• Once a grand country estate, noted for its early use of terra cotta and decorative molded brick
• Suffers from vandalism, exposure to the elements, demolition by neglect
• Lack of consensus on future of the building has prevented any action
Historic Boston Incorporated 1999 Preservation Revolving Fund Casebook : Property
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| Pinebank | Jamaica Plain |
| • Only building within
Boston's Emerald Necklace that pre-dates creation of the famed park system • Once a grand country estate, noted for its early use of terra cotta and decorative molded brick • Suffers from vandalism, exposure to the elements, demolition by neglect • Lack of consensus on future of the building has prevented any action |
|
| Name: Pinebank | Bldg SqFt: 8,860 | Lot SqFt: 45-acre city park | |
| Address: Jamaica Pond, east bank | Ward: 19 | Parcel: 2186 | |
| Neighborhood: Jamaica Plain | Zoning: Recreation Open Space Subdistrict (OS-RC) | ||
| Year Built: 1868 | Use: Vacant | ||
| Style: High Victorian Gothic | Condition: Poor | ||
| Architect(s): Sturgis & Brigham | Owner: City of Boston, Parks and Recreation Department | ||
| Historic Certification: Olmsted Park System National Register Historic District | |||
| FY99 Building Assessment: N/A FY02 Building Assessment: N/A |
FY99 Tax: N/A FY02 Tax: N/A |
||
| FY99 Land Assessment: N/A FY02 Land Assessment: N/A |
Tax Status: Exempt | ||
Preservation Strategy:
Encourage the City to obtain MPPF grant to stabilize the structure and thus preserve various options for conserving this resource.
Significance:
Boston philanthropist Edward N. Perkins built Pinebank as his grand country estate, high on a hill above Jamaica Pond. A very early example of the High Victorian Gothic style that would become such a staple of Boston architecture later in the 19th century, Pinebank is renowned for its use of imported terra cotta and decorative molded brick. The city acquired Pinebank and all other private property around the pond by eminent domain in 1892 for creation of Jamaica Park within Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system. Olmsted apparently so admired the building that he incorporated it into his landscape design for the park, the only building within the lands acquired for the Emerald Necklace to survive the development of the park system. The city planned to convert Pinebank to a public restaurant within the park, but the inability to obtain a liquor license scuttled the plans. It became the city's first Children's Museum in 1913, then offices for the City Engineering Department in 1936, and a community arts facility after 1970.
Preservation Challenges:
As Pinebank continues to deteriorate, the greatest challenge facing the building is how to reach a consensus on its future: demolish it and allow the site to revert to its natural state; create an architectural folly with some elements preserved as a monument; or rehabilitate the building and allow it to be reborn as a piece of usable real estate within a city park. A Pinebank Strategy Session convened in early 1997 by the Boston Preservation Alliance, the Boston Parks and Recreation Department, the Boston Landmarks Commission, and Mayor Thomas M. Menino failed to reach such a consensus. The City's capital plan currently has money budgeted for stabilizing Pinebank. Fires and vandalism have left the building open to the elements and have exacerbated its deterioration, allowing critics to cite the building as a public safety hazard and an eyesore within one of the city’s most popular parks.
Neighborhood Context:
Pinebank stands deteriorated, overgrown, and isolated deep within Jamaica Park, on a hill with a panoramic view of Jamaica Pond. A service road provides limited vehicular access from Jamaicaway; otherwise the site is accessible to the public only by foot. The park itself abuts one of Boston’s most desirable residential areas and also one of Brookline's.
Other Sources of Information:
Boston Preservation Alliance, The Alliance Newsletter, April 1997; HBI Preservation Revolving Fund Casebook, 1981, 1985
Entry Completed: 05/21/1999
The continued lack of community consensus concerning the fate of this building appears to be ending. In May the Jamaica Park Advisory Committee, concerned that the building's current state detracts from the park, unanimously voted to support the retention of the front façade and terrace as an historic ruin. Although $700,000 of City money was budgeted in 2002 to stabilize and mothball the building, tax revenue shortfalls have eliminated this source of funding. All the while Pinebank continues to deteriorate due to vandalism and exposure to the elements.Update Entry Completed: 08/13/2002