Charlestown Heights

Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., America’s foremost landscape architect and the creator of Boston’s Emerald Necklace and New York’s Central Park, designed Charlestown Heights, now Doherty Playground, in 1891. With an increasing population and decreasing open space, Boston’s Parks Department commissioned Olmsted to design five neighborhood parks. This park remains an excellent example of the Olmsted style. Here you can see his characteristic use of trees, boulders, hills, meandering pathways and picturesque vistas to elicit feelings of peacefulness.<p> In 1998, Doherty Playground was granted Landmark status and placed on the National Register of Historic Places through the efforts of the Friends of Doherty Park.