Lowell Park is a little park with a big history. Once a staging ground for George Washington and his Continental Army, and in conjunction with the house at 33 Elmwood Avenue, home first to Eldridge Gerry, Governor of Massachusetts and Vice President to James Madison, and then James Russel Lowell, one of the Fireside Poets, the state gained ownership of the property that is now Lowell Memorial Park upon Lowell’s death and commissioned the Olmsted brothers to design a memorial park. Stately brick walls to form the perimeter of the park were one of the key elements of the Olmsted design. Today, the park is in need of some of long overdue care and attention. Working with neighborhood partners, Jon secured $180,000 dollars in state and Cambridge funds to rebuild the brick walls that run along Brattle St, the first step in what is planned to be a complete rehabilitation of the park.
