflim at the Quincy Historical Society.

FAXON PARK WALL

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The WPA expended $300,000 in 1938 to develop Faxon Park. This attractive, well-constructed wall, a utility building and a playground shelter were among the park projects which employed many Quincy people as well as such projects elsewhere in the city as the field house at O'Rourke Playground and the Wollaston Post Office.

Thomas S. Burgin, the late beloved Mayor of Quincy, recalled those depression years and in particular the Works Project Administration: "At the peak of the depression right here in Quincy we had over 10,000 people on our relief rolls and 1800 on WPA projects, plus those employed by private contractors on various public building construction projects." Burgin went on to praise the WPA program not only for the work it provided but for such worthwhile improvements to the City of Quincy as the municipal stadium, street and sidewalk construction, cemetery enlargements and park enhancement.

BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES
City of Quincy. Park and Recreation Board reference files.
City of Quincy. Quincy Fire Department. Scrapbook of Robert N. Mood. Fire Historian.
Copies of original deeds. Henry Hardwick Faxon and Henry Munroe Faxon.
Paul Robert Lyons. Quincy: A Pictorial History. 1983. p. 140.
"Sprague Genealogy of Old Braintree Families". Microflim at the Quincy Historical Society.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
The Faxon Park stone walls wind through the large 54.6 acre Faxon Park following, with the roads, the natural curvature of the hilly land. The long, low granite walls, about three feet high and one-and-a half feet thick, are the most prominent as they surround the circular outlook from which are excellent views of Quincy Point and Quincy Bay. Paul Robert Lyons points out that Quincy's identification with stone is emphasized in the forms of both the walls and the sturdy stone benches and fireplaces, often resting on massive rocks.



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