The Water Tower Advisory Council, a group of volunteers whose mission is to support the Water Tower Recreation Center, is planning a project to add much-needed improvements to the grounds of the historic Water Tower Recreation Center. A kick-off celebration and fundraiser will take place on Saturday, June 20, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Chestnut Hill Bocce Club, 118 E. Hartwell Lane.

The new project is similar in scope and purpose to the very successful 2024 Light Up the Tower project that revitalized the park around the historic water tower and was a recipient of a Chestnut Hill Conservancy Preservation Award.

A recently completed $2.3 million city-funded project added new windows, doors and lights, and included much-needed repairs to the stone exterior, roof and steps of the recreation center building. Although substantial, these improvements do not address the grounds in front of the recreation center, which are in need of attention. With the goal of raising $100,000, the advisory council’s 2026 project will fund new landscape lighting, signage and gardens, which will not only improve the function, safety and security of the center but will also make its stately entrance more welcoming. The combined effect of the building renovation along with the improvements to the grounds will be transformative.

How it all began

Beginning over 100 years ago, the legacy of giving was part of the fabric of Chestnut Hill. Years before there was a recreation center, in 1910, Dr. George Woodward brokered an agreement with the city, which owned the land where the recreation center is now located. In exchange for large donations by Dr. Woodward, the city agreed to preserve the property in perpetuity as a playground for children.

A group of ladies

Soon after, an article from 1913 describes the efforts of a group of local women led by Mrs. Agnes French Landstreet to raise $5,000 for a new playground which would be a source of pride in the neighborhood and would meet the needs of many children who “have only the streets in which to play.” Their plan was to preserve the water tower as a feature of the landscape and clear the reservoir, which they said had become a dumping ground and marsh covered with green slime and swarms of mosquitoes.

The ultimate sacrifice

Then in 1918, the son of Dr. George Woodward and Gertrude Houston Woodward, Henry Houston Woodward, was killed while serving in World War I. Soon after, the Woodwards decided to fund a recreation building in memory of their son.

Designed by architect Robert Rodes McGoodwin and completed in 1921, it is unique among recreation center buildings, featuring a neoclassical design and distinctive traditional features which contribute to its historic significance.

A leader emerges

In 1948, the Chestnut Hill Community Association was formed, with president Sidney B. Dexter describing the association’s primary objective as “the advancement of a vigorous program for the benefit of the whole community at the Water Tower Recreation Center.” He also led the effort to fund and plan a World War II memorial and park around the historic water tower, designed by renowned landscape architect Frederick Peck, who is responsible for its simple beauty and functionality. Peck also included the terraced hill, which he imagined would be a viewing area for sporting events and has since become a most popular sledding destination and an amphitheater for summer movie nights.

The Water Tower Rec today

Today, the Water Tower Recreation Center serves hundreds of families every day with Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club programs, summer camp, tutoring, classes for all ages, and a daily after-school program which provides computers for homework and a supervised and safe place to play. This new project will honor the legacy of those who first imagined it while improving the site for the community to enjoy now and far into the future.

To attend the June 20 kick-off celebration in support of the recreation center, please scan the QR code to purchase tickets, donate, contact project planners with questions, or volunteer. Don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate our neighborhood treasure while supporting a very worthy cause.