The Refreshment Pavilion is a historic refreshment stand at Houghton's Pond in the Milton portion of

Blue Hills Reservation Blue Hills Reservation is a state park in Norfolk County, Massachusetts in the United States. Managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, it covers parts of Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Canton, Randolph, and Dedha ...

, a

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

state park. Built in 1920, it is one of a series of architect-designed structures built in the park by the Metropolitan District Commission. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1980.

Description and history

The Refreshment Pavilion is located near the northern shore of Houghton's Pond, a body of water in the southwestern part of the Blue Hills Reservation. It is set south of Hillside Street, the access road for the pond's beach area, which is located east of the pavilion. It is a single-story rectangular stone structure with a gable roof. Oculus windows are set in the gables, surrounded by louvered openings, and there are covered

pergola A pergola is most commonly used as an outdoor garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway, or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support crossbeams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are t ...

-like porches extending from some of its sides supported by slatted supporting columns. The Blue Hills are a range of hills located about south of downtown

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. For many years they were largely undeveloped, and became a popular recreational destination by the late 19th century. The Metropolitan Parks Commission, created by the state to establish a network of parks and roadways around the Greater Boston area (and a predecessor to the MDC and today's

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is a state agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, situated in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. It is best known for its parks and parkways. Th ...

, or DCR), formally acquired the reservation land in the early 1890s, but did no active development of amenities and infrastructure. By 1899, the need for roadways and other features was apparent, and the MDC hired the Boston firm Stickney & Austin to design structures for the reservation. Between 1899 and 1926 Stickney and Austin designed a number of structures, seven of which survive today. The Refreshment Pavilion at Houghton's Pond is one of these, exhibiting the use of high-quality materials and design sought by the firm and the MDC. It was built in 1920 on the site of the Ralph Houghton house which was built in 1690 and demolished in 1896 to make way for the development of the

. It was added to the

as ''Refreshment '' on September 25, 1980. It is still in use as a refreshment stand.

Gallery

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Buildings and structures completed in 1920 Buildings and structures in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Milton, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Milton, Massachusetts Restaurants established in 1920 Restaurants in Massachusetts Restaurants on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts

Description and history

Gallery

See also

References