< CONTENTS Home About The Friends Directions to the Park History of TSP Donating to FTSP Volunteering with FTSP Concerts Kid's Series The Tennis Court The Basketball Court Gardens Permits Park Guidelines Links Sponsors Pictures CONTACT INFO Alexi Conine (617-262-1120) president@titussparrowpark.org Ann Hershfang (617-267-9770) chairman@titussparrowpark.org	A History of Titus Sparrow Park How did Titus Sparrow Park get its name? A long-time resident of Durham Street, Titus Sparrow cared deeply for his neighborhood in the South End. He was a devoted tennis player, and began tennis programs for children at nearby Carter Field. Titus Sparrow helped to form the Sportsmen’s Tennis Club , which for decades has provided city children with the opportunity to learn the game at no cost. In 1956, he became the first African-American umpire of the United States Tennis Association. He officiated at the Davis Cup, the U.S. Open, and the Longwood Tennis Club in Brookline. He planned to give free tennis lessons on the court in the new park. At a time when city officials paid little attention to poor minority areas, he encouraged his neighbors to be politically active and take responsibility for their community. He died before the park was completed in 1976. Because of his commitment to his community, the park, which includes a tennis court, was named in his honor. What is the history of Titus Sparrow Park? The Park is located on 1.5 acres of land in the South End which in 1960 contained one half-row of houses on West Newton Street and another on West Rutland Square; they were brick bow fronts similar to those still standing. The other half of the lot, behind the brick wall, was empty. It formerly had contained the Evangeline Booth Memorial Hospital for Women and, later, a Salvation Army home for pregnant and unmarried women. The lot was bordered by the Union United Methodist Church on one side, and by five railroad tracks carrying intercity rail service between Washington, New York and Boston on the other. The heavy traffic during the heyday of rail travel often left black soot on the clothes hung out to dry behind the houses in the neighborhood. In the 1960's, and for some decades before, houses in the two-block strips between Columbus Avenue and St. Botolph Street, from Dartmouth Street to Massachusetts Avenue, had been primarily owned by African-Americans, many of whom were members of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. They possessed job security rare for African-Americans in those days. This history is described on plaques in Back Bay Station. During the 1960’s, the homeowners of West Rutland Square were repeatedly threatened by urban renewal projects that were to “improve” the major entrances to the South End, one of which was West Newton Street. “Improve” meant using federal money to tear down buildings and waiting for allocation of local development funds to rebuild. The Urban Renewal Plan included, among other items, the construction of a four-lane highway. This four-lane road, called the South End Bypass, was to be the offramp from the large I-95 South interchange in Roxbury. It was expected to bring 40,000 cars a day onto West Newton and Dartmouth Streets. In the winter of 1967 – 68, residents of West Rutland Square watched as houses across the street were torn down. However, no new building occurred and for the next eight years the lot remained vacant. Occasionally, it was used for illegal dumping of construction debris. Interim uses of the lot included parking for the Prudential building, a basketball court, and gardens. For three summers it contained a portable pool where local children swam. In 1974, it became clear no money would be allocated to the site for housing. The three-year battle against the South End Bypass ended in 1972 when Governor Francis Sargent canceled construction plans for highways into and through Boston. Subsequently, federal highway funding paid for the relocation of the Orange Line MBTA from Washington Street to the railroad tracks; rebuilding and covering the Amtrak lines, and building the Southwest Corridor Park to unify the South End and St. Botolph neighborhoods. All four surrounding neighborhoods (Claremont, Cosmopolitan, St. Botolph, and Pilot Block) and the Union United Methodist Church were involved in the original design of Titus Sparrow Park. Their goal was to create mixed uses for all ages and levels of energy, but not to overbuild. The park would be restful while also including spaces for activity, such as the sledding hill in winter and the basketball and tennis courts in warmer weather. Cross paths were designed to bring everyone into the park, and to create a vibrant mix of ages and backgrounds. The park was opened and dedicated to Titus Sparrow in June 1976. In 2004-2005, after nearly 30 years of intensive use, the Boston Parks Department gave Titus Sparrow Park a major rehabilitation. The basic design stayed the same, with new play equipment, addition of a performance area and new grass, plantings, benches, and court surfaces. Since reopening in 2005, the park is more heavily used than ever by all ages all over it -- sledding, rolling, sun-bathing, sitting, skiing, football and baseball games, and splendid children's programs and evening concerts in the summer. We believe Titus Sparrow Park to be the best used and most beautiful park in Boston.
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