The first big project we'll be working on is the clearing of the river view along the park promenade wall. This first project was chosen in follow-up to a park Master Plan completed in 2001. The city commissioned the master plan as part of improvements to the walkways and balustrades.
In the Mater Plan's survey, the clearing of the river view was overwhelmingly (84% of respondents) the first improvement requested by park users. The river view clearing must be in compliance with Railroad regulations, Wetland Protection requirements, Endangered Species Regulations, and Army Corp of Engineering rules. The land that would be cleared is owned by Pan Am Railroads. They will, understandably, be concerned about issues such as erosion and safety. Friends of Pulaski Park looks forward to working with Pan Am on this project.
Check out how great the view used to be on other pages of this site! While it certainly won't ever look like that again, it can certainly be better than the wall of green you see now.
The project will involve fund-raising, assessments, environmental permits and getting the railroad to agree to the work. If you can support our work financially, we would be so appreciative. We are a 501(c)3 Charitable organization, so all donations are completely tax deductible. Send your donations to:
Friends of Pulaski Park
4 Open Square Way, Suite 214
Holyoke, MA 01040
I fnally got a look at the microfilm reel from the Library of Congress Manuscripts Division. LOC is the caretaker for the Olmstead Associates records, which includes most correspondence between the firm and its clients. The microfilm reel I ordered was sent to the Holyoke Room, which is housed in the Holyoke Community College Library. Penni there was most helpful!
In 1901, the firm was hired to asses four parks in Holyoke: Hampden Park, Germania Park, Prospect Park, and Elmwood Park. By 1907, the firm had actively worked on four different parks in Holyoke: Jones Point Park, Riverside Park, Elmwood Park, and Prospect Park (Pulaski Park.) Beyond the initial assessment in 1901, it does not appear as though the firm worked further on Germania Park or Hampden Park.
The firm's work on Elmwood Park and Riverside Park appear to be much more extensive than their work on Pulaski Park. Elmwood and Riverside Parks were in a much more natural state, with dingles, ridges, brooks, and various land owners to contend with and plan for, whereas Pulaski Park was relatively flat and already owned entirely by the city.
When the city hired the firm of Frederick Law Olmstead in 1907 to redesign what was then Prospect Park, Olmstead Junior came out to Holyoke to assess the situation. There are four photos at the Olmstead Historic Site from his visit. Here's one of them.
Is anyone out there a whiz with Photoshop? Because these images need some serious help. I'm a Photoshop amateur, but I did my best with unsharp mask and minor image adjustments. This picture is taken from where Mater Dolorosa school is now, about where Maple Street ends.
In the foreground, there are cobblestone steps that lead to the park. You can see the mighty Connecticut River roaring in the distance behind a paltry (by today's standards) fence along the steep bank down to the railroad tracks. Pretty cool.
RSS Feed